Browser Recall is a browser history and bookmark management system that captures, processes, and stores web page content in a searchable format. It consists of a browser extension and a FastAPI backend server that work together to provide the ability to search your the content of your browsing history and bookmarks.

Features

🔍 Full-text search across browsing history and bookmarks
📝 Automatic conversion of web pages to markdown format
🔄 Real-time page content capture via WebSocket
⚡ Optimized SQLite database with FTS5 search
🛡️ Configurable domain exclusions
📊 Efficient content processing and storage

System Architecture

Backend Components

FastAPI Server: Main application server handling WebSocket connections and HTTP endpoints
SQLite Database: Stores history and bookmarks with full-text search capabilities
Page Reader: Converts HTML content to markdown format
History Scheduler: Background task for updating browser history
Configuration System: Manages domain exclusions and reader settings

Browser Extension

Content Script: Captures page content and sends to backend
Background Script: Manages WebSocket connection and message handling
Manifest: Extension configuration and permissions

Setup

Prerequisites

Python 3.8+
Firefox Browser (for the extension)
SQLite3

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd browser-recall

Create and activate a virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Install the browser extension:
- Open Firefox
- Navigate to about:debugging
- Click "This Firefox"
- Click "Load Temporary Add-on"
- Select the manifest.json file from the extension directory

Configuration

Configure domain exclusions in app/config.yaml:

ignored_domains:
  - "localhost"
  - "127.0.0.1"
  - "*.local"
  # Add more patterns as needed

Configure the server port in main.py (default: 8523)

Usage

Start the server:

python main.py

The extension will automatically:
- Capture page content as you browse
- Send content to the backend server
- Update history and bookmarks
Access the web interface:
- Home page: http://localhost:8523/
- Search interface: http://localhost:8523/search
- Bookmarks page: http://localhost:8523/bookmarks
Access the API endpoints:
- Search history: GET /history/search
- Search bookmarks: GET /bookmarks/search
- Advanced search: GET /history/search/advanced
- Manage ignored domains: GET/POST/DELETE /config/ignored-domains

Web Interface

Browser Recall includes a basic web interface for viewing and searching your browsing history and bookmarks:

Home Page: Displays recent browsing history
Search Page: Provides a form interface for searching history with filters
Bookmarks Page: Shows your browser bookmarks

The interface is built with:

Tailwind CSS for styling
Responsive design for mobile and desktop
Dark mode for comfortable viewing

API Documentation

The API documentation is available through FastAPI's interactive interface at http://localhost:8523/docs. This provides a complete API reference with:

Interactive endpoint testing
Request/response examples
Schema documentation

History Endpoints

GET /history/search
- Query parameters:
  - domain: Filter by domain
  - start_date: Filter by start date
  - end_date: Filter by end date
  - search_term: Full-text search
  - include_content: Include markdown content
GET /history/search/advanced
- Advanced full-text search using SQLite FTS5 syntax

Bookmark Endpoints

GET /bookmarks/search
- Query parameters:
  - domain: Filter by domain
  - folder: Filter by folder
  - search_term: Search in titles

Configuration Endpoints

GET /config/ignored-domains: List ignored domains
POST /config/ignored-domains: Add domain pattern
DELETE /config/ignored-domains/{pattern}: Remove domain pattern

Development

Logs are stored in the logs directory
Database file: browser_history.db
WebSocket endpoint: ws://localhost:8523/ws