BingBeGone

Architecture 🏗️

This document explains how BingBeGone works internally.

Or at least how it works when Chrome is behaving itself.

---

Overview

BingBeGone is a lightweight Manifest V3 browser extension that intercepts Bing search navigations and redirects them to a user-selected search engine.

The extension operates entirely client-side.

No backend. No cloud infrastructure. No Kubernetes cluster held together by fear. No AI microservice named “Orchestrator.”

Just browser code.

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High-Level Flow

Windows / App / User
        ↓
 Opens Bing Search URL
        ↓
 Browser navigates to:
 bing.com/search?q=...
        ↓
 BingBeGone detects navigation
        ↓
 Extract search query
        ↓
 Build replacement URL
        ↓
 Redirect OR show redirect page
        ↓
 Open preferred search engine

---

Repository Structure

extension/
├─ assets/
├─ background.js
├─ defaults.js
├─ manifest.json
│
├─ lib/
│  ├─ redirectBuilder.js
│  ├─ storage.js
│  └─ urlParser.js
│
├─ pages/
│  ├─ options.html
│  ├─ options.js
│  ├─ redirect.html
│  ├─ redirect.js
│  └─ redirect.css
│
└─ popup/
   ├─ popup.html
   ├─ popup.js
   └─ popup.css

---

Core Components

background.js

Main extension service worker.

Responsibilities:

• listen for Bing navigation events
• load user settings
• parse search queries
• generate redirect URLs
• update browser tabs

This is effectively the extension’s brain.

Which is unfortunate because it is JavaScript.

---

urlParser.js

Responsible for:

• validating Bing URLs
• extracting search queries
• preventing invalid redirects

Example:

Input:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=snakes

Output:

{
  query: "snakes"
}

---

redirectBuilder.js

Constructs the final redirect destination.

Example:

google:
https://www.google.com/search?q=snakes

Supports:

• predefined engines
• custom engines
• encoded query substitution

---

storage.js

Handles settings persistence.

Uses:

• chrome.storage.local
• chrome.storage.sync

Settings include:

• selected engine
• redirect mode
• delay duration
• extension enabled state

---

Popup UI

The popup provides:

• quick enable/disable controls
• current engine display
• shortcuts to settings

It exists because users enjoy buttons.

---

Options Page

The options page handles:

• engine selection
• redirect timing
• custom URL templates
• sync settings

This is where power users become dangerous.

---

Redirect Page

Optional interstitial page shown before redirecting.

Purpose:

• user visibility
• cancellation support
• delay timers

Useful for:

• debugging
• transparency
• dramatic tension

---

Why Manifest V3?

Because Google said so.

Also:

• improved security model
• event-driven execution
• lower persistent resource usage

Also because Manifest V2 is being slowly marched into the forest.

---

Navigation Detection

BingBeGone uses:

chrome.webNavigation.onBeforeNavigate

This allows the extension to:

• detect Bing searches early
• intercept navigation cleanly
• avoid injecting scripts into pages

Only Bing domains are monitored.

The extension does not inspect unrelated browsing activity.

---

Why Not declarativeNetRequest?

declarativeNetRequest works best for static redirects.

BingBeGone requires:

• extracting dynamic query parameters
• generating dynamic URLs
• optional redirect pages
• configurable engines

Using navigation listeners provides more flexibility with simpler logic.

Also the debugging experience is approximately 700% less painful.

---

Security Model

BingBeGone intentionally minimizes:

• permissions
• host access
• external communication

The extension:

• does not inject arbitrary scripts
• does not communicate with servers
• does not collect analytics
• does not process unrelated websites

All processing occurs locally.

Like a civilized utility.

---

Performance

The extension is effectively idle most of the time.

Processing only occurs when:

• navigating to Bing search URLs

Typical workload:

1. parse URL
2. build redirect
3. redirect tab

Measured resource usage: “basically nothing”

Scientific.

---

Browser Compatibility

Officially supported:

• Chrome
• Edge

Compatible with most Chromium browsers supporting:

• Manifest V3
• chrome.storage
• chrome.webNavigation

Including:

• Brave
• Vivaldi
• Opera
• Arc

Potentially:

• smart fridge browsers
• mysterious OEM browsers
• things humanity was not meant to run Chromium on

---

Future Ideas

Potential future features:

• regex-based redirects
• per-domain engine rules
• import/export settings
• Firefox port
• keyboard shortcuts

Potentially NOT future features:

• AI integration
• telemetry
• cryptocurrency
• subscription plans
• “BingBeGone Ultra Pro Max”

Made with questionable precision by Barely ⊅ Compliant Studios.

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