Docsafterdark
🔍 Security Report Available View on Chrome Web StoreChrome will indicate if you already have this installed.
Blocks dark mode limitations in Google Docs, bringing a more intuitive and distraction-free writing experience to 100,000 users who value flexibility and control over their document layout. Lets you customize your Docs environment with Beyond Dark Mode's advanced features tailored for writers, designers, and anyone seeking a seamless workflow. Integrates seamlessly into the Google Docs interface, allowing developers to focus on creating innovative tools without compromising user experience.
Overview
Relieve eye-strain from the default Google Docs experience with DocsAfterDark. Customize the look of your documents without modifying the original file.
DocsAfterDark features a modern, sleek dark mode and a vibrant light mode. Try out the "midnight" dark mode variant for true-black backgrounds. Accent colors shared by both modes can be customized using the color slider in the settings popup.
Customize the document background to a darker (or lighter) shade. Or, input your own custom CSS (background-color) color.
Choose between the colorful, grayscale, and black invert modes to render document content in dark mode. The colorful invert mode preserves the essence of colors, but note that the colors will not be exact to the original document.
Globally enable/disable the extension, change to dark/light mode, and access all of the above customizations in the settings popup, which can be opened by clicking on the extension’s icon in your browser’s toolbar.
Temporarily enable/disable the extension for the current document using the toggle button in the bottom left corner of the page.
The source code and release notes are available on GitHub at https://github.com/waymondrang/DocsAfterDark.
If you enjoy using DocsAfterDark and would like to support its development, please consider donating on Buy Me a Coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/waymondrang.
Please note that this extension does not currently work for any other Google Workspace products (e.g. Sheets, Slides).
Tags
Privacy Practices
Security Analysis — Docsafterdark
Permissions
Code Patterns Detected
External Connections
Package Contents 39 files · 964KB
What This Extension Does
Docsafterdark is a Chrome extension designed to improve readability on Google Docs by applying dark mode themes, customizing accent colors, and offering content inversion filters. It solves the problem of eye strain caused by default light interfaces without altering the original document files. The tool is intended for students, writers, and professionals who spend long hours editing documents in low-light environments.
Permissions Explained
- storageexpected: This allows the extension to remember your settings, such as which dark theme you prefer or your custom accent colors, so they persist when you refresh the page.
Technical: Accesses chrome.storage.sync and chrome.storage.local. This API is used to serialize user preferences into JSON objects. If compromised, an attacker could theoretically read saved settings, though this data is typically non-sensitive unless users store passwords or tokens here (which this extension does not appear to do). - activeTabexpected: This grants the extension permission to interact with the currently open tab, allowing it to inject its styling code into Google Docs pages.
Technical: Enables access to chrome.tabs and chrome.scripting APIs. It allows reading DOM elements of the active tab to apply CSS filters and injecting content scripts. The scope is limited to the 'active' tab; it does not have blanket access to all tabs on the site, reducing the attack surface compared to <all_urls>.
Your Data
The extension communicates with GitHub for source code verification and Buy Me a Coffee for donation processing. It does not appear to send your document content or personal data to third-party servers beyond these specific, expected destinations.
Technical Details
Code Findings
The extension does not enforce strict security rules on which scripts can run, relying instead on Chrome's default policies. This is standard for simple extensions but means it cannot block malicious code if injected by a compromised site.
Technical: The manifest lacks a 'content_security_policy' field. Without this, the Content Security Policy (CSP) defaults to allowing all scripts and styles from any source within the extension's context. While the extension itself is small (28 KB), the lack of CSP means it cannot sandbox its own execution environment.
💡 Most lightweight extensions omit CSPs because they do not load external scripts or complex libraries that require strict isolation. It is a common pattern for simple UI modifications.
The extension injects its code into any Google Docs page (indicated by the wildcard in the injection URL). This is necessary for it to work on all your documents, but it means it runs on every single doc you open.
Technical: Manifest V3 content script entry point: 'matches': ['*://docs.google.com/document/*']. The wildcard '*' allows matching any subdomain and path under docs.google.com. This is required for functionality but increases the surface area if the extension code were to be compromised or contain a vulnerability.
💡 Extensions modifying page appearance must match the specific domain they intend to modify. Since this tool modifies every Google Doc, the wildcard is functionally necessary and appropriate.
Docsafterdark presents a low-risk profile suitable for general use. Its permissions are strictly aligned with its stated purpose of modifying the visual appearance of Google Docs, and it does not request access to sensitive user data or network resources beyond what is necessary for updates and donations. Users can confidently install this extension to reduce eye strain without significant security concerns.
