Check if Chrome extension installed in unpacked mode

Question

Is there a way to detect whether I\'m running an extension that was installed from my .crx file or the extension was loaded as via \'Load unpacked extension...\' button?

Answer 1

An extension is running in developer mode (i.e. unpacked), when it does not contain the update_url field in its manifest.

This works because an unpacked extension's JSON manifest file should not contain the update_url field. This field is automatically added when publishing via the Chrome Developer Dashboard.

For example, debug logs that only appear during development.

const IS_DEV_MODE = !('update_url' in chrome.runtime.getManifest());

function debugLog(str) {
  if (IS_DEV_MODE) console.log(str);
}

debugLog('This only appears in developer mode');