Chrome extension: some APIs disappear after chrome.runtime.reload() is called

Issue with my Chrome Extension involving the chrome.tabs API.

Extension runs smoothly, but encounters a problem after chrome.runtime.reload(); occasionally, the chrome.tabs reference becomes undefined upon restart. This renders the extension unusable and attempts to reload result in chrome.runtime.reload also being undefined.

In need of advice from the community on addressing this issue without extensive redevelopment efforts. Any suggestions or similar experiences?

Snippet of permissions in the manifest.json file:

 "permissions": [
   "tabs",
   "contextMenus",
   "webNavigation",
   "webRequest",
   "webRequestBlocking",
   /* whitelisted web URLs... */
javascriptgoogle-chromegoogle-chrome-extension

Answer №1

Big thanks to @Xan for directing me to this informative post that addresses the same issue.

After reviewing the evidence, it seems likely that there is a bug in how Chrome handles background pages.

In addition, I made some interesting observations:

  • The post referenced by @Xan suggests a potential bug in Chrome's background pages.

  • I conducted a test where I triggered the bug by calling chrome.runtime.reload() in my background page's developer console and found that chrome.runtime.reload() functioned as expected in my extension's popup UI.

  • While background pages are not obsolete yet, the first line of the documentation recommends transitioning to event pages instead, indicating that fixing this bug may not be a top priority for the Chromium team. Therefore, it is possible that this issue will be marked as 'wontfix', making it unproductive to wait for a solution.

As a result, I have come up with a workaround that should suffice until I can either implement soft-restart capabilities in my extension OR switch to event pages:

Considering:

  • Most of my extension's features are activated through a Chrome browserAction. Before rendering the browser action, I can send a message to the background page that will prompt an immediate callback.

  • If the extension starts normally, the fix will simply be unnoticed by the user.

  • Since the fix does not impact normal operations, it will not interfere if the bug is resolved in a future release by the Chromium team.

  • "Dead" background pages will lack any message listener registrations. If the background page fails to respond to the safety check message, the popup can rectify the issue by restarting the extension.

There is a trade-off: if the popup times out waiting for the 'safety net' message and restarts, the popup UI will abruptly close without warning the end user. While not ideal, I believe this behavior is more preferable than the extension suddenly ceasing to function as it can presently.

Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas!

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