Frequently Asked Questions

Wendigo is a collaborative browser extension designed for research teams. It helps you track clicked links in real-time, share that information with your team, and verify image metadata.

Key features include:

• Real-time link tracking and coloring
• Team synchronization via WebSocket
• Image EXIF data analysis
• URL canonicalization (removes tracking parameters)

Wendigo currently supports Google Chrome (version 88 or later) using Manifest V3. We recommend using the latest version of Chrome for the best experience.

Firefox support is planned for a future release.

Installing Wendigo is easy! Follow these steps:

• Download the extension from our download page
• Unzip the downloaded file
• Open chrome://extensions in Chrome
• Enable Developer Mode
• Click "Load unpacked" and select the unzipped folder

For detailed instructions with screenshots, visit our installation guide.

Wendigo uses a color-coding system to show link status:

• Blue - Link has not been clicked by anyone
• Orange - Link was clicked by you
• Red - Link was clicked by a team member

You can customize these colors in the extension settings.

Wendigo uses WebSocket technology to sync link clicks in real-time across your team. When any team member clicks a link:

• The click is instantly sent to our server
• All connected team members receive the update
• Links are recolored automatically on everyone's screen

This ensures your team never duplicates work by clicking the same links.

URL canonicalization is the process of normalizing URLs to ensure consistent tracking. Wendigo removes over 200 tracking parameters (like utm_source, fbclid, gclid) from URLs before comparing them.

This means if two team members click links to the same page but with different tracking parameters, Wendigo will correctly recognize them as the same destination.

You can add websites to your exclusion list in the extension settings:

• Click the Wendigo icon in your toolbar
• Go to the "Exclusions" tab
• Add the domain you want to exclude (e.g., example.com)

Wendigo will not track or color links on excluded websites.

Yes, you need to create an account to use Wendigo's team features. This allows us to:

• Sync your clicks across devices
• Share data with your team members
• Store your preferences and history

Registration is quick and only requires a name, email, and password.

Wendigo collects only the data necessary for its functionality:

• URLs of links you click (canonicalized)
• Timestamps of when links were clicked
• Your account information (name, email)

We do not track your browsing history, personal information, or any data from excluded websites. Your data is stored securely and never shared with third parties.

To delete your account and all associated data, please contact our support team through the chat feature or send a request to your administrator. Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.

If links aren't being colored, try these steps:

• Make sure you're logged into Wendigo
• Check that the extension is enabled (not paused)
• Verify the website isn't in your exclusion list
• Refresh the page
• Check your internet connection

If the issue persists, try disabling and re-enabling the extension, or reinstalling it.

The "Disconnected" status means Wendigo has lost connection to our servers. This usually happens due to:

• Network connectivity issues
• Firewall or proxy blocking WebSocket connections
• Server maintenance (rare)

Wendigo will automatically attempt to reconnect. If it doesn't, try refreshing the page or restarting Chrome.

To report a bug:

• Open Wendigo and go to the Settings tab
• Click "Generate Debug Report"
• Use the Chat feature to send the report to our team

Please include a description of what happened and steps to reproduce the issue.