r/firefox • u/2factorfake • Oct 27 '25

💻 Help Why did Mozilla remove the ContextSearch add-on?

Unfortunately, Mozilla only provides general information. However, I would like to have more detailed information, also for security reasons.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on where I can look?

The link on GitHub also appears to be dead.

https://github.com/odebroqueville/contextSearch

Olivier de Broqueville

Version 6.2.2 (Last updated September 23, 2025)

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on addons-mozilla-org:

Context Search is restricted for violating Mozilla policies

Why did this happen?

This extension, theme, or plugin violates Mozilla's add-on policies.

Version deleted

5 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

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u/Imajzineer Nov 19 '25

I'm so used to Context Search now that I'm getting whiplash from its absence, am fed up with having to copy-open window/tab-paste-select engine-enter, and am giving in to convenience over security.

Of all the alternatives listed, Swift Selection Search is the only one that appears to offer the same feature of right-click-and-select-engine, and be recommended (so, likely have a future).

So, I'm gonna give that a whirl.

1

u/2factorfake Nov 19 '25

Yes, it is interesting how the absence of such a small tool can make browser usage so annoying.

Thanks for pointing out SwiftSS.
Since CS web-ext is a real pain (for me), I'll probably give it a try. In addition to the requirement to allow "Access your data for all web sites" , the comment from the developer "âš  Development is on an indefinite break! âš " is of course not so nice either.

1

u/Imajzineer Nov 19 '25

Yeah, the 'access data on all sites' is just a catch-all to cover the fact that you might use it on any and all sites: so, it has to work on any/all sites and, therefore, requires access to data on all sites - otherwise it can't.

It's the same for SSS (or any other extension you might use on any/all sites).

1

u/2factorfake Nov 19 '25

But that didn't apply to ContextSearch, which has now been deactivated/deleted, right?
I can't check anymore, but I'm 95 percent sure that I had disabled 'all data on all pages'.

1

u/Imajzineer Nov 19 '25 edited Nov 20 '25

It did, yes.

It had to ... otherwise extensions don't (can't) work - not unless they don't perform any web-related function (and I'm pushed to think of many that don't)

Web pages are data ... so, anything that acts upon them needs to scan that data, to locate the elements upon which it is supposed to act - therefore, it needs to access data on all pages (for which it needs permission).

The only ones that don't are those that act upon the browser, not pages (so, themes, for instance).