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Overview

Qaptly Browser Pilot is a Chrome extension that captures user operations and analyzes them to create SQA (Software Quality Assurance) test cases. It streams data in real-time via WebSocket to the Qaptly Desktop application for test automation purposes.

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System Requirements

  • Chrome 88 or higher (Manifest V3 support)
  • Chromium-based browsers: Chrome, Edge, Brave
  • Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • At least 5MB available disk space

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Installation Steps

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Step 1: Obtain Extension Package

Obtain the Qaptly Browser Pilot extension package (.zip file) from:
  • Your Qaptly Desktop application, or
  • Your system administrator
The package file will be named like qaptly-chrome-ext_x.x.x-xxxxxxxxx.zip

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Step 2: Enable Developer Mode

Before installing the extension, you must enable Developer Mode in Chrome:
  1. Open Chrome browser
  2. Navigate to chrome://extensions in the address bar
  3. Toggle the Developer mode switch in the top-right corner

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Step 3: Extract Extension Files

  1. Locate the downloaded .zip file
  2. Extract the contents to a folder
  3. Remember the folder location - you’ll need it in the next step
Important: Do not delete or move this folder after installation, as Chrome loads the extension from this location.

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Step 4: Load Unpacked Extension

  1. In the Chrome extensions page (chrome://extensions)
  2. Click the Load unpacked button
  3. Select the folder you extracted in Step 3
  4. Click Select to confirm

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Step 5: Verify Installation

After successful installation, you should see:
  • Qaptly Browser Pilot listed in your extensions
  • Extension status showing as “Enabled”
  • Extension version number displayed

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Step 6: Pin Extension to Toolbar (Recommended)

For easy access, pin the extension to your browser toolbar:
  1. Click the puzzle icon (Extensions) in the browser toolbar
  2. Find Qaptly Browser Pilot in the list
  3. Click the pin icon next to it
Pin extension to toolbar The Qaptly icon will now appear in your toolbar.

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Verify Installation

To confirm the extension is working:
  1. Click the Qaptly icon in your toolbar
  2. The Side Panel should open on the right side of your browser
  3. You should see “Disconnected” status (this is normal before connecting to Desktop)
Side Panel showing disconnected status

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Extension Permissions

The extension will automatically request the following permissions during installation:
  • sidePanel: Display the control panel interface
  • storage: Save settings and temporary data
  • activeTab: Read current tab information
  • tabs: Manage tab states for recording and execution
  • scripting: Inject tracking scripts into web pages
  • webNavigation: Monitor page navigation events
  • debugger: Enable deep page analysis for element detection and console log collection
  • offscreen: Manage background WebSocket connection
All permissions are required for the extension to function properly and are automatically granted during installation.

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Troubleshooting Installation

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Extension Installation Blocked

If Chrome blocks the installation:
  1. Check if your organization has policies restricting extensions (visit chrome://policy)
  2. Contact your IT administrator to whitelist Qaptly Browser Pilot
  3. Verify you’ve enabled Developer Mode

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”This extension may have been corrupted”

If you see this error:
  1. Re-download the extension package
  2. Ensure you fully extracted all files from the .zip
  3. Try loading the extension again

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Extension Doesn’t Appear in Toolbar

If the extension icon isn’t visible:
  1. Open chrome://extensions
  2. Verify the extension is enabled
  3. Click the puzzle icon and pin the extension manually

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Next Steps

After installation:
  1. Launch your Qaptly Desktop application
  2. Complete Setup & Connection
  3. Start recording your first test case
Related Resources: