DevTrace v1.0.0

Support, usage guidance, and optional project support.

This page is for developer-facing help. It explains how DevTrace is intended to be used, what common issues look like, and how to contact support or optionally support continued maintenance.

Quick Start

  1. Open the extension popup and enter the target URL you want to inspect.
  2. Click Start. DevTrace resets the active session and requests runtime host permission for the selected scope.
  3. The current tab reloads to the target page so new requests can be captured.
  4. Use filters for domain, status, and type while inspecting live results.
  5. Export JSON or selected resources when needed for debugging and troubleshooting.

What DevTrace Is For

DevTrace should be understood as a developer network inspection, API debugging, and resource analysis tool. It is not intended to be presented as a generic data collection product.

Button Guide

  • Start starts a fresh capture cycle for the entered URL.
  • Stop stops live capture while keeping the current rows visible.
  • Reset Filters restores the domain, status, and type filters to their default values.
  • Reset Session stops capture, clears the active session, removes the saved URL, and returns the popup to a fresh stopped state.
  • Clear All Data removes current captured rows and active-domain download markers.
  • Export JSON exports the captured resource list as JSON.
  • Export Resources saves downloadable resources into a user-selected local folder when possible.
  • Settings opens capture mode, allowlist, and blocklist configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the extension ask for permissions? Host access is requested at runtime for the site you explicitly choose to inspect. This keeps the permission posture narrower than always-on site access.
Does DevTrace send captured data anywhere? No. Captured request state and download markers are processed locally and stored in the browser profile. There is no built-in analytics or upload pipeline.
Why are some requests missing? Requests that completed before capture started cannot be reconstructed later. You should start capture before reproducing the behavior you want to inspect.
Why do some downloads fall back to the browser download flow? Some pages or resources cannot be written directly into the selected directory because of browser restrictions, CORS behavior, or origin policy constraints.
Can I use it on localhost or internal test environments? Yes, as long as the target URL is accessible in Chrome and the runtime permission request is granted for that scope.

Troubleshooting

  • If capture appears empty, verify that you started the session before reproducing the request flow.
  • If you denied permission once, run the capture again and grant the requested host access.
  • If resources fail to export, try a narrower selection or rely on the browser download fallback.
  • If the popup feels too constrained, switch to detached window mode in settings.

Optional Support / Donation

PayPal QR Code for DevTrace support
PayPal QR

If DevTrace is useful to your workflow, you can optionally support ongoing maintenance through PayPal. Any support is fully voluntary, carries no obligation, and does not unlock or gate the extension's core functionality.

PayPal.Me: https://paypal.me/Vidar1031
Support email: vidar1031@gmail.com
Support plugin development only. No donation is required to use DevTrace.