PATCHPIN / FREE CHROME EXTENSION

Install Patchpin

Download patchpin-chrome.zip and extract it into a permanent folder such as Documents/Patchpin. Keep the folder: Chrome loads the extension from it.
Open chrome://extensions in Chrome.
Enable Developer mode at the top right.
Click Load unpacked and choose the extracted folder containing manifest.json. Do not choose the ZIP file itself or the outer GitHub artifact folder.
Open the puzzle-piece menu in Chrome’s toolbar and pin Patchpin.
Visit a normal website, click the Patchpin icon, and choose Select element. The keyboard shortcut is Alt + Shift + P (Chrome’s extension shortcuts page lets you change it).

The welcome page opens after installation. You can open it again from Patchpin’s Settings link or Chrome’s extension Details → Extension options.

Completely free

Every feature is included. No activation, account or payment required.

Make your first change

Select a heading, enter a replacement, and click Add change. The page shows a live preview while you type. Styled headings and text with links show separate text-part fields, preserving their formatting. Press Cmd/Ctrl+Enter or click Add change to save. Select a button and add another edit. Capture an element or viewport if useful. Copy AI prompt, or Export ZIP to include screenshots. Paste the prompt into your coding agent and attach the PNGs.

Closing Patchpin restores previews. Saved feedback stays in one domain-wide change set, with each page’s URL and route kept separately. Copy AI prompt and Export ZIP include every saved page on that domain, including subdomains. Localhost apps on different ports and separate hosted tenants stay separate.

Patchpin stays open during same-site navigation while its panel is open. Click Follow this site and approve Chrome’s optional access to follow full navigations between subdomains. Closing the panel stops it reopening. On a new host, Chrome may require you to click the toolbar icon before taking a screenshot.

Use Other pages to return to saved routes. Current-page edits stay separate, so elements with the same selector on different pages are never mixed.

Update

Replace the files in the same unpacked folder with the new release, then click Reload on Patchpin in chrome://extensions and refresh any websites where Patchpin was open. Keeping the folder path preserves the unpacked extension’s identity and local data. Export important drafts before moving the folder or uninstalling.

Troubleshooting

A “!” badge appears: Chrome blocks extensions on browser settings, the Web Store, and other protected pages. Try a normal HTTP or HTTPS website.
Clipboard unavailable: Patchpin downloads the Markdown prompt when copying is blocked.
An element’s text cannot be edited: it is a layout container rather than inline text. Select its heading, paragraph, or text child. Styled spans and links can be edited using the text-part fields.
The screenshot is partial: element capture crops to what is visible. Capture its parent/section or use full-page capture for ordinary scrolling pages.
Local storage is full: export your drafts, then delete old screenshots or saved pages in Settings.
Another tab updated the draft: close and reopen Patchpin to load the latest version.

A ZIP is an unpacked installation or Chrome Web Store upload artifact. This is not a signed auto-installer; Chrome Web Store publication is a separate step.

Capture precisely

Screenshot buttons are visible in the change set. Pick an element captures exactly its visible bounds, including small text spans or buttons. Drag an area captures a rectangle: drag in either direction and release to save. Escape or Cancel exits selection. The composer shrinks while picking and disappears from every screenshot. Full-page screenshot stays visible alongside Viewport.

Optional AI text replacements

Open Settings and follow Connect your local AI tool, or see AI_SETUP.md. Suggestions preserve styled text parts and links. Choose Use option, edit further if needed, then Add change. Copy/export needs no AI connection. Open prompt in Cursor uses a desktop prompt link for prompts under 10,000 encoded characters. Screenshots must be attached separately.

Appearance

Click ◐ in the panel header to choose Light, Dark, or System and your primary colour. Changes apply immediately and are saved across pages. The same controls are available in Settings.