Key concepts
Sidepanel vs Options page vs On-page overlays
The extension has three layers of interface:
Sidepanel
A persistent panel on the right side of your browser when the extension is open. Always accessible, appears on any website.
What it contains:
- Ask, Chat, Chatbots, Document, Image, Info, Link, Gift, Notification, Profile, Settings tabs
- Product Analysis tab (when on Amazon product pages)
How to open:
- Click the extension icon in your toolbar
- Or press your configured keyboard shortcut (default: Ctrl+Shift+Y)
Options page
Browser settings page for configuring the extension. Opened from the extension’s context menu.
What it contains:
- General account settings (theme, appearance)
- Sidebar configuration
- Context menu settings
- Web assistant settings
- Custom prompts
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Knowledge base management
How to open:
- Right-click the extension icon → Options
- Or: Chrome Settings → Extensions → Amazon Product Insights → Details → Extension options
On-page overlays
Features that inject directly into the web pages you visit.
Examples:
- NicheRadar bar — Appears at the top of Amazon product and search pages
- Product Analytics widget — Shows in the sidepanel’s “Product Analysis” tab (but uses data from the current product page)
- Seller Central tools — Floating button and context menu on Seller Central
Session management
How authentication works:
First sign-in
- You click “Sign in” in the extension
- You’re redirected to hilalsoftware.tools
- You enter your email and password (once)
- A success page confirms the login
- The extension automatically detects the new session
Session reuse
After sign-in, your browser stores a session cookie for hilalsoftware.tools. The extension reads this cookie each time it loads, so you stay signed in automatically. No need to re-enter credentials.
Organizations
If your Hilal account has access to multiple organizations:
- Open the extension
- Go to the Profile tab
- Click Switch Organization
- All AI tools now use that organization’s settings and data
Session expiry
Sessions expire after about 7 days of inactivity. If yours expires:
- You’ll see an empty sidepanel or a “Sign in” prompt
- Click Login and authenticate via hilalsoftware.tools again
- The session is restored immediately
Logging out
- Open the Profile tab
- Click Logout
- The session cookie is removed
- You’ll need to sign in again
Knowledge Base
How your knowledge base works:
Storage location
Your knowledge base lives on Hilal servers, not in your browser. This means:
- Accessible everywhere — Any device where you’re signed into Hilal can use the same knowledge base
- Always in sync — Upload on your desktop, use on a different browser, same content available
- Persistent — Survives browser updates, cache clears, or computer restarts
How it’s used
When you ask questions in Ask or Chat, the AI can:
- Read your uploaded files — PDFs, Word docs, text files you’ve uploaded
- Browse your indexed websites — Any website you’ve added via “Add Website”
- Reference YouTube transcripts — Any videos you’ve indexed
- Context in Document tab — When you upload a document in the Document tab, the AI references your knowledge base to answer questions
Privacy
Your knowledge base content:
- Is stored on Hilal’s servers (encrypted in transit)
- Is only accessible to you (and AI models used for analysis)
- Is not shared with other users
- Can be deleted at any time
Marketplace detection
The extension automatically detects which Amazon marketplace you’re on:
| URL | Marketplace | Code | Currency |
|---|---|---|---|
| amazon.com | United States | US | USD |
| amazon.co.uk | United Kingdom | UK | GBP |
| amazon.de | Germany | DE | EUR |
| amazon.fr | France | FR | EUR |
| amazon.it | Italy | IT | EUR |
| amazon.es | Spain | ES | EUR |
| amazon.ca | Canada | CA | CAD |
| amazon.com.au | Australia | AU | AUD |
| amazon.co.jp | Japan | JP | JPY |
| amazon.in | India | IN | INR |
| amazon.ae | UAE | AE | AED |
| amazon.nl | Netherlands | NL | EUR |
| amazon.se | Sweden | SE | SEK |
| amazon.pl | Poland | PL | PLN |
| amazon.com.mx | Mexico | MX | MXN |
| amazon.com.br | Brazil | BR | BRL |
| amazon.sg | Singapore | SG | SGD |
| amazon.eg | Egypt | EG | EGP |
| amazon.sa | Saudi Arabia | SA | SAR |
| amazon.com.tr | Turkey | TR | TRY |
Products and metrics are analyzed with the correct marketplace context.
Shadow DOM & CSP safety
Some features (Product Analytics, NicheRadar) inject into web pages using Shadow DOM. This is a browser technology that:
- Isolates styles — CSS from the page doesn’t affect the overlay, and vice versa
- Hides DOM — The overlay’s code is hidden from the page’s JavaScript (more secure)
- Prevents conflicts — Ads, trackers, and other page scripts can’t interfere
This isolation makes the extension more secure and stable on any website.
Data sent to Hilal
When you use the extension, these types of data are sent to Hilal’s servers:
| Data | Why | When |
|---|---|---|
| Product ASIN + URL | Enrichment & analysis | When you view Product Analytics or NicheRadar |
| Your Hilal email | Authentication | When you sign in |
| Marketplace region | Correct pricing & metrics | Automatically detected on Amazon pages |
| Knowledge Base queries | AI context | When you ask questions in Ask/Chat |
| Custom prompts | AI instructions | When you create or use prompts |
What’s not sent: Your actual browse history, Google cookies, passwords, or any data not listed above.
Offline capability
The extension requires an internet connection. Most features don’t work offline:
- ❌ Sign-in (requires Hilal servers)
- ❌ Ask/Chat (requires AI API)
- ❌ Product Analytics (requires enrichment API)
- ❌ Knowledge Base (requires server sync)
What still works:
- ✓ Viewing your saved settings and shortcuts
- ✓ Reading previously saved content (if cached)
For best experience, maintain a stable internet connection.