pixelcontext

PixelContext

Capture UI context from any webpage and export production-quality, AI-ready Markdown prompts.

PixelContext is a browser extension for engineers, designers, and product teams who need fast, structured UI feedback for debugging, implementation, and AI-assisted workflows.

Demo

If the GIF does not render in your client, view docs/demo.gif directly on GitHub.

Why PixelContext

Most feedback on UI bugs or improvements is incomplete: screenshots without selectors, notes without CSS context, or vague issue descriptions.

PixelContext solves this by turning every click into a structured capture package:

• human note
• target path/selector
• HTML snippet
• matching CSS rules (when accessible)
• computed style subset
• screenshot preview + reference ID

Then it exports everything into one copyable Markdown prompt for AI tools or issue trackers.

Features

• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X capture mode toggle
• quick composer after element click
• persistent per-page capture history
• re-highlight captured elements
• edit notes and delete captures
• one-click Markdown export to clipboard
• fully client-side (no backend, no API key)

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm
• Chrome (Manifest V3)

Install & Run (Development)

npm install
npm run dev

Load in Chrome:

1. Open chrome://extensions
2. Enable Developer mode
3. Click Load unpacked
4. Select build/chrome-mv3-dev

Build (Production)

npm run build

Load production extension from:

• build/chrome-mv3-prod

Usage

1. Click the extension icon to show/hide sidebar.
2. Turn capture mode on (Turn On) or use shortcut.
3. Click any UI element.
4. Add note in quick composer and press Enter.
5. Repeat for multiple captures.
6. Click Export Markdown to copy the final prompt.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X -> toggle capture mode
• Enter (inside composer) -> save capture
• Esc (inside composer) -> close composer

Export Format

Each capture in export includes:

• capture reference ID
• timestamp
• DOM path
• screenshot dimensions
• note
• HTML block
• CSS rules block
• computed styles block

This format is designed to be directly usable in LLM chats, issue templates, and implementation handoff docs.

Project Structure

pixelcontext/
├── assets/                 # Icons and extension assets
├── contents/               # Injected page scripts (overlay + sidebar)
├── core/                   # Capture, CSS extraction, storage, prompt builder
├── docs/                   # Project site/demo assets
├── .github/workflows/      # Pages + auto release workflows
└── popup.tsx/background.ts # Extension entrypoints

Privacy & Security

• PixelContext runs entirely in the browser.
• Captures are stored locally in extension storage.
• No remote API calls for capture data.
• Data leaves your machine only when you explicitly copy/export/share it.

Troubleshooting

• WebSocket localhost:1815 in dev:
  • keep npm run dev running
  • reload extension and refresh page
• Styles not updating after changes:
  • reload extension from chrome://extensions
  • refresh current tab
• Capture not triggering:
  • confirm capture mode is ON
  • avoid restricted browser pages (chrome://*)

Roadmap

• framework-aware metadata extraction (React/Vue)
• richer export targets (GitHub issues, Linear, Notion)
• multi-page session capture
• collaboration/share workflows

Contributing

Contributions are welcome.

1. Fork repo
2. Create feature branch
3. Commit with clear message
4. Open PR with screenshots or short demo

License

MIT - see LICENSE.

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