Core Features

Text Selection

Select any text on a webpage and ask questions about it.

2 min read

Text Selection

Select any text on a webpage and BraceKit will automatically capture it for discussion. Perfect for explaining code snippets, translating text, or getting quick definitions.

How It Works

Automatic Capture

  1. Highlight any text on a webpage
  2. Open the BraceKit sidebar
  3. The selected text appears as a preview above the input
  4. Type your question and send

Manual Capture

Click “Grab Selection” to capture the current selection from the page.

Context Menu

  1. Select text on any page
  2. Right-click
  3. Choose “Send to BraceKit”
  4. The sidebar opens with the selection ready

Selection Preview

When text is captured, you’ll see a preview above the input:

  • Shows the first 80 characters of selected text
  • Click the X to remove the selection
  • The full text is included when you send your message

Use Cases

Code Explanation

Selected: A complex function from a codebase

You: What does this function do?

BraceKit: This function is a custom hook that manages async data fetching:

1. It takes a URL as input
2. Creates state for data, loading, and error
3. Fetches data on mount and when URL changes
4. Returns the current state

Translation

Selected: Text in a foreign language

You: Translate this to English

BraceKit: Here's the translation:

"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."

Summarization

Selected: A long paragraph

You: Summarize this in one sentence

BraceKit: The paragraph explains how React's virtual DOM improves
performance by minimizing direct DOM manipulations.

Simplification

Selected: Technical documentation

You: Explain this like I'm 5

BraceKit: Think of it like a translator. When you speak to a computer,
you need to use its language. This tool helps translate your instructions
into something the computer can understand.

Fact-Checking

Selected: A claim from an article

You: Is this accurate?

BraceKit: This claim is partially accurate. While it's true that React
uses a virtual DOM, the performance benefit comes specifically from
batching updates and efficient diffing, not just from having a virtual
representation.

Combining with Page Context

You can use both page context and text selection together:

  1. Click the globe icon to attach page context
  2. Then select specific text on the page
  3. Both are included in your message
You: The page explains React Hooks. Can you show me how the
`useEffect` example (highlighted) would work with an API call?

BraceKit: Looking at the highlighted useEffect example and the
page context, here's how you'd adapt it for an API call:

```javascript
useEffect(() => {
  fetch('/api/data')
    .then(res => res.json())
    .then(setData);
}, []); // Empty array = run once on mount
```

Tips

Better Selections

  1. Select complete thoughts: Include full sentences or code blocks for better context

  2. Include context: If code references variables, select enough to show definitions

  3. Be specific in your question: “Explain the error handling in this code” vs “What is this?”

For Code

  • Include import statements if relevant
  • Select the full function, not just part
  • Include comments for context

For Text

  • Select complete paragraphs when possible
  • Include headings for context
  • Don’t worry about formatting — it’s preserved