Your AI assistants, right inside KDE Plasma.
A native Plasma 6 widget that puts ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek and many
other web assistants one click away — no extra browser tabs, no separate apps.
- About
- Screenshots
- What's New in 1.0.1
- Features
- Providers
- Requirements
- Install
- Update
- Remove
- Using ChatAI
- Settings
- Privacy and Security
- Performance
- Compatibility
- Troubleshooting
- Development
- Contributing
- Authors & Maintainers
- Contributors
- License and Assets
ChatAI is a widget (plasmoid) for the KDE Plasma 6 desktop. It embeds the official web interfaces of AI assistants inside a compact, native popup so you can switch between them from a single place — the panel or the desktop — instead of juggling browser tabs or standalone apps.
Under the hood it uses Qt WebEngine (Chromium) with a persistent profile, so each service keeps its own login, cookies and local storage exactly as it would in a normal browser. Closing the widget releases the web engine to free memory.
What ChatAI is:
- a convenient front-end to the assistants' own websites;
- a native Plasma integration with a toolbar, provider switcher, per-site permissions, downloads and configuration.
What ChatAI is not:
- it is not an AI API or model, and does not replace the providers;
- it does not bypass authentication, CAPTCHAs or anti-bot protections;
- it does not proxy, store or inspect your conversations.
If a service works in a regular Chromium browser, it generally works here too, subject to that service's own rules for embedded browsers.
 Switch between assistants |
 Configuration inside the widget |
 Per-site permissions |
Native Plasma popup |
This release is a substantial overhaul focused on usability, sign-in reliability and resource use.
A cleaner toolbar — Pin · Back · Forward · Reload/Stop · Home · assistant selector · Find · ⋮ menu · Close — with an icon-and-name selector and a kebab (⋮) menu that gathers zoom, full screen, downloads, settings and more. Secondary controls fold into the menu automatically when the popup is narrow.
Redirect-based logins run in the main view; window.open()-based logins (used by
several providers for Google/Apple/Microsoft) now open in an in-widget sign-in
window that shares the same profile, so window.opener, postMessage() and
window.close() behave correctly and the callback completes. The widget keeps
Qt WebEngine's honest identity, which Google's sign-in accepts.
Added GitHub Copilot, Manus, Qwen, Kimi and Mistral Vibe, with optimized icons.
Per-site permissions for notifications, microphone, camera, screen sharing, location and clipboard, each set to Ask / Allow / Block. "Ask" shows an inline prompt and the choice is remembered per origin, reviewable and resettable.
A temporary toolbar indicator with a real progress ring appears only while a download needs attention. A popup lists downloads with pause, resume, cancel, open, show in folder and retry, plus a KDE notification with actions.
The web engine is created lazily, frozen when the page is hidden (when safe) and fully released on Close.
Page zoom (50–200 %) with shortcuts, real full screen (also honouring page requests), PDF/MHTML export, find in page, and optional developer tools and diagnostics.
Switch between 20 built-in assistants from one widget, or add your own sites.
Back, Forward, Reload/Stop, Home, Find in page, zoom and full screen.
Ask / Allow / Block per permission type, remembered per origin and resettable.
Progress ring indicator, list with pause/resume/cancel, open, show in folder and retry.
Lazy Qt WebEngine start, page freezing when hidden, full release on Close.
Kirigami/Breeze styling, theme-aware icons, panel or desktop, HiDPI-friendly.
Custom sites, WebEngine profiles, cache management, user-agent options, developer tools and a sanitized diagnostics view.
Providers come from a single registry (contents/ui/ProviderModel.qml). Enable or
disable any of them in Settings → Sites.
| Provider | Default | Login | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | ✅ | Account | |
| Claude | ✅ | Account | Google sign-in restricted by the service |
| Google Gemini | ✅ | Account | |
| DeepSeek | ✅ | Account | |
| Duck.ai (DuckDuckGo) | ✅ | No account | Anonymous access to several models |
| HuggingChat | ✅ | Optional | Open models |
| Perplexity | ➖ | Optional | Answer engine with cited sources |
| Microsoft Copilot | ➖ | Optional | |
| GitHub Copilot | ➖ | GitHub | Coding assistant on github.com |
| Mistral Vibe | ➖ | Account | Formerly "Le Chat" |
| Grok | ➖ | Optional | xAI |
| Qwen | ➖ | Optional | Alibaba |
| Kimi | ➖ | Optional | Moonshot AI |
| Manus | ➖ | Account | General agent with a chat mode |
| Meta AI | ➖ | Account | Availability depends on your region |
| T3 Chat | ➖ | Account | Multi-model client |
| You.com | ➖ | Account | |
| BlackBox AI | ➖ | Account | Coding assistant |
| LobeChat | ➖ | Account | |
| Big-AGI | ➖ | Optional | Bring your own keys |
Availability, login methods and features are decided entirely by each service. Websites can change without notice, and some providers restrict sign-in inside embedded browsers.
Add any chat website in Settings → Sites → Custom sites: give it a name and an
http(s) address. Custom sites can be edited and removed, use the ChatAI logo as
icon, and get no special access to your system. You can also type a one-off address
with the Custom address… entry in the toolbar selector.
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| KDE Plasma | 6 (X-Plasma-API-Minimum-Version 6.0) |
| KDE Frameworks | 6 |
| Qt | 6 |
| Qt WebEngine | Required (qt6-webengine) |
| Wayland | Supported |
| X11 / Xorg | Supported |
Tested with: Plasma 6.7, KDE Frameworks 6, Qt / Qt WebEngine 6.11 on Wayland.
Qt WebEngine is the only non-standard runtime dependency; on most distributions it
is packaged separately (for example qt6-webengine).
git clone https://github.com/ruscher/ChatAI-Plasmoid.git
cd ChatAI-Plasmoid
zip -qr ChatAI-Plasmoid.plasmoid metadata.json contents LICENSE
kpackagetool6 --type Plasma/Applet --install ChatAI-Plasmoid.plasmoid
# Register the app logo (shown on the About page and in the widget list)
install -Dm644 ~/.local/share/plasma/plasmoids/ChatAI-Plasmoid/contents/ui/assets/logo.svg \
~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/chatai.svgThen add the widget to your desktop or panel:
- Right-click the desktop or panel → Enter Edit Mode.
- Click Add Widgets….
- Search for ChatAI.
- Drag it onto the panel or desktop.
You can also install a downloaded .plasmoid file with the same
kpackagetool6 --install command.
git pull
zip -qr ChatAI-Plasmoid.plasmoid metadata.json contents LICENSE
kpackagetool6 --type Plasma/Applet --upgrade ChatAI-Plasmoid.plasmoid
# Refresh the app logo
install -Dm644 ~/.local/share/plasma/plasmoids/ChatAI-Plasmoid/contents/ui/assets/logo.svg \
~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/chatai.svgYour settings are preserved across updates. On first launch the widget migrates older configuration automatically, keeping your enabled providers, custom sites, permissions and WebEngine sessions. If the widget was already running, log out and back in (or restart Plasma) so the new version is loaded.
Remove the widget:
kpackagetool6 --type Plasma/Applet --remove ChatAI-Plasmoid
rm -f ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/chatai.svgRemove the browsing data (optional). Cookies, logins, storage, cache and per-site permissions live in the WebEngine profile folders below. Deleting them signs you out of every service:
rm -rf ~/.local/share/plasmashell/QtWebEngine/chat-ai
rm -rf ~/.cache/plasmashell/QtWebEngine/chat-aiReplace chat-ai with your profile's storage name if you changed it in
Settings → Cache and Data.
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Switch assistant | Selector in the toolbar (Tab to it, arrow keys, Enter) |
| Add / type a custom site | Custom address… in the selector, or Settings → Sites |
| Go back / forward | Toolbar buttons, or the mouse Back/Forward buttons |
| Reload / stop | Reload button (turns into Stop while loading) |
| Home | Home button — the current assistant's start page |
| Find in page | Ctrl+F |
| Zoom in / out / reset | Ctrl++ / Ctrl+- / Ctrl+0, or ⋮ → Zoom |
| Full screen | F11 (or ⋮ → Full Screen); Esc exits |
| Keep the popup open | Pin button |
| Downloads | The ↓ indicator when shown, or ⋮ → Downloads |
| Open the current page in a browser | ⋮ → Open in Browser |
| Release web engine memory | Close button |
Settings are available both in the Plasma configuration dialog and inside the widget (⋮ → ChatAI Settings), sharing the same options.
| Page | What you configure |
|---|---|
| General | Home assistant, pin, preload at login, toolbar behaviour |
| Sites | Enable built-in assistants; add, edit and remove custom sites |
| Permissions | Ask/Allow/Block per type; review and reset per-site decisions |
| Web Features | Clipboard, new windows, autoplay, spatial navigation, focus, unknown schemes |
| Downloads | Download folder and the current download list |
| Cache and Data | Cache location and limit, clear cache, WebEngine profile (storage name) |
| Appearance | Panel icon style and which toolbar buttons are shown |
| Advanced | Browser identity / user agent, page freezing, discard timer, developer tools, diagnostics |
| About | Version, links, authors and keyboard shortcuts |
ChatAI separates what the widget does locally from what the AI services do with your data.
- Profile & sessions — cookies, logins, local storage and per-site permissions
are stored by Qt WebEngine under
~/.local/share/plasmashell/QtWebEngine/<storage name>(cache under~/.cache/...). Each storage name is a separate, isolated profile. - Permissions — microphone, camera, screen sharing, location, notifications and clipboard are used only after you allow them, and only for the site that asked. Unknown permission types are denied.
- Links & schemes — only
http(s)navigates or opens externally; unknown URL schemes are blocked unless you enable them, and then only after a click. Invalid TLS certificates are rejected. - Downloads — file names are sanitized and files are never executed automatically.
- ChatAI does not log or transmit your cookies, credentials, page contents or clipboard. Clearing the cache does not sign you out.
Anything you type or upload to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek or any other provider is sent to that service and is governed by its terms and privacy policy. ChatAI is only the window to their websites — it has no control over how they process, store or use your data. Review each provider's policy for details.
- Lazy start — Qt WebEngine is created only when the widget is first opened (or preloaded at login if you enable it).
- Freeze when hidden — a hidden page is frozen after a short delay when the engine reports it is safe (no audio, upload or download in progress); it resumes instantly when shown. An optional timer can discard very old hidden pages.
- Release on close — the Close button destroys the web view and its renderer process, returning memory to the system. Logins remain on disk.
- Cache control — set an HTTP cache size limit and clear the cache on demand.
- KDE Plasma 6 on both Wayland and X11/Xorg.
- HiDPI — vector icons and Plasma units scale with the display.
- Qt WebEngine — the widget uses the version provided by your system.
- Embedded-login limits — a few services restrict sign-in inside embedded browsers (Google's OAuth is the most common). Where a provider blocks embedded sign-in by policy, use e-mail sign-in or a session created in a regular browser.
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| A provider does not load | Use ⋮ → Reload, or Open in Browser; the site may reject embedded sessions |
| ChatGPT seems stuck at first | Give it a moment; if a "slow to respond" notice appears, use Retry. Keep the popup reasonably wide (its mobile layout can misbehave) |
| Google sign-in says "browser may not be secure" | Make sure Advanced → Identify as Chromium is off — Google accepts the honest Qt WebEngine identity and rejects disguised ones |
| A sign-in popup does not finish | Complete it in the in-widget sign-in window; press Esc or its close button to cancel and try again |
| Notifications do not appear | Set Permissions → Notifications to Ask/Allow and check Plasma's notification settings |
| Downloads fail | Choose an existing, writable folder in Settings → Downloads |
| A provider stopped working | The service may have changed its site; report it in the issues tracker |
| Something looks wrong after an update | Advanced → Diagnostics → Copy, then include the sanitized info in an issue |
Still stuck? Open an issue: https://github.com/ruscher/ChatAI-Plasmoid/issues
The project is pure QML/JavaScript on top of Qt Quick, Qt WebEngine and Kirigami — no compiled code.
ChatAI-Plasmoid/
├── .github/workflows/ # CI: validation, translation, contributors list
├── contents/
│ ├── config/ # KConfig schema (main.xml) and config categories
│ ├── locale/ # Compiled translations shipped with the package
│ └── ui/ # QML: widget, WebView, provider registry, settings
│ ├── settings/ # Shared settings pages (dialog + in-widget panel)
│ └── assets/ # Provider and logo SVG icons
├── docs/ # Technical notes (not shipped in the package)
├── locale/ # Translation sources (.pot / .po / .json)
├── pkgbuild/ # Arch Linux / BigLinux package
├── tests/ # Live regression tests for a running Plasma session
├── metadata.json # Plasma package metadata
├── LICENSE
└── README.md
Key pieces: main.qml orchestrates the plasmoid; WebView.qml hosts Qt WebEngine
(profile, navigation, permissions, downloads, zoom, full screen, lifecycle);
ProviderModel.qml is the single source of truth for providers; Header.qml,
AiSelector.qml and ChatAIMenu.qml build the toolbar; the settings/ pages are
shared between the Plasma configuration dialog and the in-widget panel.
# Build the runtime package
zip -qr ChatAI-Plasmoid.plasmoid metadata.json contents LICENSE
# Static checks (same as CI)
python3 -m json.tool metadata.json > /dev/null
xmllint --noout contents/config/main.xml
qmllint contents/ui/*.qml contents/ui/settings/*.qml contents/config/*.qml
for po in locale/*.po; do msgfmt --check --check-format -o /dev/null "$po"; done
# Run the widget in a standalone window
plasmawindowed ChatAI-Plasmoid
# Popup size regression test (opens the popup on screen; see docs/TESTING.md)
tests/popup-size-regression.sh 20 --freshCompiled translations (contents/locale/**/*.mo) ship in the package; regenerate
them from locale/*.po with msgfmt (and xgettext / msgmerge from GNU
gettext) when strings change.
Continuous integration (.github/workflows/) runs these checks on every push and
keeps the contributors list up to date.
Contributions are welcome.
- Fork the repository and create a branch.
- Make your change (keep Plasma 6 / KF6 / Qt 6 compatibility, no new runtime deps).
- Run the static checks under Commands above (or push and let CI run them).
- Commit with a clear message and open a Pull Request.
Please keep the existing SPDX license headers in the files you touch.
- Rafael Ruscher (@ruscher) — author
- Denys Madureira (@DenysMb) — original author
- Bruno Gonçalves (@bigbruno) — author
See metadata.json for the authors recorded in the package.
Denys Madureira |
Bruno Gonçalves |
ruscher |
J797 |
Meow Meow |
Vitor Dantas |
postadelmaga |
- Code — GPL-2.0-or-later (see
LICENSEand the SPDX headers in each file). - Provider icons — from Icons8, IconScout and Simple Icons (CC0), plus some services' own brand assets.
- Trademarks — all product names, logos and brands are property of their respective owners and are used only to identify the services ChatAI links to.