Aisle — AI Shopping Assistant Chrome extension security report

Aisle is an AI shopping assistant for Chrome. It opens as a sidebar on the shopping tab you already have in front of you. You describe what you want in plain language, and Aisle helps you research and compare: it reads what is visible on the page, follows search and product layouts it understands, opens additional product detail tabs when that helps, and keeps a clear trail of what it did so you are never guessing. When it is confident, it gives you a structured final recommendation with pros, cons, and concerns, not a vague “maybe buy this.” You bring your own intelligence budget. Aisle works with the AI providers you already use: Anthropic (Claude) and OpenAI. Your API key is stored only in this browser’s extension storage and is sent over HTTPS directly to the provider you select. Aisle does not run its own backend for your shopping data, sell your prompts, or inject keys into web pages. Research is designed to feel calm and intentional. You can choose how deep a run should go, from quicker passes to deeper comparison when the decision is harder. On supported shopping flows, the assistant can use the site’s own filters and refinements when they appear in the snapshot, so results stay tight instead of an endless random scroll. Product chat is available when you are on a product-style page: you can ask focused questions about the listing, and the extension can include a pass over review-style content when it gathers context for an answer. Answers are meant to be readable and honest about what the page actually shows versus what is unknown. Safety is treated as a product feature, not a footnote. Aisle is built to avoid automating checkout, “buy now,” payments, sign-in, or account flows. Optional add-to-cart exists only when you explicitly enable it in settings, and even then it is limited to normal add-to-cart style controls on a product page you are looking at—not one-click ordering, not completing purchase for you. You remain in control of the cart and checkout. The interface is meant to feel like a serious tool: a resizable sidebar, light and dark themes (plus system), readable typography, and a dedicated product chat view when you want questions without mixing them into the main research flow. Settings let you pick provider, model, research depth, and optional behaviors. You can also add custom HTTPS shopping origins you trust; Chrome will prompt for permission for those patterns because the extension only reaches sites you allow. Permissions exist for clear reasons. Storage holds your settings and keys locally. Tabs and scripting let the extension coordinate the hub tab and research tabs, talk to the page through a content script, and keep the experience smooth. Active tab ties a run to the context you started from. Host permissions cover the built-in shopping URL patterns the extension is designed for, plus the AI provider API endpoints. Optional broad HTTPS permission is only for custom sites you add yourself. Privacy in practice: page-derived text (URLs, titles, extracted product information, and similar snapshot content) is included in prompts sent to your chosen AI provider under their policies and retention. Uninstalling the extension removes its local storage from that browser profile. There is no hidden remote control, no downloaded executable logic from the open web, and no requirement to create an Aisle account. Aisle is for people who comparison shop seriously: PC parts, home gear, electronics, hobby purchases—anything where “open twenty tabs and still feel lost” is the default. It is not a magic guarantee of the perfect product; it is a disciplined research copilot that respects boundaries, explains its path, and helps you leave the session with a decision you can defend. If something fails (missing key, invalid key, rate limits), the UI surfaces actionable errors and points you back to settings rather than failing silently. When you are ready to publish or share the extension, describe what it does for the user in plain language. Avoid long comma-separated lists of third-party store names in store listings; that pattern is commonly flagged as keyword spam even when factual. Focus on outcomes: clearer comparisons, safer automation boundaries, keys on device, and recommendations you can trust because you can see how they were reached. That is Aisle: fast where it should be fast, careful where it must be careful, and built for shoppers who want leverage without giving up control.