Chrome Extension

Overview

The Exponential Chrome Extension turns your browser into a voice-powered capture tool. Speak naturally while you work, and your words are transcribed in real time — attached to the project of your choosing. You can also annotate any webpage and take screenshots, all without leaving your current tab.

Whether you're narrating thoughts during research, capturing meeting notes on the fly, or logging observations as you browse, the extension keeps everything organised inside Exponential so nothing slips through the cracks.

Key Capabilities

What You'll Need

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Google Chrome (or a Chromium-based browser like Edge or Brave)
• An Exponential account — sign up at exponential.im if you haven't already
• A microphone — your laptop's built-in mic works fine, though a headset gives better results

Installation

The extension is installed directly into Chrome from a folder on your computer. Don't worry — it only takes a minute.

Step 1: Get the Extension Files

Download or copy the extension folder to a location on your computer that you'll remember (for example, your Desktop or Documents folder). The folder you need is called exponential.

Step 2: Open Chrome Extensions

1. Open Chrome
2. Type chrome://extensions into the address bar and press Enter
3. You'll see the Extensions management page

Step 3: Enable Developer Mode

In the top-right corner of the Extensions page, you'll see a toggle labelled Developer mode. Turn it on. This allows Chrome to load extensions from a folder — it's completely safe and is how many extensions are installed during development.

Step 4: Load the Extension

1. Click the Load unpacked button that appears in the top-left area
2. A file browser will open — navigate to the exponential folder you saved earlier
3. Select the folder and click Open

That's it. You should now see Exponential Whisper appear in your list of extensions, and its icon will show in your Chrome toolbar.

Tip: If the icon doesn't appear in your toolbar, click the puzzle-piece icon (Extensions menu) in Chrome's toolbar and pin Exponential Whisper so it's always visible.

Connect Your Account

Before you can start recording, the extension needs to know who you are. You'll do this by creating an API key in your Exponential account and pasting it into the extension.

Step 1: Generate an API Key

1. Open exponential.im/settings/api-keys in your browser
2. Click the button to create a new API key
3. Your key will appear on screen — copy it to your clipboard

Keep this key private. It connects the extension to your personal account.

Step 2: Enter the Key in the Extension

1. Click the Exponential Whisper icon in your Chrome toolbar — a side panel will open
2. You'll see a card titled API Key Required with a text field
3. Paste your API key into the field
4. Click Save API Key

The extension will validate your key by checking your account. If everything looks good, the key card will disappear and you'll move to the next step.

Step 3: Select a Project

Once your key is accepted, a Select Project dropdown will appear showing all of your Exponential projects.

1. Choose the project you'd like transcriptions to be saved to
2. The extension is now ready to use

You can change your project later from the Settings menu inside the extension.

Your First Recording

With everything set up, here's how to capture your first voice note:

1. Click the extension icon in your toolbar to open the side panel
2. Click Start Recording — Chrome may ask for microphone permission the first time; click Allow
3. Speak naturally — you'll see your words appear in the transcription area in real time
4. When you're finished, click Stop Recording
5. A session link will appear beneath the transcription — click it to view the full session in Exponential

Your transcription is automatically saved to the project you selected. You can find it in Exponential at any time.

Features

Speech Engines

The extension offers two transcription engines. You can switch between them at any time using the toggle at the top of the side panel.

First time using Whisper? The AI model needs to download once (this may take a moment). You'll see a progress bar while it loads. After that, it's cached on your device and loads instantly.

Screenshots

You can capture a screenshot of whatever you're looking at in two ways:

• Click the Screenshot button in the side panel
• Say "take screenshot" while recording — the extension will hear the command, snap the image, and insert a [SCREENSHOT] marker in your transcription

Screenshots are saved both to your computer (as a downloaded image) and to your Exponential session, so you can review them alongside your notes later.

Annotations

Before taking a screenshot, you might want to highlight something on the page.

1. Click the Draw button in the side panel (or press Ctrl+Shift+D on Windows, Cmd+Shift+D on Mac)
2. Choose your tool:
   • Arrow — click and drag to draw directional arrows
   • Freehand — draw freely with your mouse
3. Mark up the page as needed
4. Take your screenshot — annotations will be included in the capture
5. Annotations are automatically cleared after the screenshot is taken

You can also click Clear at any time to remove your annotations without taking a screenshot.

Session Links

Every recording session is stored in Exponential with its own unique link. After you stop recording, the link appears in the side panel. Share it with teammates so they can review your transcription and screenshots in context.

Settings & Management

Click the Settings button in the top-right corner of the side panel to:

• View your API key (shown partially masked for security)
• See your current project
• Change project — switch which project receives your transcriptions
• Clear API Key — disconnect the extension from your account (you can reconnect at any time)

Tips for Best Results

• Use a quiet environment when possible — background noise can reduce transcription accuracy
• Speak at a natural pace — you don't need to slow down or enunciate unnaturally
• Position your microphone well — a headset or external mic positioned close to your mouth gives the clearest audio
• Use Whisper for sensitive work — since it runs entirely on your device, your audio never leaves your computer
• Use Google for speed — if you need the fastest real-time feedback and are comfortable with cloud processing

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Appearing in Toolbar

• Go to chrome://extensions and confirm Exponential Whisper is listed and enabled
• Click the puzzle-piece icon in Chrome's toolbar and pin the extension
• If the extension isn't listed, try clicking Load unpacked again and re-selecting the folder

Microphone Permission Denied

• Chrome needs explicit permission to access your microphone
• When prompted, click Allow
• If you previously denied permission, click the lock icon in Chrome's address bar, find Microphone, and set it to Allow

"Invalid API key" or "No projects found"

• Double-check that you copied the full API key from exponential.im/settings/api-keys
• Make sure the key hasn't expired — generate a fresh one if needed
• Confirm you have at least one project created in Exponential

No Transcription Appearing

• Check that your microphone is working (try a voice memo app or online mic test)
• If using Whisper, wait for the model to finish loading (the progress bar should reach 100%)
• If using Google, ensure you have an active internet connection
• Try switching between engines to see if one works better in your setup

Extension Feels Slow

• If Whisper is slow on first use, this is normal — the AI model is downloading. Subsequent uses will be much faster
• Close other resource-heavy tabs if Whisper transcription lags
• Switch to Google for lighter resource usage

Next Steps

• Explore all integrations available in Exponential
• Learn about API Access for custom workflows
• Set up Slack notifications so your team stays in the loop