🐿️ Squirrel User Guide

1 · What is Squirrel?

Squirrel is a private bookmark manager that runs entirely inside your browser. There is no account to create, no cloud to sync with, and no subscription to manage. Every bookmark you save stays in your browser's local storage — nowhere else.

You organise bookmarks into sections (like folders), tag them for quick filtering, and search across everything in real time. Set Squirrel as your browser's homepage and your entire link library is one tab away.

2 · First Run

The first time you open Squirrel you will see the welcome screen with two fast paths to get started:

The welcome screen offers two starting points: import existing bookmarks from your browser, or add a single link to begin fresh.

• Import from Browser — exports your Chrome or Firefox bookmarks as an HTML file and imports them into Squirrel as organised sections. See Section 8.
• Add a Bookmark — starts fresh. Opens the Add Bookmark form so you can save your first link immediately.

If you are returning after clearing your browser data, the welcome screen also shows Restore from backup file and Enter license key links.

3 · Creating Sections

Sections are the top-level containers for your bookmarks — similar to folders. You might create sections named Work, Personal, AI Tools, or anything that fits how you think.

Click + Create Section in the toolbar:

Give the section a name, pick an emoji icon, and add an optional description that appears as a subtitle under the section heading.

1. Section Name — required. Appears as the section heading.
2. Icon — a single emoji. Defaults to 📁 if left blank. Paste any emoji directly.
3. Description — optional subtitle visible when the section is expanded.

Click Save Section. The section appears in the main view immediately.

Editing and deleting sections

Hover over any section header. Two buttons appear on the right: ✏️ to edit the name, icon, or description; 🗑️ to delete the section and all its bookmarks. Deletion is permanent — export a backup first if unsure.

4 · Adding Bookmarks

Click Add Bookmark in the toolbar to open the form:

Title, URL, and section are required. Description and tags are optional but make search and filtering far more powerful.

• Title — the name you will click. Keep it short and recognisable.
• URL — the full web address, e.g. https://example.com.
• Section — which section this bookmark belongs to.
• Description — a brief note about the site. Searchable.
• Tags — comma-separated words, e.g. dev, docs, reference. Tags appear as clickable chips and can be used to filter across all sections.

Squirrel automatically fetches the site's favicon from the domain so you can recognise links at a glance.

Editing a bookmark

Hover over a bookmark row and click ✏️, or double-click anywhere on the row to open it for editing.

Deleting a bookmark

Hover over the bookmark and click 🗑️. Deletion is immediate with no confirmation prompt.

5 · Search

The search box in the top-right corner filters bookmarks across all sections as you type. It matches against the bookmark's title, URL, description, and tags simultaneously.

Typing "figma" instantly narrows the list. Sections with no matches collapse automatically.

Press Esc or click ✕ in the search box to clear the filter and return to the full view.

6 · Tags

Tags are free-form labels attached to bookmarks (comma-separated in the Add/Edit form). They appear as small clickable chips on each bookmark row.

Tags like #dev, #ai, and #work appear as chips on the right of each bookmark row.

Filtering by tag

Click any tag chip to activate a tag filter. Only bookmarks with that tag remain visible across all sections. A filter indicator bar appears at the top — click ✕ in the indicator to clear.

Clicking #ai shows only AI-tagged bookmarks, regardless of which section they are in.

7 · Organising

Drag and drop

Grab the ⋮⋮ drag handle on the left of any bookmark row and drag it to a new position — within the same section or into a different section entirely. Section headers have their own ⋮⋮ handle to reorder the sections themselves.

Collapsing sections

Click anywhere on a section header to collapse it. The bookmarks fold away and only the title and bookmark count remain visible. Click again to expand. Use Collapse All / Expand All in the toolbar to act on every section at once.

Collapsed sections save vertical space. The blue badge shows how many bookmarks are inside without requiring expansion.

8 · Import from Browser

If you already have bookmarks in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari, you can bring them into Squirrel in one step.

Step 1 — Export from your browser

1. Chrome / Edge: open chrome://bookmarks → ⋮ menu → Export bookmarks. Saves a .html file.
2. Firefox: Bookmarks menu → Manage Bookmarks → Import and Backup → Export Bookmarks to HTML.
3. Safari: File → Export Bookmarks.

Step 2 — Import into Squirrel

1. Click ☰ Menu → 📥 Import from Browser.
2. Select the .html file you exported.
3. A preview shows how many bookmarks were found and which folder each came from.
4. Click Import. Each browser folder becomes a separate Squirrel section.

9 · Bookmarklet

The bookmarklet lets you save any page to Squirrel in one click without navigating away from the site you are on.

Drag the "Add to Squirrel" button onto your browser's bookmarks bar. If drag-and-drop is blocked, copy the code and create a bookmark manually using it as the URL.

Installing

1. Make sure your browser's bookmarks bar is visible (Ctrl + Shift + B on Chrome/Edge).
2. Drag "📥 Add to Squirrel" onto your bookmarks bar.
3. Fallback: copy the code from the text area, create a new bookmark manually, and paste the code as its URL.

Using it

Navigate to any page. Click Add to Squirrel in your bookmarks bar. Squirrel opens in a new tab with the current page's title and URL already filled in. Choose a section, add tags, and save.

Clipboard Detection — the fastest way to add a URL

Copy any URL from any tab, switch back to Squirrel, and press Ctrl + V anywhere on the page. A small toast appears asking Add "example.com"? — press Enter or click Add. The form opens pre-filled with the title field already focused.

📋 Paste URL button

An alternative to Ctrl+V — click Paste URL in the toolbar to read from the clipboard directly. Useful if your browser asks for explicit clipboard permission first.

10 · Backup & Restore

Because your bookmarks live in the browser, they can be lost if you clear site data. Back up regularly.

Backup to file

1. Click ☰ Menu → 💾 Backup to File.
2. A .json file is downloaded containing all your sections, bookmarks, tags, and descriptions.
3. Store it somewhere safe — OneDrive, Dropbox, or a local folder you back up separately.

The ☰ Menu contains all data management options: import, backup, restore, and premium features.

Restore from file

1. Click ☰ Menu → 📂 Restore from File.
2. Select the .json backup file.
3. All bookmarks are restored exactly as they were at backup time. Any bookmarks added since are replaced — export a fresh backup first if you need to merge.

Restoring your license key

If you clear browser data and lose premium access, click ☰ Menu → 🔑 Restore License. Enter your BM-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX key from your Gumroad purchase receipt email.

11 · Set as Homepage

There are two ways to open Squirrel automatically — via the home button, or by replacing the new tab page.

The modal detects your browser and shows the exact settings path. Copy the URL, then paste it into your browser's homepage field.

Option 1 — Home button (recommended, works for everyone)

This makes the 🏠 home button in your browser toolbar open Squirrel.

1. Click ☰ Menu → 🏠 Set as Homepage.
2. Click 📋 Copy next to the Squirrel URL.
3. Click ⚙️ Open Settings (or follow the shown path for your browser).
4. Go to the Appearance section, toggle Show home button ON, select Enter custom web address, and paste the URL.

Option 2 — New tab page (requires developer mode)

This replaces every new tab with Squirrel. Requires loading the app as an unpacked browser extension.

1. Click ☰ Menu → 🏠 Set as Homepage to see the full instructions inside the app.
2. Open a new tab and go to chrome://extensions.
3. Enable Developer mode using the toggle in the top-right corner.
4. Click Load unpacked and select the BookMarkManager folder.
5. Open a new tab — Squirrel now appears automatically.

12 · Free vs Premium

The upgrade modal shows all premium features and the license key entry field at the bottom.

13 · Auto-Backup PREMIUM

Once Premium is active, Squirrel silently saves an auto-backup every 30 minutes whenever the tab is open and there are unsaved changes. You never have to think about it.

Restoring an auto-backup

1. Click ☰ Menu → ⏮️ Restore Auto-Backup.
2. A list of recent auto-backups appears with timestamps.
3. Select the snapshot you want and confirm.

14 · Vault Folder Sync PREMIUM

Vault folder sync writes a bookmarks.json file to a folder on your computer every time your bookmarks change. Point that folder at any sync folder for automatic off-device backup — Squirrel never touches a cloud server directly.

Click "Connect Folder" and choose any folder on your computer. Squirrel writes the backup file; your cloud storage syncs it.

Connecting a vault folder

1. Click ☰ Menu → 🗄️ Connect Vault Folder.
2. Click Connect Folder and choose a folder (e.g. OneDrive/Squirrel Backup).
3. Grant read/write permission when the browser asks.
4. Squirrel writes an initial backup immediately and syncs on every change thereafter.

Reconnecting after a browser restart

Browser security requires you to re-grant folder access each session. If Squirrel shows a "vault disconnected" banner, click Reconnect vault folder in the menu and re-select the same folder. Your data is safe — only the file system permission needs to be re-granted.

Restoring from the vault

Use ☰ Menu → 📂 Restore from File and select the bookmarks.json from your vault folder. This works identically to any other restore.

15 · Daily Backup History PREMIUM

Squirrel creates one backup per day (when the tab is open). Free users keep the last 3 days; Premium users keep the last 30 days. You can browse the history and restore from any snapshot.

Each entry shows the date and time of the snapshot. Click Restore on any entry to roll back to that day's state.

1. Click ☰ Menu → 📅 View Daily Backups.
2. The list shows up to 7 dated entries.
3. Click Restore next to the entry you want.

16 · Activating a License

After purchasing on Gumroad you receive a license key by email in the format BM-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.

1. Click Upgrade to Premium anywhere in the app, or click ☰ Menu → 🔑 Restore License.
2. Enter your key in the input field at the bottom of the upgrade modal.
3. Click Activate. Squirrel validates the key and reloads with Premium unlocked.

Using on multiple browsers or devices

Your key covers up to 3 devices for personal use — enter it in the activation field on each browser. One license is for your personal use; it is not intended for sharing between different people. If you need to move to a new device and have used all 3 activations, email [email protected] and we'll reset your key.

Lost your key?

Check your original Gumroad purchase receipt email. Or log into gumroad.com/library with the email used to purchase — your key is listed there.

17 · Mobile

Squirrel works on mobile browsers. The layout adapts: sections stack full-width, the toolbar wraps, and modals are scrollable.

All sections and bookmarks are accessible on a phone-sized screen. Tap any bookmark title to open the link.

The Add Bookmark form on mobile — scroll down to reach the section selector and tags field.

18 · Privacy Mode

Privacy Mode blurs all bookmark titles, URLs, descriptions, and tags so that people nearby cannot read your bookmarks over your shoulder. Your data is not hidden or deleted — it is visually obscured until you toggle the mode off.

How to activate

• Click the 🔒 button in the toolbar (right side, next to Collapse All and ☰ Menu)
• Or click ☰ Menu → 🔒 Privacy Mode
• Or press Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows / Linux) or ⌘ + Shift + P (Mac)

While active

• A 🔒 Private ✕ pill appears next to the search bar — click it to exit Privacy Mode immediately
• The toolbar lock button turns indigo and changes to 🔓
• The menu item changes to 🔓 Exit Privacy Mode

To exit, use any of the same methods: the toolbar button, the indicator pill, the menu item, or the keyboard shortcut.

19 · Tips & Shortcuts

20 · FAQ

21 · Data & Privacy

Squirrel is built on a simple principle: your bookmarks are yours. Here's exactly what we do and don't do with your data.

• ✅ All bookmark data is stored locally in your browser (IndexedDB) — never on a server
• ✅ No account or sign-up required to use the app
• ✅ No data is ever sent to any server during normal use
• ✅ No tracking of which sites you bookmark or visit
• ✅ License validation is the only external network request — happens once, on activation
• ✅ Visitor analytics via Cloudflare Web Analytics — cookieless, anonymous, GDPR-compliant
• ✅ Works fully offline once loaded — no cloud dependency
• ✅ Favicons fetched directly from each site's own domain — no third-party favicon service ever sees your URLs

What we collect

What the app never collects

• The URLs or titles of your bookmarks
• Your browsing history
• Cookies or persistent identifiers
• Any data from inside the app during normal use

Built by AD IT Consulting. Questions? [email protected]