# polkadot-js/extension

Simple browser extension for managing Polkadot and Substrate network accounts in a browser. Allows the signing of extrinsics using these accounts. Also provides a simple interface for compliant extensions for dapps.

Repository: https://github.com/polkadot-js/extension
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/polkadot-js-extension
Language: TypeScript
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: polkadot, substrate, polkadot-js, extension, blockchain
Last push: 2026-07-31T16:13:21+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 96/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 95, release rhythm 95, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2662, "days_push": 33, "days_rel": 33, "gap_med": 13, "n_releases_24m": 34}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1023, forks 457 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:16.237925+00:00)

## What it is
A browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that manages Polkadot and Substrate network accounts and signs transactions (extrinsics) with them. It injects a @polkadot/api Signer into web pages so dapps can request signatures from the user's accounts.

## Use cases
- manage polkadot accounts in the browser
- sign substrate transactions from a dapp
- inject a polkadot signer into web pages
- import or create substrate accounts from a seed
- integrate wallet signing into a polkadot dapp

## When to choose
- you need a lightweight signer for Polkadot/Substrate accounts in Chrome or Firefox
- you are building a dapp that wants standard extension-based account signing
- users need to approve extrinsic signatures without a full wallet

## When to avoid
- you need a full wallet that constructs and submits transactions to the network
- you need multi-chain support beyond Polkadot/Substrate ecosystems
- you need a mobile or hardware wallet solution

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: active
- function: auth, cryptography, browser-extension, sdk
- domain: blockchain, browser-extensions, web-development
- platform: browser, browser-extension
- tags: polkadot, substrate, wallet, signer, dapp, account-management, web3, cryptocurrency, typescript

## Member repositories
- polkadot-js/extension (main) score 96

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:16.237925+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:08:39.277145+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/polkadot-js/extension (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:16.237925+00:00, sha 1d9b49df9976)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.