Connector troubleshooting

"Is Avera running?"

Launch the Avera desktop app.
Open the extension popup again.
If it still fails, check that the connector is enabled in Settings → Browser connector.

Connector disabled in Avera

Enable the browser connector in Settings. Reload the Chrome extension and retry.

Native messaging errors

"Native host has exited" — Chrome started the connector process but it crashed. Re-register the native host from your install instructions, then reload the extension.

Wrong extension ID (common in dev) — The native host manifest must list your extension’s chrome-extension:// origin.

Open chrome://extensions and copy your extension ID.
Re-run native host registration with that ID.
Restart Avera (so it does not overwrite a correct manifest) and reload the extension.

On macOS, the host manifest lives under Chrome’s NativeMessagingHosts folder for com.avera.connector. The path should point to Avera’s run-host.sh under Application Support.

HTTP fallback (development)

If native messaging is unavailable:

Avera → Settings → Browser connector → enable HTTP connector (dev).
Copy the bearer token (regenerating invalidates the old token).
Extension popup → Dev HTTP fallback → enter port (default 17342) and token.

PDF did not attach

Publisher blocked download — metadata may still import.
Try opening the PDF in the browser first, then import again.
Institutional access depends on your session cookies; some sites need the referrer or publisher-specific hooks.

Coverage varies by publisher. Generic detection uses DOI meta tags, JSON-LD, COinS, RIS, and page text. Site-specific translators improve PubMed, PMC, arXiv, major publishers, Google Scholar, and database portals.

If detection fails, use Quick Add or Import in the library with the DOI.

Privacy

The extension only accesses the active tab when you use the toolbar icon or save action. See the connector privacy policy bundled with the extension for store submission details.