Browser extension
The Nibgate extension puts a tip button on every article, tutorial, paper, and video you read — on any site, not just Nibgate’s. It is the human interface to Nib Tips: agents use the API route instead.
Live on the Chrome Web Store (install Nibgate ). Starts on Arc testnet with free faucet USDC.
Install
- Chrome Web Store: install Nibgate , pin it, done. Works in any Chromium browser (Chrome, Edge, Brave).
- Sideload (devs): build from source (
cd extension && npm install && npm run build), thenchrome://extensions→ Developer mode → Load unpacked → selectdist/.
After installing, pin it (puzzle-piece icon → pin Nibgate) and tap Enable on all sites on Home (or Settings → Tip button on web pages → Enable). Site access is optional and granted by you at runtime — install itself asks for almost nothing (see Permissions).
Your wallet
First open: create a wallet (recovery phrase shown once — write it down) or import one. The wallet is encrypted on-device (PBKDF2 + AES-256-GCM); keys live in the background worker’s memory only and never touch web pages. Lock anytime from Settings → Security; reveal the recovery phrase there too (password required).
Lose your password and your recovery phrase and the wallet is gone — nobody, not even Nibgate, can recover it. There is no account, no email reset. Write the phrase down.
Networks
One build, two networks, switched from the header pill (TESTNET by default). Tapping the pill offers Mainnet behind an explicit confirmation, so real money never happens by accident.
| Testnet | Mainnet | |
|---|---|---|
| Chain | Arc Testnet 5042002 | Arc 5042 |
| Money | Free faucet USDC (faucet.circle.com ) | Real USDC |
| Switch | default | pill → confirm-gated |
Balances, history, and tips are per-network — testnet play money can never touch mainnet content. See Networks.
Tipping on any page
- Open an article. A coffee button appears near the content — the only thing the extension ever renders inside the page, so pages can’t spoof money UI. (Nibgate’s own sites are excluded; they tip natively.)
- Tap it: the Nibgate tip window opens. Pick $1 / $5 / $10 or custom, review exactly who gets paid and the fee, then Approve — nothing signs without your tap.
- The receipt lands in Activity and counts in Explore/ledger/earnings like any tip.
Fees
| Path | Fee |
|---|---|
| Creator resolved (settles instantly) | 1% |
| Creator unknown (held, claimed later) | 5% on claim |
| Refund to payer (held, unclaimed) | 0 — full amount, no fee |
Two outcomes, both safe
- Creator resolved — settles over x402 (direct transfer or Circle Gateway).
- Creator unknown — nothing pays blind. Funds wait in the domain’s deterministic holding box (owner claims later); refund yourself in full, anytime, from Activity. Holdings never expire.
Full mechanics: Nib Tips.
Also inside: send, receive, gateway
- Receive: address + QR per network. Send: USDC transfers with a fee estimate before confirm.
- Gateway Deposit / Withdraw: move USDC between wallet and Circle Gateway balance (used by paywalls and instant unlocks).
For site owners — getting tipped
You don’t need the extension and you don’t need an account. If readers tip your pages before you’ve joined:
- Verify your site to prove ownership.
- Claim everything waiting in your domain’s holding box in one go.
- Optional: add a
data-nibgate-recipient="0xYourWallet"marker to your pages and future tips settle instantly at 1% instead of holding.
Permissions
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
activeTab | Read the current page only, to find tippable content |
storage | Tip history + network preference, on-device |
| Optional site access | Granted by you at runtime so the button can appear on pages you visit |
No analytics, no remote code, no data sale. Full policy: nibgate.xyz/extension-privacy .
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| No button on a page | Reload the tab (especially right after enabling access); check the page isn’t *.nibgate.xyz (excluded by design) or a non-content page (feeds, apps, logins stay button-free) |
| Button says funds will be held | Creator unresolved — expected. Tip holds safely, refundable in full |
| Wrong network showing | Tap the header pill; balances/history follow the active network |
| Popup closed mid-tip | Reopen from Activity — held and settled states are recoverable, nothing signs twice |
| Sideloaded build misbehaving after an edit | npm run build, then ↻ the card at chrome://extensions, then hard-refresh the page |
FAQ
Is this real money? Only on mainnet, behind an explicit confirmation. Testnet is faucet play money.
Can a site fake the tip button to steal? No. Money UI renders only in the extension window, never in the page — and nothing signs without your Approve tap.
Do tips expire? Never. Unclaimed holdings sit until claimed or refunded.
Which browsers? Any Chromium (Chrome, Edge, Brave). Firefox/Safari are not packaged.
I’m a developer — where’s the code? extension/ in the repo : README.md is the full manual (architecture, resolution flow, JEV page model, build/dev/test, store notes), docs/ holds the sideload, submission, and marker-convention guides. One paragraph version: content script (single trigger button, no secrets) → background worker (keys, signing, hub calls) → popup wallet shell + tip window (all money UI). No confirm()/prompt() anywhere; one build serves both networks.