An internal portal can contain the answer you need even when a public search cannot access it. With OGAD (Off Grid AI Desktop) and its browser extension, you can ask a local model about the signed-in work page you have open in Chrome.
For example, ask which document a client still needs to approve, or what a support status means. The page context goes to the selected desktop model. Choose a local model for this guide; the portal itself still needs its normal connection.
Download OGAD | Desktop beta 122 release notes
What would you like to do with Off Grid AI?
Have a feature or use case you would like us to support? Tell us what you want to do and which device you use.
Write to support@getoffgridai.co, join our Slack community, or talk to us on Reddit.
Use the page you are already allowed to read
The extension works with your existing browser session. You do not need to reproduce that session in a cloud AI browser just to ask a question. This is useful for an internal help page, a client portal, or a project screen with a few fields that need explanation.
Start with a page that contains the answer. A dashboard link to a document does not mean the document's text is already available. Open the relevant detail yourself before asking, or use a separate browser task if several pages must be visited.
Prepare the local route
Use the current OGAD beta, a loaded local text model, and the early-access extension. The paired desktop workflow needs its desktop access enabled; Pro is required for the associated desktop tools and tasks.
Open Settings > Desktop in the extension, select Pair with desktop, and compare the six words with the desktop prompt. Approve the matching request. Then return to the portal and grant the page access needed for the question.
Use plain chat for a reading question. If Agent is selected, turn it off for this first check. A request to explain a status does not need the assistant to click buttons or submit a form.
Ask about a concrete work decision
Suppose a client portal lists three deliverables. One is marked “review requested”, one “approved”, and one “awaiting files”. You need to know what you can start today.
Ask:
Read this page and list each deliverable with its current status. Identify the item that appears ready for work and quote the text that supports that conclusion. Separate the page's stated status from your interpretation. Do not change any item.
The assistant should retain the portal's words. “Review requested” is not approval. “Awaiting files” might refer to your upload or the client's upload; if the page does not say, the answer should leave that question open.
This distinction is the useful part of the workflow. You get a short explanation while keeping the original source beside it, rather than copying a large page into a separate service and losing its context.
Check the answer in two passes
First, compare the extracted facts: names, dates, labels, and amounts. Next, inspect the proposed next step. A recommendation can be reasonable while one supporting fact is wrong.
Try a follow-up such as:
Which sentence on this page says that work can begin? If none does, change the recommendation to a question I should ask the client.
For a page with several dates, ask the assistant to label each date's role. A file upload date, a review date, and a due date should not be placed in one “deadline” column.
Keep the page URL with a copied summary. The link lets you return to the current record, although the page can change after the answer was written.
Handle content the model cannot see
Some portals draw a chart or status board as an image. A text request may not contain those pixels. Use Attach screenshot with a local vision model when the visual information matters, and check that the image is attached before sending.
Other pages reveal details only after you expand a section. Open the section and ask again. If the page denies access or the browser blocks extraction, provide the specific text you are allowed to share. Do not treat an empty result as proof that the portal has no information.
| Missing result | Useful next step |
|---|---|
| Status appears only in a graphic | Attach a screenshot with vision support |
| Detail is behind an accordion | Open it before asking again |
| Page links to a separate document | Open and read that document separately |
| Account session expired | Restore the login yourself |
Know which browser actions wait for Desktop approval
Plain browser chat is given read-only tools. Enable Agent when you want the assistant to act through the supported browser-task route. This is a real tool boundary, not only a request to "please read without changing anything."
In desktop beta 122, supported native actions started from browser chat, such as sending, creating, or deleting an item, can wait for approval in OGAD. If the panel reports Waiting for the user's approval in Off Grid AI Desktop, open Desktop's pending action and inspect its destination and content. Approve only the intended action, or reject it.
Do not send the same request again while approval is pending. Check the action result after approval before treating the work as complete. Available native actions depend on the desktop platform and connected service.
This gate does not mean every click or form interaction inside a Web Use task receives a separate approval dialog. Web Use and opening a URL use different paths. Continue to supervise browser tasks, set a clear scope, and take over for a login, verification challenge, or payment when requested.
Keep the question within the work scope
Page content is evidence, not an instruction from you. A sentence on a website that tells an assistant to ignore its task does not authorize a new action. Keep your request specific about reading, the fields needed, and whether changes are allowed.
The local privacy benefit depends on the selected model. A remote model may receive the page text needed for its answer. Connected accounts also have their own access rules. Pairing the extension does not make a cloud-hosted portal an offline service.
Use this workflow for a question that has a visible answer. Open OGAD, pair the extension, and check one status explanation before relying on a larger portal summary.
Top comments (0)