Transparency
Open by default. Checkable by anyone.
ClipSave asks you for Developer mode and one Terminal command. Here is exactly why, and how to confirm it's safe without taking my word for it.
What you'll see
Three screens that look unusual. All expected.
ClipSave isn't in the browser stores yet, so installing it takes a couple of steps most extensions don't. Here is each one, exactly as you'll meet it.
ExtensionsDeveloper mode Load unpackedPack extensionUpdate
ClipSave 1.0.0
Save videos and audio from supported sites to your computer.
ID: engejhilbedikenhabjndbpgpdhaedge
DetailsRemove01
Chrome, Edge, BraveDeveloper mode
Until ClipSave is on the Chrome Web Store, the browser only loads it with Load unpacked, and that button appears once Developer mode is on.
- Is it safe?
- Yes. The switch only lets you load an extension from a folder. The browser may remind you that one is on: that's about where it came from, not what it does.
- What to do
- Turn on Developer mode, choose Load unpacked and pick the ClipSave folder.
about:debuggingThis FirefoxTemporary ExtensionsLoad Temporary Add-on…ClipSaveTemporary
- Extension ID
- clipsave@clipsave.link
- Location
- ~/Documents/ClipSave/manifest.json
ReloadRemove02FirefoxTemporary add-on
Firefox installs add-ons for good only when Mozilla has signed them. Until a release has a signed .xpi, Firefox loads ClipSave for one session.
- Is it safe?
- Yes. It's the same add-on; Firefox just forgets it when it closes.
- What to do
- Load it again after a restart, or use the signed .xpi once a release has one: it installs like any other add-on.
- Terminal
$ curl -fsSL https://ext.clipsave.link/install.sh | sh Downloading the ClipSave Helper (about 110 MB)...######################################## 100.0%Chrome: registeredChrome Canary: registeredChromium: registeredEdge: registeredBrave: registeredFirefox: registered Installed clipsave-helper 1.0.0 in ~/Library/Application Support/ClipSave/helperDone. Go back to your browser: ClipSave carries on by itself.
03Terminal, PowerShellA command to paste
The helper isn't signed by Apple or Microsoft yet, so a copy downloaded in a browser would be blocked. A short installer script sets it up instead.
- Is it safe?
- It downloads the helper for your system, refuses it if the SHA-256 doesn't match, installs it in your user folder and tells your browsers where it is. Nothing else, and no password.
- What to do
- Paste the command from the download page and press Return. You can read the script first.
Why it's safe
Six things you can check yourself.
Public code
The extension, the Rust helper, both installers and the build scripts are on GitHub under GPL-3.0-or-later.
Built in the open
Releases are built by the public Release workflow from the code you can read. Every build log is visible.
Tested in real browsers
Every pull request runs type checks, unit tests, the helper's tests on three systems, and end-to-end tests in real Chrome and Firefox. CodeQL scans it too.
Checksums everywhere
Each release publishes SHA256SUMS.txt. The installer refuses a helper whose checksum doesn't match.
Locked to ClipSave
The helper registers for ClipSave's extension ID only, and it only runs yt-dlp with ClipSave's options, into ClipSave's folders.
Small permissions
No “read all your sites”. The extension sees the current tab only when you click it, and talks only to the helper.
Verify a download. Every release file has a SHA-256; one command tells you it's exactly what was built.
Fair questions
Straight answers.
Why not the Chrome Web Store yet?
Store listings take review time, and a store copy gets a new ID that the helper has to learn to trust. Until it's listed, Load unpacked gets you the same code, built by the same public workflow.
Why no YouTube in Chrome, Edge and Brave?
The Chrome Web Store doesn't allow extensions that download from YouTube, and the Chrome build follows that rule even outside the store. Firefox has no such rule, so it saves from YouTube too.
Why a helper app at all?
Browsers don't let extensions run programs. Saving a video in its best quality needs yt-dlp and ffmpeg, so a small helper runs them on your computer, for you only.
Does anything go through a ClipSave server?
There is no ClipSave server. The helper talks to the site you're saving from, and to GitHub when you install or update it.
Found something?