Connect matrx-extend (frontend side)

This skill is the matrx-frontend-side how-to for the cross-repo bridge to matrx-extend. The runtime channel has shipped (Phase 2): the Supabase Broadcast subscriber, the openPanel handler, and the reference inbound API route all exist (see § File index). For the full architectural reference and master spec, see ../common-docs/systems/apps/extension/CHANNELS.md.

Wire contract — do not drift. The Supabase Broadcast event field is "FRONTEND_RPC" (BRIDGE_BROADCAST_EVENT in lib/types/bridge-envelope.ts). The extension MUST listen/publish on the exact same event string (BROADCAST_EVENT_NAME in matrx-extend/src/lib/frontend-bridge/broadcast.ts). These two constants once disagreed ("FRONTEND_RPC" vs "rpc"), which silently dropped every cross-machine envelope — both sides joined the same channel but listened on different events. If a round-trip goes silent, check this first.

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30-second mental model

matrx-frontend is the UI; matrx-extend is a Chrome extension. They coordinate through two substrates that share one envelope:

• chrome.runtime.onMessageExternal (same-machine RPC; whitelisted origins in wxt.config.ts).
• Supabase Broadcast on matrx-extension-bridge:<userId> (cross-machine).

Both carry the same { channel: "FRONTEND_RPC", action, payload, requestId } envelope. Auth is the same Supabase project on both sides — JWTs are reusable. UI-bound actions usually route through the existing window-panels deep-link (?panels=<typeKey>:<instanceId>) instead of a bespoke RPC.

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When to use this skill

• Adding a new FRONTEND_RPC action handler that the extension can invoke (e.g. conversation.appendMessage).
• Wiring a new window-panels deep-link entry point that the extension will trigger via ?panels=....
• Exposing a new headless API route under app/api/extension/... for extension consumption.
• Debugging silent failures in the extension → frontend round-trip (whitelist mismatch, auth mismatch, requestId not being echoed).

When NOT to use this skill

• UI-only changes that don't cross the extension boundary (use window-panels skill instead).
• Pure Next.js routing / SSR / Server Component work (use ssr-zero-layout-shift).
• Changes inside the matrx-extend repo itself (use that repo's own skills via the worktree).
• Authentication scheme changes — Supabase auth is shared; touch protected-resources skill territory only when adding a new Super-Admin-locked surface.

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Quick start — adding a new FRONTEND_RPC action

The bridge has shipped; this is the live shape.

1. Pick a dot-namespaced action name — conversation.appendMessage, panel.open, task.create. Treat action names as public API; renaming is a breaking change.
2. Decide where the handler lives. Extension → frontend traffic lands in one of:
   • A planned headless API route (app/api/extension/<action>/route.ts), called via fetch from the extension SW. Use the dual-auth pattern from app/api/mcp/[transport]/route.ts (cookie OR Bearer; cookie wins).
   • The window-panels deep-link if the action is "open this UI" — add a urlSync.key to the registry and a registerPanelHydrator in features/overlays/definitions/<id>.link.ts. No new RPC needed.
   • A Broadcast subscriber inside the relevant Redux slice when the action is "react to extension event" rather than "do something and reply."
3. Reply with the same requestId — every reply carries the request's requestId so the caller can match. Failure replies include { ok: false, error: { code, message } }; never throw across the substrate.
4. Update both docs — list the action in ../common-docs/systems/apps/extension/CHANNELS.md § Inbound actions and in the matrx-extend master at ../common-docs/systems/apps/extension/CHANNELS.md. Stale docs cascade across the four repos.

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File index

Path	Role
../common-docs/systems/apps/extension/CHANNELS.md	Architecture + protocol reference for this side of the bridge.
lib/supabase/messaging.ts	Broadcast / Presence / Postgres Changes substrate. Add the matrx-extension-bridge:<userId> channel here.
features/window-panels/registry/windowRegistry.ts	Window registry — declare urlSync.key for any panel the extension will deep-link into.
features/overlays/definitions/<id>.link.ts	registerPanelHydrator(...) for each urlSync.key.
app/api/agent/feedback/route.ts	Reference Bearer-AGENT_API_KEY route for headless calls.
app/api/mcp/[transport]/route.ts	Reference dual-auth route (cookie OR Bearer, with ?token= fallback).
app/api/extension/append-message/route.ts	Live. Reference headless inbound route for the extension.
lib/extension-bridge/ExtensionBridgeSubscriber.tsx	Live. Top-level subscriber mounted in app/Providers.tsx; routes inbound openPanel envelopes to the handler and replies on the same channel.
lib/extension-bridge/openPanelHandler.ts	Live. Validates openPanel payloads and dispatches openOverlay.
lib/types/bridge-envelope.ts	Live. Canonical wire-format module — channel name, BRIDGE_BROADCAST_EVENT, envelope/response schemas. Import from here, never re-declare.

Dead reference (do NOT build on this)

utils/errorContext.ts:10 is a defensive stack-frame filter that strips chrome-extension:// URLs from reported errors. It is not part of the bridge — leave it alone in unrelated PRs.

(The chrome-extension entry in features/surfaces/data/surface-candidates.ts is now a real surface candidate — chrome-extension/agent-bridge — not a dead reference.)

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Failure modes

Silent — chrome.runtime.sendMessage returns nothing

The page origin is not in wxt.config.ts externally_connectable.matches. No error is thrown; the callback never fires. Verify by:

1. Open the extension's service worker console (chrome://extensions, click "service worker").
2. Watch for the inbound message. If it never arrives, check the matches list against the current window.location.origin.
3. Common miss: a new Vercel preview URL pattern that the https://*-armani-sadeghis-projects.vercel.app/* rule doesn't cover.

Silent — Broadcast publish succeeds, no reply

Channel name typo or the receiver isn't subscribed. Verify by:

1. Both sides MUST use the exact same channel string — matrx-extension-bridge:<userId>. No prefix drift.
2. Both sides MUST use the exact same Broadcast event string — "FRONTEND_RPC" (BRIDGE_BROADCAST_EVENT here / BROADCAST_EVENT_NAME in the extension). Supabase filters delivery by event, so a mismatch drops every message even though the channel is shared. This is the bug that kept Phase 2 dark until 2026-06.
3. Run client.getChannels() on both sides to confirm the channel is joined. Broadcast silently drops messages with no subscribers.
4. The subscriber must call .subscribe() after .on('broadcast', ...). Forgetting this is a common silent failure.

Loud — 401 Unauthorized on the planned headless API route

Auth check failed. Verify by:

1. If using cookie auth, the request must originate from a tab on this app's origin (cookies are scoped, the SW does not carry them).
2. If using Bearer, confirm the token is the user's Supabase JWT (not AGENT_API_KEY — that's for the agent feedback route only).
3. Read app/api/mcp/[transport]/route.ts for the canonical dual-auth pattern.

Loud — Deep-link ?panels=... does nothing

A registry entry has urlSync.key but no hydrator. Verify by:

1. Open the JS console after navigating with the URL — a dev assertion in initUrlHydration.ts logs an error for any urlSync.key without a matching hydrator.
2. Add the missing registerPanelHydrator(key, (dispatch, id, args) => ...).

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Where to look next

• ../common-docs/systems/apps/extension/CHANNELS.md — full protocol, auth model, and pointer to the master.
• .matrx/AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md — how cross-repo task hand-offs flow through this repo.
• Master cross-repo doc (in matrx-extend): ../common-docs/systems/apps/extension/CHANNELS.md.