Getting started with ChatEngram (step by step)

This guide walks you through the entire flow – from installing the extension and creating an account, to activating your plan, capturing conversations on different platforms, and making the most of search and sync. Follow it once and you'll be fully set up.

1. Install the extension

  1. Open the Chrome Web Store (or Edge Add-ons) and search for "ChatEngram".
  2. Click Add to Chrome and confirm installation.
  3. After install, pin the ChatEngram icon to your browser toolbar so you can access it quickly (click the puzzle icon → pin ChatEngram).

You can already use the Free plan without registration, but for the full workflow (Pro features, sync integrations, etc.) we recommend creating an account.

2. Create an account and sign in

  1. Click the ChatEngram icon in your toolbar.
  2. In the popup, click the button to open the Dashboard.
  3. In the Dashboard, go to Sign up / Sign in.
  4. Create a new account with your email and password, then sign in.

Creating an account enables plan management and trial / Pro features, but your conversations are still stored locally on your device. The extension does not upload your raw chat content to ChatEngram servers.

3. Understand Free vs Pro / Lifetime

ChatEngram is designed so you can start immediately with the Free plan, and upgrade only when you want more automation and more platforms.

Free plan

  • Local storage only – conversations stay on your device.
  • Automatic capture for web chats on DeepSeek and ChatGPT.
  • Inline search within a conversation.
  • Single-conversation export (Markdown / text).
  • No registration required to use.

Pro / Lifetime plan

  • Everything in Free.
  • Streaming sync for additional platforms: Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok (on grok.com).
  • Cross-platform global search across all captured conversations.
  • Sync to Obsidian / Notion / cloud drives and advanced export (multi-conversation backups, JSON etc.).
  • History Backfill and Adapter Lab for advanced workflows.

Most people start on the Free plan and upgrade when they want streaming sync on multiple platforms and deeper knowledge management features.

If you're on a Pro trial or subscription without a license key, the extension relies on your browser's login session on chatengram.com to detect your plan. In that case, make sure you stay signed in on the same browser so Pro features like multi-platform streaming capture remain enabled. License-based Pro / Lifetime activation works fully offline and does not require a web login.

4. Activate Pro / Lifetime (if you have a license)

  1. Open the Dashboard from the extension popup.
  2. Go to the Settings or Plan section.
  3. Find the license / activation input field.
  4. Paste your license key and click Activate.

Once activated, the Dashboard will show that you are on Pro or Lifetime. The extension will immediately enable Pro-only capture modes for Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok.

5. First capture: ChatGPT example

  1. Make sure the ChatEngram extension is installed and enabled.
  2. Visit https://chatgpt.com (or https://chat.openai.com) and sign in.
  3. Start a new conversation and send a message to ChatGPT.
  4. ChatEngram will automatically capture the conversation as it streams – you don't need to press any export buttons.
  5. Click the ChatEngram icon → open the Dashboard → go to the Conversations view.
  6. You should see your ChatGPT conversation in the list. Click it to open the full transcript inside ChatEngram.

From now on, every time you chat on ChatGPT, ChatEngram will continuously update this conversation in its local database.

6. Capture on other AI platforms

The workflow is the same for other supported platforms – you just use their normal web UIs:

  • DeepSeek – https://chat.deepseek.com (Free and Pro).
  • ChatGPT – https://chatgpt.com / https://chat.openai.com (Free and Pro).
  • Claude – https://claude.ai (Pro only).
  • Gemini – https://gemini.google.com (Pro only).
  • Perplexity – https://www.perplexity.ai (Pro only).
  • Grok – https://grok.com (Pro only; x.com/i/grok is not supported).

Just open the site, start chatting as usual, and ChatEngram will capture the conversation in the background (according to your plan). All of these conversations then show up in the same unified Conversations list in the Dashboard.

7. Confirm the extension is active on a page

If you're not sure ChatEngram is capturing on a given page, check:

  • The ChatEngram icon in the toolbar is not greyed out and the extension is enabled in chrome://extensions.
  • Your plan matches the platform (for example, Grok capture requires Pro or Lifetime; DeepSeek/ChatGPT work on Free).
  • You're not in a special environment (e.g. Incognito) where the extension is disabled – you can enable it in the Incognito settings if needed.

8. Use the Dashboard to browse, search, and export

  1. Click the ChatEngram toolbar icon and open the Dashboard.
  2. Go to the Conversations section to see all captured chats across platforms.
  3. Click any conversation to open it – you'll see the full history, with user and assistant messages clearly separated.
  4. Use the search field to find specific keywords, topics, or file names. On Pro, this search works across all platforms.
  5. Use the export options (per conversation or in bulk, depending on your plan) to save Markdown, text, or JSON versions of your chats.

9. Connect Obsidian, Notion, and cloud storage (Pro)

To keep important conversations alongside your real notes and projects, connect your knowledge tools:

  1. Open the Dashboard and go to Settings → sync / integrations.
  2. Connect Obsidian by pointing ChatEngram at a local Markdown folder (your vault).
  3. Connect Notion by authorizing via OAuth and choosing a database or parent page.
  4. Connect Google Drive / OneDrive by authorizing and selecting a target folder.
  5. Choose whether to sync automatically (every new conversation) or manually (only when you trigger sync from the Dashboard).

For a deeper walkthrough, see the dedicated Notion sync and other integration docs in the Best Practices section.

10. Use Spotlight (Cmd/Ctrl + K) for instant recall

  1. On any normal webpage, press Cmd/Ctrl + K.
  2. The ChatEngram Spotlight search bar will appear in the center of the screen.
  3. Type a keyword, topic, or model name to search across your conversations.
  4. Use filters to narrow down by platform or time, then jump directly into the conversation you need.

If Spotlight doesn't open, check your browser's extension shortcuts at chrome://extensions/shortcuts and ensure ChatEngram's "open-spotlight" command is mapped to a key combination.

11. Adapter Lab (optional, advanced users)

You do not need Adapter Lab for everyday use. It's a power tool for when you want to:

  • extend capture to a niche or internal AI UI, or
  • fix a platform that changed its DOM before an official update ships.

You can find Adapter Lab in the Dashboard. It lets you define custom CSS selectors and parsing rules, and preview extraction before saving. Only use it if you're comfortable with basic web structure.

12. Quick troubleshooting checklist

  • No conversations appear: confirm the extension is enabled and pinned, and that you've actually started a chat on a supported domain.
  • Other platforms don't sync: check that you're on Pro / Lifetime (Free only captures DeepSeek and ChatGPT).
  • Grok doesn't sync: make sure you're using https://grok.com, not x.com/i/grok, and that your plan is Pro / Lifetime.
  • Spotlight shortcut doesn't work: adjust the shortcut in chrome://extensions/shortcuts.