Arxiv PDF Saver - Browser Extension

A Chrome/Edge browser extension that allows you to right-click on arxiv.org links and save the papers as PDFs with properly cleaned filenames.

Features

• 🖱️ Right-click context menu on arxiv.org paper links
• 📄 Automatic PDF download with clean filenames
• 🧹 Smart filename cleaning - removes special characters like :, /, \, etc.
• 📊 Download tracking - keeps count of saved papers
• 🔍 Paper title extraction from arxiv API
• ✅ Visual indicators on arxiv.org pages showing saveable links
• 📚 Save References - export a paper's references to CSV (via Semantic Scholar API)
  • Also available as JSON via the context menu option "Save References (JSON)"

Installation

For Development/Testing

1. Download or clone this repository to your local machine
2. Open Chrome or Edge browser
3. Navigate to extensions page:
   • Chrome: chrome://extensions/
   • Edge: edge://extensions/
4. Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top-right corner)
5. Click "Load unpacked" and select the extension folder
6. The extension should now appear in your browser toolbar

For Distribution

To distribute this extension, you would need to:

1. Create proper icon files (16x16, 32x32, 48x48, 128x128 pixels) and add them back to manifest.json
2. Package the extension as a .zip file
3. Submit to Chrome Web Store or Edge Add-ons store

Usage

Basic Usage

1. Visit arxiv.org and browse papers
2. Right-click on any paper link (either abstract or PDF links)
3. Select "Save Paper as PDF" from the context menu
4. Choose save location when prompted
5. The PDF downloads with a cleaned filename based on the paper title

Save References

On any arxiv.org paper page:

1. Right-click anywhere on the page
2. Choose "Save References" (CSV) or "Save References (JSON)"
3. CSV includes: Title, Year, DOI, arXiv, URL; JSON includes metadata and references array

Supported URL Formats

The extension works with these arxiv.org URL patterns:

• https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.12345
• https://arxiv.org/pdf/2301.12345.pdf
• Papers from any arxiv category (cs, math, physics, etc.)

Filename Cleaning

The extension automatically cleans paper titles to create valid filenames:

• Removes special characters: < > : " / \ | ? *
• Replaces spaces with underscores
• Removes multiple consecutive underscores
• Limits filename length to 200 characters
• Falls back to paper ID if title extraction fails

Example:

• Original title: "Attention Is All You Need: Transformers for NLP"
• Cleaned filename: Attention_Is_All_You_Need_Transformers_for_NLP.pdf

Extension Structure

rightclick/
├── manifest.json          # Extension configuration
├── background.js          # Service worker (context menu, downloads)
├── content.js            # Content script (page enhancement)
├── popup.html            # Extension popup interface
├── popup.js              # Popup functionality
├── icons/                # Extension icons (placeholder)
│   └── README.md
└── README.md             # This file

Technical Details

Permissions

The extension requires these permissions:

• contextMenus: Create right-click menu items
• downloads: Initiate file downloads
• activeTab: Access current tab information
• storage: Store download statistics
• notifications: Show download status

Host Permissions

• https://arxiv.org/\*: Access arxiv.org pages
• https://export.arxiv.org/\*: Fetch paper metadata from arxiv API
• https://api.semanticscholar.org/*: Fetch references for a paper

Architecture

1. Background Script: Handles context menu creation and PDF downloads
2. Content Script: Runs on arxiv.org pages to enhance links
3. Popup: Provides user interface and statistics
4. Manifest V3: Uses modern extension format for security

Development

Prerequisites

• Chrome or Edge browser
• Basic understanding of JavaScript and browser extensions

Local Development

1. Make changes to the extension files
2. Go to chrome://extensions/ or edge://extensions/
3. Click the refresh button for the extension
4. Test your changes on arxiv.org

Bump version for each upload (Windows)

Chrome/Edge require the version in manifest.json to increase for every upload. Use the provided script to bump automatically and add a timestamped version_name:

bump-version.cmd

This will:

• Increment the last segment (e.g., 1.0.0.15 → 1.0.0.16)
• Add/update version_name with a UTC timestamp (e.g., v1.0.0.16 2025-09-20T18:45:10Z)

Testing

Test the extension on various arxiv.org pages:

• Recent papers: https://arxiv.org/list/cs/recent
• Paper abstract page: https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.12345
• PDF link: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2301.12345.pdf

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Working

1. Check if extension is enabled in browser extensions page
2. Verify permissions are granted during installation
3. Refresh the arxiv.org page after installing the extension
4. Check browser console for error messages (F12 → Console)

Downloads Not Starting

1. Check browser download settings - ensure downloads are allowed
2. Verify arxiv.org is accessible and not blocked
3. Try a different paper link - some very old papers may not have PDFs
4. Check popup statistics to verify extension is tracking attempts

Context Menu Not Appearing

1. Right-click directly on paper links (not just text)
2. Ensure you're on arxiv.org domain
3. Try refreshing the page and right-clicking again
4. Check if other extensions are interfering with context menus

Known Limitations

• Icons: Icon references removed to avoid loading errors - extension uses browser default icon
• Old papers: Very old arxiv papers may not have PDF versions available
• Network errors: No retry mechanism for failed API requests
• Filename conflicts: No automatic handling of duplicate filenames

Future Enhancements

• Custom filename templates
• Batch download multiple papers
• Integration with reference managers
• Support for other academic paper sites
• Download progress indicators
• Better error handling and user feedback

Privacy

This extension:

• ✅ Only accesses arxiv.org and export.arxiv.org
• ✅ Stores only download count locally
• ✅ Does not track or transmit user data
• ✅ Open source and auditable

License

This project is open source. Feel free to modify and distribute according to your needs.

Contributing

1. Fork this repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly on arxiv.org
5. Submit a pull request

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Version: 1.0.0
Last Updated: September 2025
Tested On: Chrome 115+, Edge 115+