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Once you’ve installed extensions, Glass provides tools to manage them effectively. This guide covers updating, configuring, and removing extensions.

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Viewing Installed Extensions

To see which extensions you have installed:
1

Open the Extensions view

Press Cmd+Shift+X (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+X (Linux/Windows)
2

Filter by installed

Use the filter dropdown at the top and select Installed to show only your installed extensions
Installed extensions show:
  • Current version number
  • Install status (Installed, Updating, Installing, Removing)
  • What features they provide (themes, languages, etc.)
  • Management buttons (Uninstall, Upgrade, Configure)

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Updating Extensions

Keeping extensions up-to-date ensures you have the latest features and bug fixes.

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Automatic Updates

By default, Glass automatically checks for and installs extension updates. Configuring Auto-Update In your settings (settings.json): 
{
  "extensions": {
    "auto_update": true  // Global auto-update setting
  }
}
Per-Extension Auto-Update Control Disable auto-update for specific extensions: 
{
  "extensions": {
    "auto_update": true,
    "auto_update_extensions": {
      "some-extension-id": false  // Disable auto-update for this extension
    }
  }
}

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Manual Updates

To manually update an extension:
1

Check for updates

Glass periodically checks for updates, but you can force a check:
Extensions: Check for Updates
2

Identify updatable extensions

Extensions with available updates show:
  • The new version number
  • An Upgrade button
  • “(v1.2.0 installed)” if the installed version differs
3

Click Upgrade

Click the Upgrade button to install the latest version
The update process:
  1. Downloads the new version
  2. Removes the old version
  3. Installs the new version
  4. Reloads the extension automatically
Development extensions are never auto-updated. You must manually rebuild them using the Rebuild button.

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Configuring Extensions

Some extensions provide configurable options.

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Context Server Configuration

Extensions that provide Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers can be configured:
1

Find a configurable extension

Extensions with context servers show a Configure button
2

Click Configure

Opens the configuration interface for the extension’s context servers
3

Set server parameters

Configure:
  • Server URLs
  • Authentication credentials
  • API keys
  • Other server-specific settings

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Extension Settings

Some extensions may add their own settings. Check the extension’s documentation for available options: 
{
  "extension-name": {
    "option1": "value",
    "option2": true
  }
}

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Uninstalling Extensions

Remove extensions you no longer need.

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Uninstalling Published Extensions

1

Open the Extensions view

Press Cmd+Shift+X (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+X (Linux/Windows)
2

Find the extension

Locate the extension you want to remove
3

Click Uninstall

Click the Uninstall button on the extension card
4

Confirm removal

The extension will be removed immediately. Glass will:
  • Remove the extension directory
  • Unload extension resources
  • Clean up any work files

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Uninstalling Development Extensions

Dev extensions can be uninstalled the same way:
  1. Find the dev extension (marked with <> indicator)
  2. Click Uninstall
  3. The symlink is removed, but your source directory remains intact
Uninstalling a dev extension doesn’t delete your source code—only the symlink from the extensions directory.

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Rebuilding Development Extensions

For Rust-based dev extensions, you can rebuild without reinstalling:
1

Make changes to your extension

Edit your extension’s source code
2

Open the Extensions view

Navigate to the installed dev extension
3

Click Rebuild

Click the Rebuild button to:
  • Recompile the extension
  • Reload it in Glass
  • Apply your changes
The rebuild process uses the same compilation options as the initial install, preserving debug symbols and other development features.
The Rebuild button is disabled while a rebuild is in progress. Wait for the current build to complete.

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Reloading Extensions

If extensions aren’t behaving correctly, you can force a reload.

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Manual Reload

Extensions: Reload Extensions
This command:
  • Rebuilds the extension index from the filesystem
  • Unloads all extensions
  • Reloads all extensions
  • Re-registers extension resources

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Automatic Reload

Glass automatically reloads extensions when:
  • Files in the extensions directory change
  • An extension is installed or uninstalled
  • An extension is upgraded
  • A dev extension is rebuilt
The reload is debounced (delayed) by 200ms to batch multiple changes together.

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Extension Information

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Viewing Extension Details

To see detailed information about an extension:
  1. Find the extension in the Extensions view
  2. Click the three-dot menu (•••)
  3. Select from:
    • Install Another Version: Install a specific version
    • Copy Extension ID: Copy the extension’s unique identifier
    • Copy Author Info: Copy author names to clipboard

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Extension Metadata

Each extension card displays:
  • Name: Human-readable extension name
  • Version: Current version number (e.g., v1.2.3)
  • Description: Brief description of functionality
  • Authors: Extension creators
  • Downloads: Total download count from the registry
  • Repository: Link to source code (GitHub icon)
  • Provides: Badges showing what the extension adds (Languages, Themes, etc.)

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Development Extension Indicators

Dev extensions show special indicators:
  • <> symbol in the extension card
  • “Rebuild” button instead of “Upgrade”
  • Local version number
  • Repository link (if specified in manifest)

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Extension Storage Locations

Extensions are stored in your Glass configuration directory: 
~/.config/glass/extensions/
├── installed/          # Extension files
│   ├── html/          # Published extension
│   ├── python/        # Published extension
│   └── my-dev-ext/    # Symlink to dev extension
├── work/              # Extension runtime data
│   └── <extension-id>/
├── build/             # Build artifacts for dev extensions
└── index.json         # Extension index cache
installed/: Contains extension files, either as extracted archives (published) or symlinks (dev) work/: Runtime working directories for extensions, including WASM execution state build/: Compilation artifacts for development extensions index.json: Cached index of all installed extensions and their provided resources
Manually modifying files in these directories is not recommended. Use the Extensions view instead.

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Troubleshooting

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Extension Not Loading

Check the extension index: 
cat ~/.config/glass/extensions/index.json
If corrupted or missing, reload extensions: 
Extensions: Reload Extensions
Check logs: Look for errors in the Glass log: 
View > Developer > Show Logs
Search for the extension ID to find related errors.

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Extension Conflicts

If two extensions conflict (e.g., both provide the same language):
  1. Glass typically uses the last-loaded extension
  2. You can uninstall one to resolve the conflict
  3. Check extension documentation for compatibility notes

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Extension Causes Crashes

If an extension causes instability:
  1. Note the extension ID from the Extensions view
  2. Uninstall the problematic extension
  3. Restart Glass
  4. Report the issue to the extension author (via the repository link)

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Dev Extension Won’t Rebuild

Check for compilation errors: The error panel will show Rust compiler errors Verify your Rust toolchain: 
rustc --version
cargo --version
Check the extension manifest: Ensure extension.toml is valid: 
schema_version = 1

[lib]
kind = "Rust"
Manually rebuild: Try rebuilding from the command line: 
cd /path/to/your/extension
cargo build --release

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Extension Updates and Compatibility

Glass ensures extension compatibility through: Schema Versions: Extensions declare a schema version (currently 1). Glass only loads compatible versions. WASM API Versions: Extensions specify which WASM API version they use. Glass supports a range of API versions. Release Channel: Some extensions may have channel-specific requirements (Stable, Preview, Dev).
After a major Glass update, some extensions may become incompatible. Check for extension updates if features stop working.

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Next Steps

Extension Overview

Learn more about how the extension system works

Building Extensions

Create your own extensions for Glass

Extension API

Explore the extension API reference

Troubleshooting

General debugging and troubleshooting guide

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