2026-08-12 09:02:09 +03:00
2026-08-12 09:02:09 +03:00
2026-08-12 09:02:09 +03:00
2026-08-12 09:02:09 +03:00
2026-08-12 09:02:09 +03:00
2026-08-12 09:02:09 +03:00
2026-08-12 09:02:09 +03:00
2026-08-12 09:02:09 +03:00
2026-08-12 09:02:09 +03:00

KGet Capture

A Chrome (and other Chromium-browser) extension that sends downloads to KGet, KDE's download manager, instead of (or in addition to) the browser's built-in downloader.

  • Right-click any link, image, video, or audio element and choose "Download with KGet" to open KGet's "New Download" dialog, prefilled with the URL — edit the filename or destination folder if you want, then confirm to start the transfer.
  • A toolbar toggle enables auto-capture: while on, every download Chrome starts is cancelled and redirected to the same KGet dialog automatically. Defaults to ON.

Requirements

  • Linux with KGet installed (and running, or set to autostart)
  • One of: Google Chrome, Chromium, Brave, Vivaldi, Microsoft Edge
  • python3 and dbus-send on PATH (standard on virtually all Linux/KDE systems already)

Install

git clone <this-repo-url> kget-capture
cd kget-capture
./install.sh

install.sh registers a native messaging host for every supported browser it finds installed, then prints the extension's fixed ID and next steps:

  1. Open chrome://extensions (or your browser's equivalent).
  2. Enable Developer mode (top-right toggle).
  3. Click Load unpacked and select this repo's extension/ directory.
  4. Confirm the loaded extension's ID matches the one install.sh printed.

Usage

  • On-demand: right-click a link/image/video/audio → "Download with KGet".
  • Automatic: click the toolbar icon and flip "Auto-capture all downloads" on or off. The badge shows "ON" (green) or "OFF" (grey).

Uninstall

./uninstall.sh

This removes the native messaging host registrations and the installed host script. You'll still need to remove the unpacked extension yourself via chrome://extensions — that step can't be scripted.

Known limitations

  • blob:/data: URLs can't be captured. There's no real network URL to hand to KGet, so these downloads proceed normally through Chrome (a console warning is logged in the extension's service worker).
  • Auto-capture has a brief head start. Manifest V3 removed blocking webRequest, so Chrome begins the download before the extension can cancel it. A small/partial temp file may transiently appear before it's erased.
  • A KGet dialog opens for every capture. The extension uses KGet's showNewTransferDialog D-Bus method, which opens the interactive "New Download" dialog rather than starting the transfer immediately. This is intentional — it lets you rename the file or change the destination folder before it starts. If you'd rather it start immediately without a prompt, see Troubleshooting for the alternate addTransfer call — note that route only returns once the dialog is dismissed, so it's not what the extension uses by default.
  • KGet must already be running. If it's not, captures fail silently from the user's perspective — check the service worker console for the actual error (see Troubleshooting).

Troubleshooting

  • Check native host registration: confirm ~/.config/<browser>/NativeMessagingHosts/com.kget_capture.host.json exists and its path points at an executable file (~/.local/share/kget-capture/kget_capture_host.py).
  • Inspect the extension's logs: on chrome://extensions, find "KGet Capture", click "service worker" under "Inspect views" to open its console.
  • Test D-Bus directly:
    dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.kde.kget /KGet \
      org.kde.kget.main.showNewTransferDialog array:string:"https://example.com/file.zip"
    
    If this fails with ServiceUnknown, KGet isn't running. To skip the dialog and start a transfer straight away instead, use addTransfer with a real destination folder:
    dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.kde.kget /KGet \
      org.kde.kget.main.addTransfer string:"https://example.com/file.zip" string:"$HOME/Downloads" boolean:true
    

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

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