How to install each Varterm extension

Cursor — Extensions panel or .vsix

Search Varterm TTS in Cursor Extensions. That listing comes from Open VSX. Use a .vsix only if search misses it; the current file is 0.1.64 on GitHub Releases.

If the hosted .vsix link returns 404, build from source in varterm/extensions (Development section → npm run package inside extensions/vscode).

From Extensions

1. Open Extensions (Cmd+Shift+X / Ctrl+Shift+X).
2. Search Varterm TTS and click Install.
3. Reload if Cursor asks.
4. Click Install (user), not Install Workspace Extension. Highlight text and click the status bar icon to hear it — nothing is copied. Flip on Agent Auto-read — one install, every window, zero echo. Play, pause, stop, jump. The 1× chip opens speed and voice. Or run Varterm: Read Selection Aloud / Varterm: Read Clipboard Aloud.

From a .vsix file

1. Download the .vsix from the button above or from Releases.
2. Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) → Extensions: Install from VSIX... → choose the file → reload if asked.

Store updates come through Extensions. A newer .vsix can be installed the same way if you pin a GitHub build.

VS Code — Marketplace install or manual .vsix

On VS Code you can usually install straight from the Visual Studio Marketplace when the listing is available. Manual .vsix follows the identical steps as Cursor and is handy for betas or air-gapped machines.

From Marketplace

1. Open the listing (button above). Click Install and approve opening VS Code when the browser asks.
2. After installation, reload if prompted.

From a .vsix file

1. Command Palette → Extensions: Install from VSIX... → pick the file → reload if needed.

Troubleshooting overlaps with Cursor: confirmed package names and tags live in varterm/extensions.

Chrome extension — Chrome Web Store (or unpacked)

The browser extension reads a selection, a long page, or a video transcript in Chrome. You can search the transcript, jump, and change speed from the popup. Auto-read of AI chat replies is optional and asked for per site. Prefer the packaged listing unless you are developing or QA'ing a local build. Until a single stable listing URL is finalized, use the Chrome Web Store home and search Varterm, or extensions hub → Chrome when we publish the direct listing link there.

Install from the Web Store

1. Open the Chrome Web Store listing and click Add to Chrome.
2. Pin the extension (puzzle icon → pin) so the toolbar control is visible.
3. On a page, select text and use the floating button, the context menu, or Alt+Shift+R. Chrome uses Ctrl+Shift+R to reload.
4. On a video with captions, open Read Video Transcript. Search the reader panel, then click a timestamp to jump the video.
5. To hear new AI chat replies as they finish, tick that site under Read AI replies and approve Chrome’s prompt. Existing replies stay quiet. Revoking Site access turns that site off.

Unpacked install (contributors / QA)

Clone and build the Chrome target from varterm/extensions per that repo's README, then load the folder that contains a valid manifest.json (often a dist or release output—not the whole monorepo root).

1. In Chrome go to chrome://extensions.
2. Turn on Developer mode (top right).
3. Click Load unpacked and choose the built extension directory.
4. After code changes, use Reload on the extension card to pick up new assets.

Unpacked installs are tied to your local folder; switching machines or wiping the checkout removes the loaded extension unless you repeat the steps or reinstall from the Web Store.