# paw

> Capture web text seamlessly to Emacs via org-protocol with Paw—smart selections, shortcuts, and optional local server support.

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/emacs-paw](https://chrome-stats.com/d/emacs-paw)

## Overview

- **ID:** `emacs-paw`
- **Platform:** Firefox
- **Type:** Firefox add-on
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Damon Chan
- **Category:** web-development,bookmarks,language-support
- **Daily users:** 12
- **Version:** 1.0.25
- **Last updated:** 2026-03-21
- **First published:** 2025-01-03
- **Size:** 261 KB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-08
- **Store listing:** [Firefox Add-ons Store](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/emacs-paw/)
- **Website:** [https://consenger.com](https://consenger.com/)

## Description

Transform your web browsing experience with Paw, a powerful browser extension that seamlessly integrates with Emacs through org-protocol. Capture text selections, context, and HTML content with intuitive interactions—all designed to boost your productivity.

<strong>🎯 Smart Text Capture</strong>
<ul><li><strong>Hover &amp; Click Interaction:</strong> Underline words on mouseover and capture them with a simple click</li><li><strong>Flexible Selection:</strong> Select entire passages or single words—captures both text and surrounding context</li><li><strong>Context-Aware:</strong> Automatically identifies and captures the parent context (e.g., paragraph) for better note organisation</li></ul>
<strong>⚡ Floating Action Button</strong>
<ul><li><strong>Quick Access:</strong> A convenient floating "+" button appears near your text selections</li><li><strong>Multiple Protocols:</strong> Access all configured org-protocols through an intuitive submenu</li><li><strong>Customisable Position:</strong> Adjust button offsets to suit your workflow</li><li><strong>Smart Visibility:</strong> Show/hide the button based on your preferences, with automatic display when text is selected</li></ul>
<strong>⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts</strong>
<ul><li><strong>Instant Capture:</strong> Use customisable keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Alt + S) to grab the word under your caret</li><li><strong>Configurable Modifiers:</strong> Choose between None, Ctrl, or Alt modifiers</li><li><strong>Efficient Workflow:</strong> Send selections to Emacs without leaving the keyboard</li></ul>
<strong>🗂️ Tab Manager</strong>
<ul><li><strong>Capture &amp; Close:</strong> Capture the current tab or all tabs in a window — tabs are closed and saved into named sections</li><li><strong>Drag &amp; Drop:</strong> Reorder individual tabs within and across sections, or reorder entire sections</li><li><strong>Send to Emacs:</strong> Send a single tab, an entire section, or a batch of selected tabs to Emacs via paw-server</li><li><strong>Multi-Format Link Copy:</strong> Copy links as Org-mode <code>[[url][title]]</code>, Markdown <code>[title](url)</code>, or plain URLs</li><li><strong>Multi-Select:</strong> Checkbox selection per tab or per section for bulk actions</li><li><strong>Live Manager:</strong> The tab manager page updates in real time as new tabs are captured</li></ul>
<strong>🔧 Customisable Org-Protocol Support</strong>
<ul><li><strong>Multiple Protocols:</strong> Configure unlimited org-protocols using comma-separated format or JSON arrays</li><li><strong>Format Options:</strong> Choose between text, HTML, or Markdown formats for captured content</li><li><strong>Advanced Configuration:</strong> Support for <code>download</code> (save full page HTML) and <code>deselect</code> (clear selection after capture)</li><li><strong>JSON Editor:</strong> The Options page displays Protocol(s) as prettified JSON with live validation</li><li>Example: <code>[{"protocol": "paw", "format": "text"}, {"protocol": "anki", "format": "html"}]</code></li></ul>
<strong>🖱️ Single-Click Mode</strong>
<ul><li><strong>Word-Level Interaction:</strong> Enable single-click mode to wrap and capture individual words instantly</li><li><strong>Toggleable:</strong> Turn on/off from the popup or options page</li></ul>
<strong>🎨 Auto-Highlight</strong>
<ul><li><strong>Visual Feedback:</strong> Automatically highlight known words on web pages</li><li><strong>Server Integration:</strong> Works with optional paw-server to display your vocabulary or saved words</li><li><strong>Info Bubbles:</strong> Hover over highlighted words to see additional information</li></ul>
<strong>📋 Rich Content Support</strong>
<ul><li><strong>HTML Content:</strong> Send selected HTML content to Emacs for advanced processing</li><li><strong>Full Page Capture:</strong> Optionally download entire page HTML for archival</li><li><strong>Text &amp; Context:</strong> Captures URL, page title, selected text, and surrounding paragraph</li></ul>
<strong>🌐 Server Integration (Optional)</strong>
<ul><li><strong>paw-server Support:</strong> Connect to a local Python Flask server for advanced features</li><li><strong>Endpoints:</strong> <code>POST /paw</code> for selections, <code>GET /words</code> for highlights, <code>POST /source</code> for full HTML</li><li><strong>Fallback:</strong> Automatically falls back to org-protocol if the server is unavailable</li></ul>
<strong>Perfect For</strong>
<ul><li><strong>Emacs Users:</strong> Seamlessly integrate your browser with Emacs workflows</li><li><strong>Note-Takers:</strong> Quickly capture web content with full context</li><li><strong>Researchers:</strong> Save selections with URLs and metadata for reference</li><li><strong>Knowledge Workers:</strong> Build a personal knowledge base from web content</li><li><strong>Language Learners:</strong> Track vocabulary and phrases from online reading</li></ul>
<strong>Configuration</strong>

Open the Options page (gear icon in the popup) to customise:
<ul><li>Enable/disable extension, single-click mode, auto-highlight, and floating button</li><li>Configure Protocol(s) with a prettified JSON editor and live validation</li><li>Set keyboard shortcut and modifier keys</li><li>Adjust floating button position offsets</li><li>Configure org-protocol template variables (url, title, note, body)</li><li>Set paw-server address (default: <code>http://localhost:5001</code>)</li></ul>
<strong>Privacy</strong>
<ul><li>✅ No data sent to external servers by default</li><li>✅ Optional local server integration only (paw-server on localhost)</li><li>✅ No usage analytics or tracking</li><li>✅ No third-party telemetry</li><li>✅ Open source — inspect the code yourself</li></ul>
<strong>Emacs Package Integration</strong>
<ul><li>paw.el — Word and note management</li><li>org-protocol — Capture web content directly into Org mode</li><li>wallabag.el — Save articles to Wallabag</li><li>calibredb.el — Open ebooks in browser</li></ul>
For detailed documentation, visit: <a href="https://prod.outgoing.prod.webservices.mozgcp.net/v1/0f9a001700367c99af4ac1a7fc0059b2319afa484a09cf404c978bb849ff9492/https%3A//github.com/chenyanming/paw_browser_extension" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/chenyanming/paw_browser_extension</a>

## Rankings

- #31,005 — Overall

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `storage`
- `activeTab`
- `tabs`
- `http://localhost/*`

### Content script matches

- `<all_urls>`

## Safety

- **Risk impact:** High risk impact
- **Risk likelihood:** Moderate risk likelihood

### Analysis details

- Grants access to browser tabs, which can be used to track user browsing habits and history, presenting a privacy concern.
- This extension has low user count. Unpopular extensions may not be stable or safe.

> Some risk analysis details are omitted from this free response. [Upgrade to view the full analysis](https://chrome-stats.com/pricing).

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/emacs-paw)