Operator reference

Chrome Extension

Use Nexus in Chrome from any page

Before you begin

This reference describes the underlying platform. Use a Nexus school release with its school membership, class policy, and cost controls. Installing a base engine alone does not add those controls. Some options require a separately licensed feature. The presence of a guide does not unlock that feature.

The Nexus Chrome Extension allows users to access Nexus from anywhere in their browser.

Features include:

A Nexus browser home page
A Nexus sidebar in your browser
Contextual search on selected text
Deep Research capabilities

Not available in this reference: Full page context chat and indexing visited pages into your Nexus knowledge base!

Installation Options#

A Nexus school extension has not been released here. Use the school web workspace while a supported distribution is evaluated.

Self-hosted users: Your administrator will provide installation instructions

Manual Installation (Self-Hosted)#

Get the extension files#

Clone the Nexus Chrome Extension repo from GitHub.

Enable Developer Mode#

Visit chrome://extensions/ in your Chrome browser
In the upper right corner, click Developer mode to enable it

Load the extension#

Click Load unpacked
Select the folder containing the Nexus Chrome Extension files
Click Load

The extension is now installed and ready to configure.

Configure connection settings#

Click the three dots (...) next to the extension
Select Options
Set the Root Domain to your self-hosted Nexus instance's URL

The extension will now connect to your self-hosted Nexus instance and can be used from any page in Chrome.

Enterprise Deployment#

For organizations deploying the extension at scale, use Google Admin Console for centralized management.

Access Chrome Management#

Log in to your Google Admin console
Navigate to Devices → Chrome → Apps and extensions

Add the extension#

Obtain the Chrome extension ID from a Nexus team member - Click the yellow plus icon to add the extension - Enter the Chrome extension ID and click Add

Configure deployment#

Configure deployment options such as:

Force installation for specific organizational units
User access controls
Update policies and version management
Installation policies (allowed, forced, or blocked)

Save configuration#

Remember to save your changes after configuring the extension settings.

Self-Hosting the Extension#

For private distribution without the Chrome Web Store:

Package the extension#

Use Chrome's developer tools to create a CRX file

Host the files#

Place the CRX and update manifest on your server

Configure clients#

Use Admin console or Group Policy to point to your hosted files

Extension Management#

Update Policies#

Enterprise deployments: Chrome handles automatic updates every 5 hours
Version pinning: Available for force-installed extensions, but avoid extended use due to security updates
Self-hosted updates: Increment version in manifest.json and replace hosted files