The latest articles on DEV Community by karen hu (@karen1117). https://dev.to/karen1117 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3887852%2F2fdcab2c-e41a-4f29-8f0f-e5139232ea94.jpg https://dev.to/karen1117 en karen hu Sun, 19 Apr 2026 21:24:55 +0000 https://dev.to/karen1117/my-friend-and-i-built-a-chrome-extension-to-fix-our-chatgpt-chaos-heres-what-we-got-wrong-3a2k https://dev.to/karen1117/my-friend-and-i-built-a-chrome-extension-to-fix-our-chatgpt-chaos-heres-what-we-got-wrong-3a2k <p>I'm a heavy ChatGPT user. Over time, my conversation list became completely unmanageable — useful conclusions buried in long threads, no way to navigate back to a specific point, action items scattered across dozens of replies with no one to collect them.</p> <p>So my friend and I built MindMarks — a Chrome extension that injects directly into ChatGPT. <strong>Three core things:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Folder + tag organization for conversations</li> <li>A right sidebar that auto-generates summaries, key takeaways, and action items</li> <li>Jump navigation inside long conversations — click a section and land there instantly</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fh9lhkw0ugasaxwvbg4wy.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fh9lhkw0ugasaxwvbg4wy.png" alt=" " width="800" height="405"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fjmlhhda9itzuwzpo9ez6.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fjmlhhda9itzuwzpo9ez6.png" alt=" " width="800" height="378"></a></p> <p>Prompt optimizer and bulk export (MD/JSON/TXT) are also in there. Fully free for now.</p> <h2> What we got wrong along the way </h2> <p><strong>Mistake 1: Shipping everything at once</strong></p> <p>Our first version tried to do too much. Folders, tags, recap, prompt optimizer, export — all in v1. The onboarding was a mess. Users installed it and had no idea where to start.</p> <p>We had to strip it back to one clear first action: something useful that happens within 30 seconds of installing. That's when retention improved.</p> <p><strong>Mistake 2: Misjudging the prompt optimizer</strong></p> <p>We assumed everyone would love a one-click prompt optimizer. Turns out there's a prerequisite: users need to already know their prompt is bad before they'll reach for an optimization tool. That bar was higher than we expected, and we spent a lot of time rethinking the onboarding around it.</p> <p><strong>Mistake 3: Scope creep on platform support</strong></p> <p>We originally planned to support Claude and Gemini too. Couldn't keep up with the engineering. We're now honest about it — ChatGPT only for now, others on the roadmap. Should've made that call earlier instead of letting it drag on.</p> <p><strong>## Where we are now</strong></p> <p>The extension is live on the Chrome Web Store and we're in early user feedback mode. Still a lot to improve, but the core loop is working.</p> <p>If you're a heavy ChatGPT user dealing with the same chaos, give it a try 👇</p> <p><strong>Our official site :<a href="https://mindmarks.io/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://mindmarks.io/</a></strong></p> <p><strong>Chrome store link:<a href="https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/mindmarks/jmcppalmljaaeleknoheihgfdhihcdem" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/mindmarks/jmcppalmljaaeleknoheihgfdhihcdem</a><br> **<br> **Any feedback</strong> — what works, what's confusing, what's missing — would mean a lot. Comments or DMs both welcome 🙏</p> ai productivity chatgpt showdev