Get started with ClipAction.

Install the extension, set your keyboard shortcut, and choose a default AI provider.

Step 1 · Install

Add ClipAction to Chrome.

Three permissions: access the active tab when you trigger the shortcut, store your settings and prompts locally, and inject the command palette into the page.

Read your selection

Reads the text you have highlighted on the active tab, only after you press the shortcut. ClipAction has no access until you trigger it.

Replace text in place

Inserts the AI result back into the same input or textarea you selected from. Press Ctrl+Z to revert if it is not what you wanted.

Clipboard fallback

In read-only surfaces like PDFs and Google Docs, ClipAction reads what you copied and writes the result back so you can paste it.

Save settings locally

Stores your actions, prompts, and history in Chrome local storage. Nothing syncs to our servers, ever.

Optional: if you connect Ollama, Chrome will ask you separately for access to localhost:11434. Cloud providers like OpenAI and Anthropic do not need any extra Chrome permission, since they use standard HTTPS.

ClipAction command palette showing the action list

Our Privacy Guarantee

ClipAction is local-first. No analytics, no browsing history tracking, no data selling. Every permission is technically necessary for the product to work.

Step 2 · Choose your AI

Pick where your text gets processed.

Three options, mix and match. Set a default in the extension, override per action whenever you want.

On-device

Gemini Nano

Built into Chrome, runs on your device. Default if you do nothing.

  • Chrome 127+ required
  • One-time ~22 GB model download
  • No API key, no cost
Setup

Most Chrome installs need to enable two flags first. Five-minute setup, walkthrough below.

Local

Ollama

Run open-source models like Llama or Qwen on your own machine.

  • Any Ollama-supported model
  • Talks to localhost:11434
  • Optional Chrome permission, asked at connect time
Setup

Install Ollama, pull a model (ollama pull llama3), then enable the Ollama provider in the extension settings.

Cloud

Bring your own key

OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, Mistral, xAI, Together, OpenRouter.

  • Use your own API key
  • Billed direct by the provider
  • Keys stored in chrome.storage.local
Setup

Open the extension settings, paste your API key into the provider you want, hit Test, then set it as your default.

Show Gemini Nano setup steps 5-minute walkthrough

Chrome ships Nano behind two flags. Enable them, restart, and the model downloads in the background.

  1. Open a new tab and navigate to chrome://flags.
  2. Search for "Prompt API for Gemini Nano" and set it to Enabled.
  3. Search for "Enables optimization guide on device" and set it to Enabled BypassPerfRequirement.
  4. Click Relaunch at the bottom of the page.
  5. After restart, open chrome://components.
  6. Find Optimization Guide On Device Model and click Check for update. The version should change from 0.0.0.0 to something like 2024.x.x.x.
  7. Wait for the download to complete (5–20 minutes depending on connection).

Once the component version is non-zero, open ClipAction and the provider badge will show ● On-device. If it doesn't, the FAQ has full troubleshooting.

Mix-and-match: keep Nano as your default for quick rewrites and grammar fixes, set Claude or GPT-4o as the override for long-form work. The popup badge always tells you which one ran.

Step 3 · Run your first action

Select text, press the shortcut, done.

The whole flow is three keystrokes. Try a built-in to see it work, then build your own when you have a prompt you keep typing.

Default shortcut

Ctrl + Shift + Space

Rebind it at chrome://extensions/shortcuts if it clashes with anything you already use.

Use a built-in

Built-in actions and chains covering rewrite, summarize, translate, fix grammar, change tone, extract action items, and more.

Try: select a paragraph, hit the shortcut, type summarize, press Enter.

Build a custom action

Write a prompt once with {{selection}}, save it, bind it to a key. Triggers on any selection from then on.

Settings → Actions → New action. Each gets its own optional shortcut.

Stack a chain

Run actions in sequence. Fix grammar → Make formal in one keystroke. 7 chains built in, more on Pro.

Settings → Chains. Drag actions in the order you want them executed.