GitHub - theletterf/medievalizer: Turn any docs page into a medieval tutorial

3 min read Original article ↗

A Chrome extension that transforms any documentation page into an illuminated medieval manuscript — blackletter headings, Shakespearean prose, parchment styling — powered by Claude Sonnet. The page transforms in-place; click again to restore the original.

medievalizer

Features

  • One-click conversion — click the icon, the page transforms before your eyes.
  • Click again to restore — a second click (or the Restore Page button) brings the original back instantly.
  • Streaming output — text appears word by word as the scribe writes, with a blinking quill cursor.
  • Full-page takeover — Shadow DOM overlay covers the viewport with a parchment manuscript; the original DOM is untouched underneath.
  • Faithful technical preservation — all code blocks, commands, and inline code are reproduced character-for-character; only the prose is rewritten.
  • Rich medieval language — Shakespearean inversions, archaic vocabulary, consistent metaphor map (install → summon, error → affliction, API → the Arcane Interface, etc.).
  • Document structure preserved — headings stay headings, lists stay lists, code fences stay code fences.
  • Drop cap + colophon — every manuscript opens with an illuminated first letter and closes with a scribe's colophon.

Installation

From a release ZIP (recommended)

  1. Download the latest medievalizer-vX.Y.Z.zip from the Releases page.
  2. Unzip the archive.
  3. Open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions.
  4. Enable Developer mode (toggle in the top-right corner).
  5. Click Load unpacked and select the unzipped folder.

From source

git clone https://github.com/theletterf/medievalizer.git
cd medievalizer
python3 icons/generate_icons.py   # regenerate icons if needed

Then follow steps 3–5 above, pointing Load unpacked at the cloned directory.

Usage

  1. Navigate to any documentation page in Chrome.
  2. Click the Medievalizer icon in the toolbar.
    • First launch: the settings page opens automatically — enter your API key, then return to the page and click the icon again.
  3. The page fades into a parchment scroll and the scribe begins writing.
  4. Use ⎘ Copy to copy the plain-text markdown output.
  5. Click ↶ Restore Page (or the icon again) to return to the original.

Note: Pages longer than ~25 000 characters are truncated at the input stage; the scribe notes this at the bottom of the manuscript.

Configuration

Right-click the extension icon and choose Options to manage your API key at any time.

Your key is stored in chrome.storage.local — it never leaves your browser.

Permissions

Permission Why
activeTab + scripting Injects the transform script into the current tab
storage Saves your API key locally
<all_urls> (host permission) Allows the transform script to run on any documentation site, and the background worker to reach api.anthropic.com

Development

Project layout

manifest.json        MV3 extension manifest
background.js        Service worker — action click handler, Claude API streaming
transform.js         Injected into the page — DOM extraction, Shadow DOM overlay, rendering
options.html/js/css  API key settings page
icons/
  generate_icons.py  Pure-Python stdlib icon generator (no dependencies)
  icon{16,32,48,128}.png

Regenerating icons

python3 icons/generate_icons.py

No third-party libraries required.

Releasing

Releases are produced by the Release GitHub Actions workflow (workflow_dispatch):

  1. Go to Actions → Release → Run workflow.
  2. Enter a SemVer version (e.g. 1.2.0).
  3. The workflow stamps the version into manifest.json, zips the extension files, and publishes a GitHub release with the ZIP attached.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.