Built a browser extension that scans book reviews for the specific things you want to

[BookGlints]

Hi all — I wanted to update the original post again because BookGlints has changed quite a bit since I first shared it here.

The basic idea is still the same:

BookGlints scans real book reviews and helps you check for anything you personally want to find or avoid before committing to a book or story.

You can write your own flags in plain language, for example:

• protagonist too perfect
• slow pacing
• strong friendships / found family
• romance taking over the plot
• unfinished series
• dungeon crawling
• morally grey protagonist
• basically anything reviewers might mention

It matches on meaning rather than exact keywords, and the results show real excerpts from the source reviews rather than AI-generated summaries.

The biggest change: you no longer need an API key.

BookGlints now has a Native Local mode which is the default and recommended way to use it.

The semantic analysis runs locally in your browser, so:

• no BookGlints account
• no API key required
• no subscription
• review analysis stays on your device
• BookGlints does not track your browsing history

External AI is still available as an optional advanced mode if you prefer to use Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter or OpenAI with your own API key.

Supported sites

BookGlints currently works with:

• Goodreads
• StoryGraph
• Royal Road

On Royal Road it supports fiction-page scans, title search and Read Later import.

Two ways to scan

My Flags — you tell BookGlints exactly what you're looking for or trying to avoid.

Auto-Scan — an optional mode where BookGlints automatically looks for recurring themes and patterns in the reviews without you having to define flags first.

Auto-Scan also works with Native Local, so it doesn't require an external AI provider.
Three scan depths

• Quick Scan — fastest look at the book
• Focused Scan — prioritises the strongest positive and negative reviews
• Full Scan — Recommended — scans the widest mix of reviews for the most complete picture

Full Scan is now the default.

Other features added since the original post

• Chrome and Firefox versions
• Native local AI
• Local Auto-Scan
• Batch scanning
• Goodreads / StoryGraph / Royal Road title import
• Search for another book without leaving the page you're on
• Scan history stored locally
• Background scanning
• Verified review excerpts
• Prevalence counts so you can see whether something appears repeatedly or in just one review
• Seven interface languages
• Built-in Help / quick guide
• Much faster scanning than the earlier versions
• Completely redesigned popup, settings, batch and history pages

The Chrome and Firefox versions now have the same features, although the local-AI implementation under the hood is different for each browser.

One thing I've been fairly strict about throughout development is that BookGlints shouldn't invent evidence. If it says a review mentions something, the excerpt shown comes from the actual review text. If it can't verify the excerpt against the source review, it gets dropped.

Privacy was another big focus. The extension only requests access to Goodreads, StoryGraph and Royal Road for normal scanning. External AI permissions are optional and only requested if you choose to use one of those providers.

Website:
https://bookglints.com

Chrome:
https://chromewebstore.google.com/de...amdfkgifnlpckd

Firefox:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/fir...on/bookglints/

A few of the changes actually came directly from feedback in this thread — Firefox support in particular got bumped up the list because people here asked for it, and the Firefox minimum-version issue was also caught here.

So thanks again for that.

I'd still genuinely like criticism from people who use Goodreads, StoryGraph or Royal Road regularly. If the results miss something, the workflow feels awkward, or there's a type of reader information you wish it could surface, I'd rather hear it.

[JSWolf]

It should also work on Edge in Windows if you don't run Chrome.

[BookGlints]

Good point, thanks! Since it's a Chromium extension it should install fine in Edge straight from the Chrome Web Store (you just have to allow extensions from other stores). I'm on Linux so I can't easily test Edge myself, but if you're on it and give it a try, I'd genuinely love to know if it works cleanly. Might put it on the Edge Add-ons store properly down the line too. Appreciate you flagging it.

[rantanplan]

No love for us Firefox users

[BookGlints]

😄 Firefox is genuinely on my list — the extension code is largely portable thanks to the shared WebExtensions API, so it's more 'when' than 'if,' just needs some Firefox-specific adjustments. Chrome first was really just to get it out the door. Good to know there's Firefox interest here though — that actually bumps it up my priority list. I'll come back and post when it's ready if you'd like.

[JSWolf]

Have you tested this plugin with MS Edge?

I also use Firefox as my main browser.

[BookGlints]

On Edge — I haven't formally tested it, but since Edge is Chromium-based, it should install straight from the Chrome Web Store (you may need to allow extensions from other stores). If you try it, I'd love to know it works cleanly for you.
Firefox is the one that needs real work — it uses a different engine, so it's a genuine port rather than a drop-in, though the extension code is largely portable thanks to the shared WebExtensions API. It's on my list, and interest here is bumping it up. I'll post when there's a Firefox version ready if you'd like.

[BookGlints]

Update: Firefox version is live! 🦊

Thanks again for the interest — the requests here genuinely bumped it up my priority list. It's not a repackage, it's a proper port (different engine under the hood, so some real rework), and everything's been tested end to end: scanning, shelf import, the works.

You can get it here: addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/bookglints/

One small heads-up: you may see the standard "not actively monitored" banner Mozilla shows on newer/smaller add-ons when you install — that's routine for a fresh listing, not a security flag.

Would love to hear how it runs for you, especially if anything behaves differently than the Chrome version.

[BookGlints]

Update: shipped an Auto-Scan mode this week, on both Chrome and Firefox — if you don't know exactly what trope/dealbreaker you're looking for, it'll read the reviews and surface the recurring patterns on its own, no setup needed. Still does the flag-based checking too, just an added option now.

Also added some structural verification under the hood — every quote shown is checked against the actual review text before it's displayed, so it's not just "trust the AI," it's confirmed against the source.

Thanks again for the interest in getting this onto Firefox — appreciate this community more than you'd know.

[BookGlints]

Update: just shipped a pretty big architecture change. BookGlints is now fully free, no accounts, no subscription. It uses your own API key (Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, or OpenAI, your choice) instead of routing through my servers, so your review data goes straight from your browser to whichever provider you pick. Nothing touches my backend anymore.

There's an optional one-time $9.99 unlock for "Auto-Scan" (finds recurring themes in reviews automatically, no flags needed) if you want it, but the core tool, custom flags, both platforms, batch scanning, all of it, is free forever now.

Figured this crowd specifically would appreciate the shift away from the subscription model. Thanks again for the push toward Firefox support a while back, this update continues in that same spirit.

[BookGlints]

Update — BookGlints v0.35.0

A fairly big update since my original post.

The main addition is Royal Road support. BookGlints now works with:

Goodreads
StoryGraph
Royal Road

On Royal Road you can scan reviews from a fiction page, search for a story by title, and import titles directly from your Read Later list for batch scanning.

I also gave the extension a complete visual overhaul. The underlying scanning logic hasn't changed, but the popup, settings, batch scan and history pages have all been redesigned to make things clearer and less "utility-looking."

One usability change I'm particularly happy with is that the popup now clearly separates:

Current Book — scan the book/story you already have open

Find Another Book — search for a different title and scan it without leaving the current page

A reminder of how BookGlints works: you can write anything you want to find or avoid in your own words — tropes, pacing, character traits, content warnings, positive qualities, dealbreakers, etc. It scans actual reviews semantically and shows verified excerpts from the source reviews.

The core extension is still free and BYOK. You can use Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter or OpenAI with your own API key. No BookGlints account is required, and review text goes directly from your browser to the AI provider you choose rather than through a BookGlints server.

Auto-Scan is still the optional $9.99 one-time unlock for automatically finding recurring themes without defining flags yourself. No subscription.

The new Firefox version is already approved and live. The Chrome update is currently waiting on Chrome Web Store review.

https://bookglints.com

As before, feedback is very welcome — especially from anyone using it with Royal Road, since that support is brand new.

[rantanplan]

Your version check is preventing me to install the extension.



Waterfox is a Firefox fork and is functionally compatible with all Firefox extensions.

[BookGlints]

Thanks — if you’re on an older Firefox version, updating Firefox should let it install for now.

That said, I’m also checking whether BookGlints really needs the current minimum version requirement. If not, I’ll lower it so older/ESR users aren’t blocked unnecessarily.

[BookGlints]

Update — Firefox compatibility fix submitted

Thanks to rantanplan for pointing out the install issue.

The Firefox build had a minimum version requirement of Firefox 142, which was higher than BookGlints actually needs. I’ve lowered that to Firefox 128+ and submitted v0.35.1 to Mozilla.

This is only a compatibility change — no scanning logic, Royal Road support, or performance behavior changed.

If you were previously blocked from installing BookGlints on an older Firefox/ESR build, this update should help once Mozilla approves it.

The larger v0.35 update still includes:

Royal Road support
Royal Road Read Later import
redesigned popup, settings, batch scan, and history
clearer Current Book vs Find Another Book flow
Goodreads + StoryGraph + Royal Road support

Both Chrome and Firefox are now Live with the latest version

https://bookglints.com

[BookGlints]

A quick update for anyone who saw BookGlints earlier.

BookGlints is a trope and dealbreaker scanner for book reviews. You tell it what you want to find or avoid before starting a book, and it scans real reviews for matching themes, traits, tropes, and reader concerns.

For example:

slow pacing
strong friendships
enemies to lovers
romance taking over the main plot
an overly perfect protagonist
excessive violence
an unfinished series
dungeon crawling
a specific character trait or trope

It uses semantic matching rather than only exact keyword search, and every result includes an excerpt from the actual review so you can read the context yourself.

The latest update adds full interface localization for:

English
Spanish
German
French
Portuguese (Brazil)
Arabic
Simplified Chinese

There is also an Auto option that follows the browser language, with a manual language selector in Settings.

BookGlints currently supports:

Goodreads
StoryGraph
Royal Road
Chrome
Firefox

Other features include batch scanning, local scan history, three scan depths, Royal Road Read Later import, and optional Auto-Scan for recurring themes and patterns.

The extension uses your own API key from Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, or OpenAI. Review text goes directly from your browser to the provider you choose and does not pass through a BookGlints server.

Version 0.36.0 is now available on both Chrome and Firefox.

Website: https://bookglints.com

If anyone tries one of the translated interfaces, especially Arabic or Chinese, I’d be interested to hear if anything feels awkward or unclear.