A quieter way to find abandoned extensions worth rebuilding.
Extensions Archive turns old Chrome Web Store signals into a shortlist: demand, update age, Manifest version, rebuild complexity, source links, and one simple opportunity score.
Chrome is finishing the Manifest V2 transition. Chrome for Developers lists Aug 31, 2026 with this note: “All remaining Manifest V2 extensions are removed from the Chrome Web Store”. That creates a practical window for finding proven ideas and rebuilding them for MV3.
Opportunity preview
A compact preview of how extensions are compared before you move into the full browse table.
| Extension | Category | Manifest ver. | Users | Complexity | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tab Loom Session groups, pinned tab recovery, and lightweight tab snapshots. | Productivity | MV2 | 420K | 2 | 94 |
Clean Reader Classic Distraction-free article mode with typography presets and offline saves. | Reading | MV2 | 185K | 3 | 88 |
Inbox Rule Kit Browser-side shortcuts for triaging webmail labels and canned responses. | Workflow | MV2 | 96K | 4 | 76 |
Palette Pinboard Collects colors from pages and exports palettes for design tools. | Design | MV2 | 58K | 2 | 69 |
Clip Shelf Temporary clipboard shelf for links, snippets, and screenshots. | Notes | MV2 | 34K | 2 | 61 |
Build it
Every opportunity comes with a ready-to-use AI build prompt and a clear Chrome Web Store submission path, so you can go from shortlist to shipped extension.
You are a senior Chrome extension engineer and product-minded technical founder. Act as the implementer: decide, don't ask. ## Opportunity brief Name: Print Friendly & PDF What the original does: reflows a page into a clean, ad-free print/PDF layout with font, margin and image controls. Signals: 800K users, 4.4 from 3K reviews, MV2, complexity 2/5 Reference links (read these first): - Reference repository: https://github.com/example/print-friendly - Chrome Web Store listing: https://chromewebstore.google.com/… ## Step 1 — Feature reverse-engineering MUST for v1 vs LATER, plus the one core workflow… ## Step 2 — Technical plan MV3 surfaces, storage keys and types, event flow, folder tree… ## Step 3 — Execution order Numbered build steps, each verifiable in the browser… ## Step 4 — Code manifest.json, service worker, popup, content script — complete files…
- 1.Create a Chrome Web Store developer account and complete the publisher registration.
- 2.Build the extension locally with a Manifest V3 manifest.json, source files, and icons.
- 3.Load unpacked from chrome://extensions with Developer mode on.
- 4.Test permissions, service worker behavior, storage, and content scripts.
- 5.Prepare listing assets: name, description, screenshots, icon, and privacy policy.
- 6.Zip the extension folder contents with manifest.json at the root.
- 7.Upload in the developer dashboard, complete the listing, and submit for review.
How the page is meant to work
Start broad, filter quickly, then inspect only the rows that look commercially and technically plausible. The table is the main product.
Demand
Installed users and review volume show whether people cared about the original extension.
Neglect
Older update dates and Manifest V2 status point to products that may be stranded.
Difficulty
Complexity helps separate weekend rebuilds from projects with deeper browser integration.
Use it as a shortlist, not a source of truth.
Public Chrome Web Store data changes, and every serious candidate should be verified before you build. The value here is faster triage.