portage/README.md

⇅ Portage

A universal browser data swap. Export your browsing data to one portable JSON bundle, then import it into any browser — Chrome → Firefox, Firefox → Chrome, or the same browser on a new machine or profile.

Two extensions, one job. Monochrome, professional UI with animated cards, live progress bars and honest reporting. Everything runs locally — nothing is ever uploaded.

github.com/pvrzz/Portage

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Why

Browsers make it hard to take your data with you. Portage is a tiny, transparent tool that scans everything a browser extension is allowed to read, packs it into a human-readable *.portage.json file you control, and recreates it on the other side. Because the bundle is just JSON, it doesn't care which browser made it — it's a universal swap:

• Chrome → Firefox and Firefox → Chrome
• Chrome → Chrome / Firefox → Firefox (new computer, new profile, reinstall, backup & restore)

What transfers

Extensions can only use the WebExtension APIs — they can't read profile files off disk. Everything below round-trips through those APIs. Nothing is collected that can't be acted on.

Data	Export	Import
Bookmarks	✅ full tree	✅ recreated in a Portage Import folder
History	✅ url / title / time / visits	✅ re-added (Firefox keeps titles + times; Chrome's API takes URL only)
Cookies	✅ all (needs host permission)	✅ re-set so logins carry over
Open tabs	✅	✅ reopened
Recently closed	✅	✅ reopened as tabs
Reading list	✅ (Chrome only — Firefox has no API)	✅ Chrome → reading list · Firefox → bookmark folder
Extensions	✅ list → .txt checklist	ℹ️ can't auto-install — see below

Extensions → a reinstall checklist (.txt)

No browser exposes an API to install another extension (management.install does not exist), so Portage can't reinstall them for you. Instead, exporting writes a second file — portage-<browser>-extensions-<date>.txt — listing every extension with its description and add-on store search links for both Firefox and Chrome. Paste it into an AI assistant ("find these as Firefox add-ons") or click through the links. The import screen shows the same list with clickable links and a re-download button.

Not included

Passwords and autofill have no extension API at all, so Portage leaves them out entirely. Export them from your browser's built-in settings (Chrome: Password Manager → Export; Firefox: Passwords → Import from a file).

Privacy

• Portage holds your data only in the page's memory, and wipes it the moment you export, copy, or finish importing. It never writes to extension storage and makes no network requests.
• The bundle is plain-text JSON and includes your cookies (session tokens). Treat it like a password file: keep it local and delete it once imported.
• Importing the same bundle twice is not deduplicated — it creates another Portage Import folder and re-adds history/cookies. Import once and verify.

Install (unpacked / temporary)

Chrome

1. chrome://extensions → enable Developer mode.
2. Load unpacked → select the chrome/ folder.
3. Click the Portage toolbar icon → Open Portage.

Firefox

1. about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox.
2. Load Temporary Add-on… → pick any file in firefox/ (e.g. manifest.json).
   • Temporary add-ons are removed on restart — reload each session, or sign/package for a permanent install.
3. Click the Portage toolbar icon → Open Portage.

Usage

1. Source browser: open Portage → Export → Scan → toggle off anything you don't want → Export bundle (saves the .json and, if selected, the extensions .txt). The data is wiped from memory right after.
2. Target browser: open Portage → Import → drop in the .portage.json → review → Import selected. Live per-category progress and an imported/skipped tally are shown.

Layout

portage/
├─ chrome/                 # MV3 extension for Chrome
├─ firefox/                # MV3 (gecko) extension for Firefox
│  ├─ manifest.json        # only the manifest + icons differ between the two
│  ├─ popup.{html,js}      # toolbar launcher + quick counts
│  ├─ dashboard.{html,js}  # unified Export + Import engine (auto-detects browser)
│  ├─ background.js
│  └─ styles.css           # shared monochrome design system
└─ LICENSE                 # MIT

Everything except manifest.json and icons/ is byte-identical in both folders — edit in chrome/ and copy across. Bundle format: { portage:{ format:"portage-bundle", version:1, source, exportedAt, … }, meta:{ counts }, data:{ <category>: … } }.

License

MIT © pvrz

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developed by pvrz ♥