Chrome Extension Advanced Permissions — Developer Guide

2 min read

Advanced Permission Patterns with @theluckystrike/webext-permissions

Prerequisites

Read docs/tutorials/permissions-quickstart.md first
npm install @theluckystrike/webext-permissions

1. The Full API Surface {#1-the-full-api-surface}

Checking Permissions

import { checkPermission, checkPermissions } from '@theluckystrike/webext-permissions';
const result = await checkPermission('tabs'); // { granted: boolean }
const results = await checkPermissions(['tabs', 'bookmarks']); // true only if ALL granted

Requesting Permissions

import { requestPermission, requestPermissions } from '@theluckystrike/webext-permissions';
const result = await requestPermission('tabs'); // { granted: boolean; error?: Error }

Must be called from user gesture (click handler)

Removing Permissions

import { removePermission } from '@theluckystrike/webext-permissions';
await removePermission('tabs');

Getting All Granted

import { getGrantedPermissions } from '@theluckystrike/webext-permissions';
const granted = await getGrantedPermissions();
// granted.permissions: string[], granted.origins: string[]

Describing Permissions

import { describePermission, listPermissions, PERMISSION_DESCRIPTIONS } from '@theluckystrike/webext-permissions';
describePermission('tabs'); // Human-readable string
listPermissions(); // All 50+ permissions with descriptions
PERMISSION_DESCRIPTIONS['storage']; // Direct map access

2. Progressive Permission Pattern {#2-progressive-permission-pattern}

Start minimal, request as user accesses features
manifest.json: optional_permissions for on-demand features
Higher install rate, more user trust

3. Permission Gate Pattern {#3-permission-gate-pattern}

Generic wrapper: check -> request -> execute or fallback
Full code example with TypeScript generics

4. Permission Status UI {#4-permission-status-ui}

Render toggles for each permission showing granted status + description
Use describePermission() for user-friendly labels
Toggle calls requestPermission or removePermission

5. Storing Permission Preferences with @theluckystrike/webext-storage {#5-storing-permission-preferences-with-theluckystrikewebext-storage}

Track which features user enabled
On startup: check if permission still granted (user may have revoked in chrome://extensions)
Sync preference state with actual permission state

6. PERMISSION_DESCRIPTIONS Reference {#6-permission-descriptions-reference}

Complete list of 50+ permissions covered in PERMISSION_DESCRIPTIONS
All standard Chrome permissions with human-readable descriptions

Common Mistakes

Calling requestPermission outside user gesture — Chrome silently denies
Not listing in optional_permissions — can’t request undeclared permissions
removePermission actually revokes access — guard subsequent API calls
Over-checking: cache results, re-check periodically not on every call -e —

Turn Your Extension Into a Business

Ready to monetize? The Extension Monetization Playbook covers freemium models, Stripe integration, subscription architecture, and growth strategies for Chrome extension developers.

Part of the Chrome Extension Guide by theluckystrike. Built at zovo.one.

No previous article

No next article