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Feb 20, 2026

Rwote: A Chrome Extension for Research Notes

Building a side-panel note-taking extension with Chrome MV3, Supabase Auth, and a companion Next.js web app.

The Problem

I take a lot of notes while researching online. Existing solutions either required switching tabs or didn’t persist context between sessions.

Architecture

Rwote uses Chrome’s MV3 side panel API for the extension, and a Next.js web app for full history and search. Both share a Supabase backend.

Key decisions:

  • Side panel over popup — stays open while you browse
  • Supabase Auth with Google OAuth — same session across extension and web
  • Optimistic updates — notes save instantly, sync in background

What I’d Do Differently

Offline support. Currently requires internet for sync. A local-first approach with IndexedDB and background sync would be more robust.