Trends · 6 min read
The Future of Chrome Extensions: What's Coming After MV3
Where Chrome extensions are headed in the next two years — built-in AI APIs, side panels, and the slow death of legacy permissions.
Manifest V3 was a step, not a destination. Chrome's extension platform is evolving fast, and the next two years bring some of the biggest changes since extensions were introduced.
Three shifts to plan for
- Built-in AI APIs — Chrome is shipping on-device Gemini APIs that extensions can call without sending data to a server.
- Side panel adoption — the side panel is replacing the popup for any extension with persistent UI.
- Tighter permission scoping — `<all_urls>` will eventually require per-site user activation.
What this means for builders
Extensions that lean into on-device AI, use the side panel, and ask for narrow permissions will outrank competitors in both the Web Store and user trust. Generic AI-API wrappers will get squeezed by extensions using Chrome's built-in models for free.
How ManifestGo is keeping up
Every Chrome platform update lands in ManifestGo's generation prompts within days. The extensions you generate today already use side panel APIs and narrow permissions by default.