⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ EXTENSIONS: THINGS NOBODY TELLS YOU ⟡˖ ࣪⋆౨ৎ˚
by ace!! - janitorai link boop!
the "i wish someone told me this sooner" collection ૮₍ ´ ꒳ `₎ა
✦ EXTENSION SAFETY & RED FLAGS
okay so you found a cool extension link on discord. but should you just... install it?? here's how to not get clowned:
how to read a github page like a normal person
⊹ check the README — if there's no readme or it's just "idk this does stuff" ... maybe skip it bestie
⊹ check the last commit date — if the last update was 2 years ago and ST has updated 600 times since... that extension is in a coma
⊹ check the stars & forks — not a perfect metric but if it has 0 stars and was made 3 minutes ago by xXx_darkness_xXx... proceed with caution
⊹ check issues tab — if 15 people are screaming "THIS BROKE MY ST" and the dev is MIA... yeah
what's inside an extension anyway??
every ST extension is basically:
if an extension has weird files that don't belong (.exe ?? random server calls??) that's a 🚩🚩🚩
the golden rule:
if you don't trust it, don't install it. and if you DO install it and things get weird — disable it FIRST, ask questions LATER
✦ TROUBLESHOOTING & CONFLICTS
"i installed 47 extensions and now ST won't load" — someone, probably you eheh
extensions can fight each other!!
some extensions touch the same parts of ST. when two of them try to modify the same thing... drama ensues. common conflicts:
⊹ two UI extensions styling the same element — one says "make this blue" the other says "make this red" and you get... purple chaos
⊹ multiple extensions injecting into prompts — they might stack weirdly or override each other
⊹ extensions that modify the same buttons/menus — things disappear or duplicate
the sacred debugging ritual:
⊹ disable ALL extensions (yes all of them, i know it hurts)
⊹ re-enable them ONE BY ONE
⊹ test after each one
⊹ when it breaks again → congrats you found the gremlin 🎉
⊹ check if there's an update for it, or report it to the dev
common "it's not a bug it's you" moments:
✦ API-HUNGRY EXTENSIONS
THIS ONE IS IMPORTANT!! some extensions are quiet little token munchers and nobody warns you
free extensions (no extra API cost):
these only use what's already in your ST — UI changes, themes, trackers that read existing data, QoL tools
⊹ TopInfoBar, ThemeAssist, AvatarBanner, EmojiPicker, CharSwitch, custom fonts, etc.
they just rearrange furniture. your wallet is safe ૮ ․ ․ ྀིა
sneaky API users (uses YOUR tokens/credits!!) but we still love em:
these make extra LLM calls behind the scenes:
- ⊹ MemoryBooks — generates summaries via your connected API
- ⊹ WorldInfo Recommender — asks an LLM to analyze your context
- ⊹ Plot Driver — generates OOC instructions through your API
- ⊹ StoryMode (some features) — scenario generation = API calls
- ⊹ Image generation extensions — if connected to a paid image API
- ⊹ GuidedGenerations — extra calls for corrections, spellcheck, etc.
how to know if an extension uses API:
⊹ if it "generates" or "analyzes" anything → it's probably calling your API
⊹ check the extension settings → if it asks for API keys/endpoints/models → yep
⊹ watch your token usage before and after installing
not saying don't use them!! just know they cost tokens so you're not like "why did i burn through my credits in 2 hours" 💸