First-Time Setup
After installing VAssist, you’ll be guided through a setup wizard to configure the extension for your needs. This guide covers all configuration options in detail.Make sure you’ve completed the Installation Guide before proceeding with setup.
Initial Configuration
Launch Setup Wizard
Click the VAssist extension icon in your Chrome toolbar to open the setup wizard.The wizard will guide you through:
- AI provider selection and configuration
- Virtual companion customization
- Feature preferences
- Privacy and performance settings
You can skip any step during setup and configure it later from the Settings panel.
Configure AI Provider
Choose which AI provider to use for VAssist features:
Chrome Built-in AI (Recommended)
Uses Chrome’s native Gemini Nano model:- ✅ Completely free
- ✅ Runs locally on your device
- ✅ No API keys required
- ✅ Privacy-focused (no data leaves your device)
- ✅ Works offline after initial model download
- Check that all Chrome flags are enabled (see Installation Guide)
- Visit
chrome://componentsin a new tab - Look for “Optimization Guide On Device Model”
- Status should show “Up to date” or version number
- If not installed, click “Check for update”
Third-Party Providers (Optional)
VAssist also supports external AI providers if you prefer:OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-4o, GPT-3.5)- Requires OpenAI API key
- More powerful models available
- Usage costs apply
- Requires Anthropic API key
- Advanced reasoning capabilities
- Usage costs apply
- Requires Google AI API key
- Cloud-based processing
- Usage costs apply
- Select the provider in the setup wizard
- Enter your API key when prompted
- Choose your preferred model
- Test the connection
API keys are stored locally in your browser and never sent to VAssist servers. You’re responsible for your API usage and associated costs.
Set Up Virtual Companion
Customize the animated 3D character that appears on your screen:
Display Options
Enable/Disable Companion:- Toggle the companion on or off
- Useful if you prefer a lightweight experience
- Can be changed anytime from Settings
- Full Body: Shows the complete character model
- Portrait: Shows only head and shoulders (better performance)
- Drag the companion anywhere on your screen
- Position is saved per preset
- Resets to default position on new tabs
Performance Settings
Animation Quality:- High: Smooth 60 FPS animations (recommended for powerful devices)
- Medium: 30 FPS animations (balanced)
- Low: Minimal animations (better performance)
- Adjust the size of the 3D rendering canvas
- Smaller size = better performance
- Larger size = more detailed visuals
Configure Toolbar Features
Choose which AI toolbar features to enable:
Text Selection Toolbar
Appears when you select text on any webpage:- ✅ Summarize - Generate headlines, key points, and teasers
- ✅ Translate - Translate to 100+ languages
- ✅ Rewrite - Fix grammar, change tone, adjust length
- ✅ Dictionary - Get definitions and synonyms
- ✅ Copy/Share - Quick actions for selected text
Input Field Toolbar
Appears when you focus on text inputs:- ✅ Writer - Generate content based on context
- ✅ Voice Dictation - Speak instead of type
- ✅ Grammar Check - Fix mistakes as you type
Image Toolbar
Appears when you hover over images:- ✅ Describe - AI describes what’s in the image
- ✅ Extract Text - OCR to pull out text
- ✅ Identify Objects - Label items in photos
You can enable or disable individual toolbar features in Settings → Features.
Test the Extension
Verify that VAssist is working correctly:
Test the AI Toolbar
- Navigate to any webpage with text
- Select a paragraph of text
- The AI toolbar should appear near your selection
- Try clicking “Summarize” or “Translate”
Test the Chat Interface
- Click the VAssist extension icon
- Type a message in the chat input
- Press Enter or click Send
- AI should respond within a few seconds
Test Page Context
- Open an article or blog post
- Click the VAssist extension icon
- Ask: “What is this page about?”
- AI should summarize the page content
Test Virtual Companion
- Enable the companion in Settings
- The 3D character should appear on the page
- Send a chat message
- Watch the character animate while “speaking”
If any features aren’t working, check that AI models have finished downloading at
chrome://components.Advanced Configuration
After completing initial setup, you can fine-tune VAssist behavior:Chat Settings
Conversation History:- Enable/disable automatic chat saving
- Set history retention period
- Clear old conversations
- Show/hide timestamps
- Enable message animations
- Configure TTS voice and speed
- Include page content in prompts
- Set maximum context length
- Enable/disable image attachments
Voice Settings
Text-to-Speech (TTS):- Choose voice model (Kokoro.js on-device TTS)
- Adjust speech rate and pitch
- Enable/disable auto-play responses
- Select language for voice input
- Configure microphone sensitivity
- Enable/disable voice commands
Privacy Settings
Data Storage:- Clear chat history
- Delete cached responses
- Reset all settings to defaults
- Disable usage telemetry
- Opt out of error reporting
Performance Optimization
Memory Management:- Limit number of active chats
- Auto-clear old messages
- Reduce animation quality
- Disable external API calls
- Use only on-device AI
- Limit image attachment size
- Share state across tabs (higher memory usage)
- Isolate per-tab state (better performance)
Keyboard Shortcuts
VAssist supports custom keyboard shortcuts:| Action | Default Shortcut | Customizable |
|---|---|---|
| Open Chat | Alt+V | ✅ |
| Toggle Companion | Alt+C | ✅ |
| Voice Dictation | Alt+D | ✅ |
| Quick Summarize | Alt+S | ✅ |
chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
Preset Management
VAssist supports multiple configuration presets: Create Preset:- Configure VAssist settings as desired
- Open Settings → Presets
- Click “Save Current Configuration”
- Name your preset
- Open Settings → Presets
- Select a saved preset
- Click “Load”
- Work Mode: Formal tone, minimal animations, higher context
- Personal Mode: Casual tone, full companion, voice enabled
- Performance Mode: Minimal features, no companion, text-only
Updating VAssist
VAssist will notify you when updates are available:- Click “Update Available” notification
- Chrome will download the update automatically
- Click “Reload Extension” when prompted
- Your settings and chat history are preserved
If you installed from source, pull the latest code and run
bun run build:extension to update.Troubleshooting Setup Issues
Setup Wizard Won’t Open
- Refresh the extension at
chrome://extensions - Check browser console for errors (F12)
- Try disabling and re-enabling the extension
- Verify Chrome version is 138+
AI Not Responding
- Check that all Chrome flags are enabled
- Verify models downloaded at
chrome://components - Test with simple query: “Hello”
- Check Settings → AI → Status
Companion Not Appearing
- Verify companion is enabled in Settings
- Check that WebGL is supported (visit
chrome://gpu) - Try switching to portrait mode
- Refresh the page
Toolbar Not Showing
- Verify toolbar features are enabled
- Check that you’re not on a restricted page (chrome:// URLs)
- Disable conflicting extensions
- Test on a different website
Next Steps
Now that VAssist is configured, explore the full range of features:Feature Documentation
Learn about all VAssist features in detail.
Try Demo
Test VAssist features in demo mode.
Contributing
Help improve VAssist by contributing code.
GitHub Discussions
Ask questions and share tips with the community.