ContextFilter

A filter to match against certain extension contexts. Matching contexts must match all specified filters; any filter that is not specified matches all available contexts. Thus, a filter of `{}` will match all available contexts.

Properties

• contextIds

  string[] optional

• contextTypes

  ContextType[] optional

• documentIds

  string[] optional

• documentOrigins

  string[] optional

• documentUrls

  string[] optional

• frameIds

  number[] optional

• incognito

  boolean optional

• windowIds

  number[] optional

ContextType

Enum

"TAB"
Specifies the context type as a tab

ExtensionContext

A context hosting extension content.

Properties

• A unique identifier for this context

• The type of context this corresponds to.

• documentId

  string optional

  A UUID for the document associated with this context, or undefined if this context is hosted not in a document.

• documentOrigin

  string optional

  The origin of the document associated with this context, or undefined if the context is not hosted in a document.

• documentUrl

  string optional

  The URL of the document associated with this context, or undefined if the context is not hosted in a document.

• The ID of the frame for this context, or -1 if this context is not hosted in a frame.

• Whether the context is associated with an incognito profile.

• The ID of the tab for this context, or -1 if this context is not hosted in a tab.

• The ID of the window for this context, or -1 if this context is not hosted in a window.

MessageSender

An object containing information about the script context that sent a message or request.

Properties

• documentId

  string optional

  A UUID of the document that opened the connection.

• documentLifecycle

  string optional

  The lifecycle the document that opened the connection is in at the time the port was created. Note that the lifecycle state of the document may have changed since port creation.

• The frame that opened the connection. 0 for top-level frames, positive for child frames. This will only be set when tab is set.

• The ID of the extension that opened the connection, if any.

• nativeApplication

  string optional

  The name of the native application that opened the connection, if any.

• The origin of the page or frame that opened the connection. It can vary from the url property (e.g., about:blank) or can be opaque (e.g., sandboxed iframes). This is useful for identifying if the origin can be trusted if we can't immediately tell from the URL.

• The tabs.Tab which opened the connection, if any. This property will only be present when the connection was opened from a tab (including content scripts), and only if the receiver is an extension, not an app.

• tlsChannelId

  string optional

  The TLS channel ID of the page or frame that opened the connection, if requested by the extension, and if available.

• The URL of the page or frame that opened the connection. If the sender is in an iframe, it will be iframe's URL not the URL of the page which hosts it.

OnInstalledReason

The reason that this event is being dispatched.

Enum

"install"
Specifies the event reason as an installation.

OnRestartRequiredReason

The reason that the event is being dispatched. 'app_update' is used when the restart is needed because the application is updated to a newer version. 'os_update' is used when the restart is needed because the browser/OS is updated to a newer version. 'periodic' is used when the system runs for more than the permitted uptime set in the enterprise policy.

Enum

"app_update"
Specifies the event reason as an update to the app.

PlatformArch

The machine's processor architecture.

Enum

"arm"
Specifies the processer architecture as arm.

PlatformInfo

An object containing information about the current platform.

Properties

• The machine's processor architecture.

• nacl_arch

  PlatformNaclArch optional

  The native client architecture. This may be different from arch on some platforms.

• The operating system Chrome is running on.

PlatformNaclArch

The native client architecture. This may be different from arch on some platforms.

Enum

"arm"
Specifies the native client architecture as arm.

PlatformOs

The operating system Chrome is running on.

Enum

"mac"
Specifies the MacOS operating system.

Port

An object which allows two way communication with other pages. See Long-lived connections for more information.

Properties

• The name of the port, as specified in the call to runtime.connect.

• onDisconnect

  Event<functionvoidvoid>

  Fired when the port is disconnected from the other end(s). runtime.lastError may be set if the port was disconnected by an error. If the port is closed via disconnect, then this event is only fired on the other end. This event is fired at most once (see also Port lifetime).

  The onDisconnect.addListener function looks like:

  (callback: function) => {...}

  • The callback parameter looks like:

    (port: Port) => void

• onMessage

  Event<functionvoidvoid>

  This event is fired when postMessage is called by the other end of the port.

  The onMessage.addListener function looks like:

  (callback: function) => {...}

  • The callback parameter looks like:

    (message: any, port: Port) => void

• sender

  MessageSender optional

  This property will only be present on ports passed to onConnect / onConnectExternal / onConnectNative listeners.

• Immediately disconnect the port. Calling disconnect() on an already-disconnected port has no effect. When a port is disconnected, no new events will be dispatched to this port.

  The disconnect function looks like:

  () => {...}

• Send a message to the other end of the port. If the port is disconnected, an error is thrown.

  The postMessage function looks like:

  (message: any) => {...}

  • The message to send. This object should be JSON-ifiable.

RequestUpdateCheckStatus

Result of the update check.

Enum

"throttled"
Specifies that the status check has been throttled. This can occur after repeated checks within a short amount of time.

id

The ID of the extension/app.

lastError

Populated with an error message if calling an API function fails; otherwise undefined. This is only defined within the scope of that function's callback. If an error is produced, but runtime.lastError is not accessed within the callback, a message is logged to the console listing the API function that produced the error. API functions that return promises do not set this property.

Properties

• Details about the error which occurred.

connect()

chrome.runtime.connect(
  extensionId?: string,
  connectInfo?: object,
): Port

Attempts to connect listeners within an extension (such as the background page), or other extensions/apps. This is useful for content scripts connecting to their extension processes, inter-app/extension communication, and web messaging. Note that this does not connect to any listeners in a content script. Extensions may connect to content scripts embedded in tabs via tabs.connect.

Parameters

• extensionId

  string optional

  The ID of the extension to connect to. If omitted, a connection will be attempted with your own extension. Required if sending messages from a web page for web messaging.

• connectInfo

  object optional

  • includeTlsChannelId

    boolean optional

    Whether the TLS channel ID will be passed into onConnectExternal for processes that are listening for the connection event.

  • Will be passed into onConnect for processes that are listening for the connection event.

Returns

• Port through which messages can be sent and received. The port's onDisconnect event is fired if the extension does not exist.

connectNative()

chrome.runtime.connectNative(
  application: string,
): Port

Connects to a native application in the host machine. This method requires the "nativeMessaging" permission. See Native Messaging for more information.

Parameters

• The name of the registered application to connect to.

Returns

• Port through which messages can be sent and received with the application

getBackgroundPage()

chrome.runtime.getBackgroundPage(): Promise<Window | undefined>

Background pages do not exist in MV3 extensions.

Retrieves the JavaScript 'window' object for the background page running inside the current extension/app. If the background page is an event page, the system will ensure it is loaded before calling the callback. If there is no background page, an error is set.

Returns

• Promise<Window | undefined>

getContexts()

chrome.runtime.getContexts(
  filter: ContextFilter,
): Promise<ExtensionContext[]>

Fetches information about active contexts associated with this extension

Parameters

• A filter to find matching contexts. A context matches if it matches all specified fields in the filter. Any unspecified field in the filter matches all contexts.

Returns

• Promise<ExtensionContext[]>

  Promise that resolves with the matching contexts, if any.

getManifest()

chrome.runtime.getManifest(): object

Returns details about the app or extension from the manifest. The object returned is a serialization of the full manifest file.

Returns

• The manifest details.

getPackageDirectoryEntry()

chrome.runtime.getPackageDirectoryEntry(): Promise<DirectoryEntry>

Returns a DirectoryEntry for the package directory.

Returns

getPlatformInfo()

chrome.runtime.getPlatformInfo(): Promise<PlatformInfo>

Returns information about the current platform.

Returns

• Promise that resolves with information about the current platform.

getURL()

chrome.runtime.getURL(
  path: string,
): string

Converts a relative path within an app/extension install directory to a fully-qualified URL.

Parameters

• A path to a resource within an app/extension expressed relative to its install directory.

Returns

• The fully-qualified URL to the resource.

getVersion()

chrome.runtime.getVersion(): string

Returns the extension's version as declared in the manifest.

Returns

• The extension's version.

openOptionsPage()

chrome.runtime.openOptionsPage(): Promise<void>

Open your Extension's options page, if possible.

The precise behavior may depend on your manifest's options_ui or options_page key, or what Chrome happens to support at the time. For example, the page may be opened in a new tab, within chrome://extensions, within an App, or it may just focus an open options page. It will never cause the caller page to reload.

If your Extension does not declare an options page, or Chrome failed to create one for some other reason, the callback will set lastError.

Returns

reload()

chrome.runtime.reload(): void

Reloads the app or extension. This method is not supported in kiosk mode. For kiosk mode, use chrome.runtime.restart() method.

requestUpdateCheck()

chrome.runtime.requestUpdateCheck(): Promise<object>

Requests an immediate update check be done for this app/extension.

Important: Most extensions/apps should not use this method, since Chrome already does automatic checks every few hours, and you can listen for the runtime.onUpdateAvailable event without needing to call requestUpdateCheck.

This method is only appropriate to call in very limited circumstances, such as if your extension talks to a backend service, and the backend service has determined that the client extension version is very far out of date and you'd like to prompt a user to update. Most other uses of requestUpdateCheck, such as calling it unconditionally based on a repeating timer, probably only serve to waste client, network, and server resources.

Note: When called with a callback, instead of returning an object this function will return the two properties as separate arguments passed to the callback.

Returns

restart()

chrome.runtime.restart(): void

Restart the ChromeOS device when the app runs in kiosk mode. Otherwise, it's no-op.

restartAfterDelay()

chrome.runtime.restartAfterDelay(
  seconds: number,
): Promise<void>

Restart the ChromeOS device when the app runs in kiosk mode after the given seconds. If called again before the time ends, the reboot will be delayed. If called with a value of -1, the reboot will be cancelled. It's a no-op in non-kiosk mode. It's only allowed to be called repeatedly by the first extension to invoke this API.

Parameters

• Time to wait in seconds before rebooting the device, or -1 to cancel a scheduled reboot.

Returns

• Promise that resolves when a restart request was successfully rescheduled.

sendMessage()

chrome.runtime.sendMessage(
  extensionId?: string,
  message: any,
  options?: object,
): Promise<any>

Sends a single message to event listeners within your extension or a different extension/app. Similar to runtime.connect but only sends a single message, with an optional response. If sending to your extension, the runtime.onMessage event will be fired in every frame of your extension (except for the sender's frame), or runtime.onMessageExternal, if a different extension. Note that extensions cannot send messages to content scripts using this method. To send messages to content scripts, use tabs.sendMessage.

Parameters

• extensionId

  string optional

  The ID of the extension to send the message to. If omitted, the message will be sent to your own extension/app. Required if sending messages from a web page for web messaging.

• The message to send. This message should be a JSON-ifiable object.

• • includeTlsChannelId

    boolean optional

    Whether the TLS channel ID will be passed into onMessageExternal for processes that are listening for the connection event.

Returns

• Promise support was added for extension contexts in Chrome 99. When communicating from a web page to an extension, promises are available from Chrome 118.

sendNativeMessage()

chrome.runtime.sendNativeMessage(
  application: string,
  message: object,
): Promise<any>

Send a single message to a native application. This method requires the "nativeMessaging" permission.

Parameters

• The name of the native messaging host.

• The message that will be passed to the native messaging host.

Returns

setUninstallURL()

chrome.runtime.setUninstallURL(
  url: string,
): Promise<void>

Sets the URL to be visited upon uninstallation. This may be used to clean up server-side data, do analytics, and implement surveys. Maximum 1023 characters.

Parameters

• URL to be opened after the extension is uninstalled. This URL must have an http: or https: scheme. Set an empty string to not open a new tab upon uninstallation.

Returns

• Promise that resolves when the uninstall URL is set. If the given URL is invalid, the promise will be rejected.

onBrowserUpdateAvailable

chrome.runtime.onBrowserUpdateAvailable.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Please use runtime.onRestartRequired.

Fired when a Chrome update is available, but isn't installed immediately because a browser restart is required.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  () => void

onConnect

chrome.runtime.onConnect.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when a connection is made from either an extension process or a content script (by runtime.connect).

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (port: Port) => void

onConnectExternal

chrome.runtime.onConnectExternal.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when a connection is made from another extension (by runtime.connect), or from an externally connectable web site.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (port: Port) => void

onConnectNative

chrome.runtime.onConnectNative.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when a connection is made from a native application. This event requires the "nativeMessaging" permission. It is only supported on Chrome OS.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (port: Port) => void

onInstalled

chrome.runtime.onInstalled.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when the extension is first installed, when the extension is updated to a new version, and when Chrome is updated to a new version.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (details: object) => void

  • • Indicates the ID of the imported shared module extension which updated. This is present only if 'reason' is 'shared_module_update'.

    • previousVersion

      string optional

      Indicates the previous version of the extension, which has just been updated. This is present only if 'reason' is 'update'.

    • The reason that this event is being dispatched.

onMessage

chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when a message is sent from either an extension process (by runtime.sendMessage) or a content script (by tabs.sendMessage).

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (message: any, sender: MessageSender, sendResponse: function) => boolean | Promise<any> | undefined

  • The sendResponse parameter looks like:

    (response?: any) => void

    • The response to return to the message sender.

  • returns

    boolean | Promise<any> | undefined

onMessageExternal

chrome.runtime.onMessageExternal.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when a message is sent from another extension (by runtime.sendMessage). Cannot be used in a content script.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (message: any, sender: MessageSender, sendResponse: function) => boolean | Promise<any> | undefined

  • The sendResponse parameter looks like:

    (response?: any) => void

    • The response to return to the message sender.

  • returns

    boolean | Promise<any> | undefined

onRestartRequired

chrome.runtime.onRestartRequired.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when an app or the device that it runs on needs to be restarted. The app should close all its windows at its earliest convenient time to let the restart to happen. If the app does nothing, a restart will be enforced after a 24-hour grace period has passed. Currently, this event is only fired for Chrome OS kiosk apps.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (reason: OnRestartRequiredReason) => void

onStartup

chrome.runtime.onStartup.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when a profile that has this extension installed first starts up. This event is not fired when an incognito profile is started, even if this extension is operating in 'split' incognito mode.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  () => void

onSuspend

chrome.runtime.onSuspend.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Sent to the event page just before it is unloaded. This gives the extension opportunity to do some clean up. Note that since the page is unloading, any asynchronous operations started while handling this event are not guaranteed to complete. If more activity for the event page occurs before it gets unloaded the onSuspendCanceled event will be sent and the page won't be unloaded.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  () => void

onSuspendCanceled

chrome.runtime.onSuspendCanceled.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Sent after onSuspend to indicate that the app won't be unloaded after all.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  () => void

onUpdateAvailable

chrome.runtime.onUpdateAvailable.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when an update is available, but isn't installed immediately because the app is currently running. If you do nothing, the update will be installed the next time the background page gets unloaded, if you want it to be installed sooner you can explicitly call chrome.runtime.reload(). If your extension is using a persistent background page, the background page of course never gets unloaded, so unless you call chrome.runtime.reload() manually in response to this event the update will not get installed until the next time Chrome itself restarts. If no handlers are listening for this event, and your extension has a persistent background page, it behaves as if chrome.runtime.reload() is called in response to this event.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (details: object) => void

  • • The version number of the available update.

onUserScriptConnect

chrome.runtime.onUserScriptConnect.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when a connection is made from a user script from this extension.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (port: Port) => void

onUserScriptMessage

chrome.runtime.onUserScriptMessage.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when a message is sent from a user script associated with the same extension.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:

  (message: any, sender: MessageSender, sendResponse: function) => boolean | undefined

  • The sendResponse parameter looks like:

    (response?: any) => void

    • The response to return to the message sender.

  • returns

    boolean | undefined