chrome.readingList

Description

Use the chrome.readingList API to read from and modify the items in the Reading List.

Permissions

readingList

To use the Reading List API, add the "readingList" permission in the extension manifest file:

manifest.json:

{
  "name": "My reading list extension",
  ...
  "permissions": [
    "readingList"
  ]
}

Availability

Chrome 120+ MV3+

Chrome features a reading list located on the side panel. It lets users save web pages to read later or when offline. Use the Reading List API to retrieve existing items and add or remove items from the list.

Reading list showing a number of articles
Reading list showing a number of articles

Concepts and usage

Item ordering

Items in the reading list are not in any guaranteed order.

Item uniqueness

Items are keyed by URL. This includes the hash and query string.

Use cases

The following sections demonstrate some common use cases for the Reading List API. See Extension samples for complete extension examples.

Add an item

To add an item to the reading list, use chrome.readingList.addEntry():

chrome.readingList.addEntry({
  title: "New to the web platform in September | web.dev",
  url: "https://developer.chrome.com/",
  hasBeenRead: false
});

Display items

To display items from the reading list, use the chrome.readingList.query() method to retrieve them. method.

const items = await chrome.readingList.query({});

for (const item of items) {
  // Do something do display the item
}

Mark an item as read

You can use chrome.readingList.updateEntry() to update the title, URL, and read status. The following code marks an item as read:

chrome.readingList.updateEntry({
  url: "https://developer.chrome.com/",
  hasBeenRead: true
});

Remove an item

To remove an item, use chrome.readingList.removeEntry():

chrome.readingList.removeEntry({
  url: "https://developer.chrome.com/"
});

Extension samples

For more Reading List API extensions demos, see the Reading List API sample.

Types

AddEntryOptions

Properties

  • hasBeenRead

    boolean

    Will be true if the entry has been read.

  • title

    string

    The title of the entry.

  • url

    string

    The url of the entry.

QueryInfo

Properties

  • hasBeenRead

    boolean optional

    Indicates whether to search for read (true) or unread (false) items.

  • title

    string optional

    A title to search for.

  • url

    string optional

    A url to search for.

ReadingListEntry

Properties

  • creationTime

    number

    The time the entry was created. Recorded in milliseconds since Jan 1, 1970.

  • hasBeenRead

    boolean

    Will be true if the entry has been read.

  • lastUpdateTime

    number

    The last time the entry was updated. This value is in milliseconds since Jan 1, 1970.

  • title

    string

    The title of the entry.

  • url

    string

    The url of the entry.

RemoveOptions

Properties

  • url

    string

    The url to remove.

UpdateEntryOptions

Properties

  • hasBeenRead

    boolean optional

    The updated read status. The existing status remains if a value isn't provided.

  • title

    string optional

    The new title. The existing tile remains if a value isn't provided.

  • url

    string

    The url that will be updated.

Methods

addEntry()

Promise 
chrome.readingList.addEntry(
  entry: AddEntryOptions,
  callback?: function,
)

Adds an entry to the reading list if it does not exist.

Parameters

  • The entry to add to the reading list.

  • callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    ()=>void

Returns

  • Promise<void>

    Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.

query()

Promise 
chrome.readingList.query(
  info: QueryInfo,
  callback?: function,
)

Retrieves all entries that match the QueryInfo properties. Properties that are not provided will not be matched.

Parameters

Returns

  • Promise<ReadingListEntry[]>

    Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.

removeEntry()

Promise 
chrome.readingList.removeEntry(
  info: RemoveOptions,
  callback?: function,
)

Removes an entry from the reading list if it exists.

Parameters

  • The entry to remove from the reading list.

  • callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    ()=>void

Returns

  • Promise<void>

    Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.

updateEntry()

Promise 
chrome.readingList.updateEntry(
  info: UpdateEntryOptions,
  callback?: function,
)

Updates a reading list entry if it exists.

Parameters

  • The entry to update.

  • callback

    function optional

    The callback parameter looks like: 

    ()=>void

Returns

  • Promise<void>

    Promises are supported in Manifest V3 and later, but callbacks are provided for backward compatibility. You cannot use both on the same function call. The promise resolves with the same type that is passed to the callback.

Events

onEntryAdded

chrome.readingList.onEntryAdded.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Triggered when a ReadingListEntry is added to the reading list.

Parameters

onEntryRemoved

chrome.readingList.onEntryRemoved.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Triggered when a ReadingListEntry is removed from the reading list.

Parameters

onEntryUpdated

chrome.readingList.onEntryUpdated.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Triggered when a ReadingListEntry is updated in the reading list.

Parameters