Snapfile — area screenshot straight to file

Activate → select an area → PNG lands in Downloads instantly. No editor, no preview, no extra clicks. One gesture.

→ Install from the Chrome Web Store  ·  Landing  ·  Privacy

This is a build-first MVP of a friction-removal angle (see the gold_prospector scouting log): the pain isn't validated by research (nobody googles or complains about "the extra step"), so we validate by building and shipping, then watching the reaction.

Install from the Chrome Web Store

chromewebstore.google.com/detail/pihkdbcfgdpniaidlhcjfajlhdhmglcd — one click, done.

Install unpacked (for development, ~1 minute)

1. Open chrome://extensions
2. Enable Developer mode (toggle, top-right)
3. Load unpacked → pick the D:\Projects\snapfile folder
4. Done. The Snapfile icon appears in the toolbar.

How to use

By default — one gesture:

• Click the Snapfile icon or press Alt+Shift+S
• Drag to select an area
• Release → the PNG immediately drops into Downloads/snapfile-<timestamp>.png
• Esc cancels

Refine mode (opt-in, off by default)

Turn on Refine before saving in options to change the flow: after selecting, you can adjust the area (handles to resize, middle to move) and commit with the Save button or Enter. It's an "accuracy at the cost of one extra click" trade-off for those who want it. The clean one-job path stays the default.

Change the shortcut at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.

Making it truly "instant"

Snapfile never forces a save dialog (saveAs:false). But Chrome has a global setting that asks where to save every download — if it's on, you'll get a "Save as" window on every capture.

For instant saving: chrome://settings/downloads → turn off "Ask where to save each file before downloading".

The extension cannot change this setting (Chrome exposes no API — a safeguard against silent auto-downloads). So on first install an onboarding page (welcome.html) opens, explaining it with a button that opens the right Chrome settings. Reopen it anytime via the extension's Options.

MVP limitations

• Capture is limited to the visible tab area (viewport).
• Doesn't work on restricted pages: chrome://, the Web Store, extension pages (Chrome limitation).
• No editor/annotations — by design (that's the whole point).

What to measure after launch (demand validation)

Since research shows no clear demand, we watch the reaction:

• A post in r/chrome / r/productivity: "made a screenshot extension that just drops the selected area to a file, no editor — useful?"
• Installs and retention from the Chrome Web Store.
• Comments: do people complain about "extra steps" in other tools = confirmation of the pain.

Future features (only if demand is confirmed)

Don't bloat now. Candidates, driven by reaction:

• Burst / keep-open mode — top candidate. After a capture the overlay doesn't close but resets for the next selection; Esc exits. Implemented as an onboarding option (in the download callback, call reset() instead of cleanup()). Add it if feedback (r/chrome, Store reviews) asks for "many shots in a row".
• Copy to clipboard AND to a file at the same time.
• Format (jpg/webp), remembering the last area, filename templates.

Folder picking is deliberately not included: it's covered by Chrome's global setting (downloads location / ask-where), and the onboarding points users to it.