Board Explorer

A Chrome extension that lets you explore Pinterest resources (users, boards, sections, and pins) directly from any Pinterest page. View detailed metadata, statistics, and raw JSON data in a beautiful sidebar overlay.

What is Board Explorer?

Board Explorer automatically detects what Pinterest page you're on and fetches comprehensive data about that resource. Whether you're viewing a user profile, a board, a board section, or an individual pin, Board Explorer gives you instant access to:

• User profiles: Follower counts, board counts, pin statistics, profile information
• Boards: Pin counts, sections, owner details, privacy settings
• Board sections: Section-specific pin collections
• Pins: Image data, engagement metrics, descriptions, board associations

All data is presented in a clean, easy-to-read sidebar, featuring both formatted details and raw JSON exports.

Features

• 🎯 Auto-detection: Automatically identifies the Pinterest resource on the current page
• 📊 Rich metadata: View formatted details specific to each resource type
• 📋 JSON export: Copy raw API responses with one click
• 🎨 Beautiful UI: Clean, readable interface
• ⚡ Fast: Instant data fetching and sidebar display
• 🔄 Refresh: Update data without reloading the page

Installation (Development Mode)

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16 or higher)
• Chrome or Chromium-based browser

Steps

1. Clone and install dependencies

   git clone https://github.com/eric-mathison/board-explorer-chrome-extension.git
   cd board-explorer-chrome-extension
   npm install

2. Build the extension

   npm run build

   This creates a dist folder with the compiled extension.

3. Load in Chrome

   • Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/
   • Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top-right corner)
   • Click "Load unpacked"
   • Select the dist folder from your project directory

4. Verify installation

   • You should see "Board Explorer" in your extensions list
   • The extension icon will appear in your Chrome toolbar

Usage

1. Navigate to any Pinterest page

   • User profile: pinterest.com/username
   • Board: pinterest.com/username/board-name
   • Board section: pinterest.com/username/board-name/section-name
   • Pin: pinterest.com/pin/12345678

2. Open Board Explorer

   • Click the Board Explorer icon in your Chrome toolbar
   • The sidebar will slide in from the right

3. View data

   • See formatted details in the "Details" section
   • Expand "Raw JSON" to see complete API responses
   • Click "Copy JSON" to copy data to your clipboard

4. Refresh data

   • Click "Refresh" to re-fetch data for the current page
   • Navigate to a different Pinterest page and click "Refresh"

Development

Running in Development Mode

npm run dev

Open index.html in your browser to preview the UI standalone (without the extension context).

Building for Production

npm run build

Tech Stack

• React - UI framework
• TypeScript - Type safety
• Vite - Build tool and dev server
• Tailwind CSS - Utility-first styling
• Chrome Extensions Manifest V3 - Extension framework

Supported Pinterest Domains

Board Explorer works across all Pinterest international domains, including:

• pinterest.com
• pinterest.co.uk
• pinterest.ca
• pinterest.de
• pinterest.fr
• And many more (see manifest.json for complete list)

Troubleshooting

Extension not appearing?

• Make sure you built the project (npm run build)
• Reload the extension at chrome://extensions/

No data showing?

• Ensure you're on a valid Pinterest page
• Check the browser console for errors
• Try clicking "Refresh" in the sidebar

Sidebar not opening?

• Click the extension icon in the Chrome toolbar
• Check that the content script loaded (inspect the page and look for Board Explorer in console)

License

MIT