Installing and Using The Stack Chrome Extension

The Stack Chrome extension bridges your browser session with The Stack platform. It captures LinkedIn profile data as you browse, extracts connection lists, and verifies email addresses through Google Contacts.

What the Extension Does

The extension runs locally in your browser. It performs three main tasks:

1. LinkedIn Profile Capture: Reads profile data and work history when you view a lead on LinkedIn and sends it to your The Stack workspace.
2. Session Sync: Connects your LinkedIn session to the web app so you can search and export leads directly from the dashboard.
3. Email Verification: Probes Google Contacts to verify mailbox existence for discovered lead patterns without bouncing.

Installing in Developer Mode

The extension is distributed directly as an archive rather than through the Chrome Web Store. Installation takes about one minute.

1. Download the archive

Download the production build: thestack-extension.zip

2. Extract to a permanent folder

Extract the zip file to a directory you will not accidentally delete. Your browser loads the extension files directly from this folder: if you move or delete it, the extension will stop working.

Recommended locations:

• macOS / Linux: ~/Extensions/thestack
• Windows: C:\Extensions\thestack

Note on unzipping: Make sure to select the folder that directly contains manifest.json, not an empty outer folder.

3. Open your browser extensions page

Navigate to the extensions manager in your browser address bar:

• Chrome: chrome://extensions
• Brave: brave://extensions
• Edge: edge://extensions

4. Enable Developer Mode

Turn on the Developer mode toggle in the top-right corner of the extensions page (in Microsoft Edge, this is located in the left sidebar).

5. Load the unpacked extension

Click the Load unpacked button in the top-left area and select the extracted folder containing manifest.json.

Your browser will display the extension card:

Key controls on this card:

• Version number: Confirms the build currently running.
• Reload icon (circular arrow): Click this whenever you update the files with a newer build.
• Toggle: Enables or disables the extension without uninstalling it.
• Errors: Displays runtime errors if something goes wrong.

6. Pin to toolbar

Click the puzzle-piece icon in your browser toolbar and pin The Stack Extension so it stays visible:

Authentication and Setup

You do not need to type your password into the extension popup manually:

1. Log in to The Stack: Sign in to your account at thestack.es/app. The web app syncs your session tokens to the extension automatically in the background.
2. Log in to LinkedIn: Open a tab and sign in to your LinkedIn account in the same browser profile.

Checking Readiness

Navigate to People & Reveals in your dashboard. The top banner displays three readiness checks:

• Extension ready: The extension is installed and communicating with the web app.
• LinkedIn signed in: An active LinkedIn session is detected.
• Google ready to reveal: Your browser is signed in to a Google account, which is required for verifying email addresses via Google Contacts.

When all three checks show green, your workspace is fully connected.

Capturing Leads and Revealing Emails

Once your workspace is ready, the extension works seamlessly with your dashboard:

1. Automatic Profile Ingestion: As you browse LinkedIn profiles, the extension captures headline data, employment history, and education, routing them into your workspace automatically.
2. Bulk Queue & Connection Lists: Import connection lists or queue target LinkedIn URLs directly from the + ADD PEOPLE drawer.
3. 1-Click Email Reveals: For any captured decision-maker, click Reveal. The platform reconstructs prospective corporate email patterns and uses the extension to probe Google Contacts in the background—verifying actual inbox deliverability with zero bounce risk.

Every verified email appears with its confirmation timestamp and a quick-copy shortcut, ready for personalized outreach.

Updating the Extension

Developer mode extensions do not auto-update. When a new version is released:

1. Download the latest thestack-extension.zip.
2. Extract and replace the files inside your existing extension folder.
3. Open chrome://extensions and click the reload icon (circular arrow) on The Stack card. The version number will update immediately.