Everything ChatShelf does, in 5 minutes

1Install

1. Open the ChatShelf page on the Chrome Web Store and click Add to Chrome, then Add extension. It works in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc and other Chromium browsers on a computer.
2. Click the puzzle-piece icon in your toolbar and the pin next to ChatShelf, so its icon is always one click away.
3. Your library opens automatically with a short welcome. There's no account and nothing to configure.

2Your first saved chat

1. Open ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok or Perplexity and chat as usual, or open any older conversation.
2. A few seconds after the answer finishes, the small ChatShelf button at the bottom right shows a green dot, and the first time you'll see "Saved to ChatShelf".
3. That's it. Every chat you open from now on is saved and kept up to date as the conversation continues.

ChatShelf saves chats you open after installing it. To bring in years of older chats at once, see Import old history.

3Find anything

1. Click the ChatShelf icon in your toolbar and type in the search box, or open the full library with Open library.
2. In the library, press / to jump to search. Results come from every AI at once, best match first. Matching words are highlighted in the list and inside the conversation.
3. Use ↑ ↓ to move through results while the search box or list is focused. Put words in quotes, like "tax return", to match an exact phrase.
4. Filter with the sidebar: Starred, a specific AI, or a folder. Change the order with Recent / Oldest first / Best match above the list.

4Folders & stars

1. Click + next to Folders in the sidebar and name the folder. Free includes 3 folders; Pro is unlimited.
2. Drag a chat from the list onto a folder, or choose one from the folder menu at the top of an open chat. Folders can hold chats from different AIs.
3. Click ☆ to star a chat you'll need again. Rename a chat with Rename (or double-click its title); your name sticks even if the AI renames it later.
4. To rename or delete a folder, hover it and click ✎ (or right-click it). Deleting a folder never deletes the chats inside.

5The button on AI sites

On every supported AI site, the ChatShelf button (bottom right) opens a small menu:

1. Outline: every question you asked in this chat. Click one to jump straight to it, which helps in long conversations.
2. Copy as Markdown: the whole chat, formatted, ready to paste into Notion, Obsidian, Docs or an email.
3. Continue in another AI PRO: see section 7.
4. Open library: opens this chat in your library.

Prefer a clean screen? Turn the button off in the library under Settings → Appearance. Chats are still saved.

6Export & copy

1. Open a chat in the library and click Export. Markdown is free; PDF, Word, web page, plain text and JSON are Pro.
2. For PDF, a clean print view opens. Choose Save as PDF as the printer. If nothing opens, allow pop-ups for ChatShelf.
3. Copy a single message with the ⧉ button on it, or the whole conversation with Copy all.
4. Export everything PRO (Settings → Backup) downloads a zip with every chat as a Markdown file, organized by AI, plus a full backup file.

7Continue in another AI PRO

1. Hit a usage limit, or want a second opinion? In the library click Continue in, or on an AI site use the ChatShelf button, and pick an AI.
2. ChatShelf copies the whole conversation with a short note asking the new AI to pick up where you left off, then opens that AI.
3. ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity open with it already filled in for shorter chats. For Gemini, Grok and long chats, just press Ctrl+V (⌘+V on Mac) in the message box.

8Import old history PRO

From ChatGPT

1. In ChatGPT go to Settings → Data controls → Export data and confirm.
2. OpenAI emails you a download link, usually within minutes (sometimes up to a day). Download the .zip.
3. In ChatShelf open Settings → Import history → Choose export file and pick that zip. No need to unzip it.

From Claude

1. In Claude go to Settings → Privacy → Export data.
2. Download the zip from the email and choose it in Settings → Import history the same way.

Importing twice is safe: chats already in your library are updated, never duplicated. Imported chats keep their original dates.

9Activate Pro

1. Get Pro from the Upgrade button in the library or on the pricing section: $29 once, or $4 a month.
2. Pay on Stripe's secure checkout. You land on a thank-you page that shows your license key (it starts with CS-) and switches Pro on in this browser automatically. Copy the key somewhere safe.
3. If Pro didn't switch on by itself, open the library's Settings → ChatShelf Pro, paste the key and click Activate.
4. Using another computer? Install ChatShelf there and enter the same key.

10Privacy & backups

Your library lives in your browser's storage on your own computer. ChatShelf has no servers that receive your conversations and no account. That also means:

1. Uninstalling deletes the library. Export first if you want to keep it.
2. Libraries don't sync between computers. To move, use Export everything on the old computer and import the zip on the new one. Folders, stars and names come along.
3. Delete anything anytime: one chat with Delete, or everything under Settings → Danger zone. Deleting in ChatShelf never touches the original chat in the AI app.

Full details in the privacy policy.

11Troubleshooting