Phexotial Observatory
PHEXO//TIAL SUPPORT

Restore the signal.

Find answers, troubleshoot the observatory, or contact support directly.

Local-first support for the Phexotial web app and browser extension.

Browse Common Fixes Contact Support Open Phexotial

Quick Actions

Contact Support

Email Support

Open the Observatory

Launch the Phexotial web app in a new tab.

Open Phexotial

Extension Settings

Open the Phexotial toolbar popup or Edge extension-management page.

Click the Phexotial icon in the browser toolbar, or go to edge://extensions and click Details on Phexotial.

Backup and Restore

Export or import your workspace data.

In Phexotial, open the Sidebar → Settings tab → Data / Backup section.

Common Questions

Phexotial is a personal internet observatory and customizable new-tab workspace. It runs locally in your browser and aggregates RSS feeds, Reddit, Hacker News, and other signals into a modular dashboard with AI-powered summaries.

No account is required. Your data stays in your browser.

Phexotial is local-first. Your workspace data — layouts, saved items, preferences, feed cache — is stored locally in your browser using IndexedDB.

  • The website and browser extension use separate browser origins, so their storage areas are independent.
  • Data does not automatically synchronize between the website and the extension.
  • Backup export/import can transfer supported data between installations.
  • API keys are stored locally and are not included in backups.

The phexotial.com website includes a first-party analytics script that records basic visit and engagement information locally in your browser. This data is not transmitted to a remote server. Phexotial does not sell or share user data. See the Privacy page for details.

Feed requests go directly to the originating feed servers (or through a configured feed gateway for CORS handling). AI analysis requests go only to the AI provider you select, using your own API key. No browsing history is collected.

  • Check your internet connection.
  • The feed gateway may be temporarily unavailable. Wait a moment and try refreshing.
  • The source feed itself may be down or has moved.
  • CORS or authentication restrictions on the feed may block browser-side requests.
  • Phexotial applies a cooldown after failed attempts — wait for the cooldown to expire before retrying.
  • Use Refresh Signals (Shift+R) to retry all feeds.
  • Check the Service Status module for individual feed health.

The website and the browser extension use separate browser-origin storage. They do not automatically share a workspace.

To transfer your layout and data between them, use the backup export/import feature:

  1. Open Phexotial on the source installation.
  2. Go to Sidebar → Settings → Data / Backup.
  3. Export a backup file.
  4. Open Phexotial on the target installation.
  5. Import the backup file.

The Phexotial browser extension is available for Microsoft Edge and other Chromium-based browsers.

To install:

  1. Visit the Phexotial listing on the Edge Add-ons store (when published).
  2. Click Get or Add to Edge.
  3. Confirm the installation when prompted.
  4. Open a new tab to see Phexotial as your new-tab page.

If the extension is not yet listed on the store, you can still use the Phexotial web app at phexotial.com.

To disable or remove the Phexotial extension in Microsoft Edge:

  1. Open the browser menu (three dots in the upper-right corner).
  2. Open Extensions.
  3. Select Manage extensions.
  4. Locate Phexotial in the list.
  5. Toggle the switch to disable it, or click Remove to uninstall.

Removing the extension restores your browser's previous new-tab behavior.

The website and the extension use separate browser-origin storage. Removing the extension deletes only the data stored under the extension's origin.

  • Website data (stored under phexotial.com) is not affected by removing the extension.
  • Extension data (stored under the extension's internal origin) is removed when the extension is uninstalled.
  • To preserve extension data before removal, export a backup from the extension first.

Before resetting, export a backup — destructive reset actions cannot be undone.

  1. Open the Sidebar (press L or click the sidebar toggle).
  2. Go to the Settings tab.
  3. Scroll to the Danger Zone section.
  4. Choose Reset Layout to clear only your layout (preserving other data), or Factory Reset to erase all local Phexotial data.
  5. Confirm the action when prompted.

Factory Reset requires typing ERASE to confirm. This permanently deletes all local workspace data, preferences, and feed cache.

Custom Orbit is an extension-exclusive feature that lets you import a local MP4 or WebM video file as your personal animated wallpaper.

  • Open the Sidebar → Appearance tab.
  • Find the Custom Orbit card below the built-in wallpapers.
  • Click Select video file and choose an MP4 or WebM file (max 200 MB).
  • The video is validated, a poster frame is generated, and it is stored locally in IndexedDB.
  • It activates automatically. Use the settings gear to adjust fit, position, dim, blur, and playback speed.

Privacy: The video never leaves your device. It is not uploaded or transmitted. It is excluded from backup exports — only metadata is included.

Recommendations: For best performance, use videos ≤60 seconds, ≤1920×1080, 16:9 aspect ratio, without audio (audio is automatically muted).

Troubleshooting

Phexotial Does Not Load

  1. Reload the page or open a new tab.
  2. Confirm your internet connection is active.
  3. Disable any conflicting new-tab extensions.
  4. Restart the browser.
  5. Test in a normal (non-InPrivate) browser window.
  6. Verify that browser storage (cookies and site data) is enabled.
  7. As an advanced step, open developer tools (F12) and check the console for errors.
  8. If the issue persists, contact support.

New Tab Shows Another Extension

Browsers generally allow only one active new-tab override. If another extension is overriding the new-tab page:

  1. Go to edge://extensions (or chrome://extensions).
  2. Find the other extension that overrides the new tab.
  3. Disable it or remove it.
  4. Open a new tab to confirm Phexotial appears.

Feeds Are Degraded or Offline

  • Use Refresh Signals (Shift+R) to retry all feeds.
  • Check individual feed health in the Service Status module.
  • Wait for the cooldown period to expire (typically one minute after repeated failures).
  • Verify the source feed URL is still valid.
  • Try replacing the source with an alternative feed.
  • If using a feed gateway, check whether the gateway is reachable.

Changes Are Not Saving

  • Private/InPrivate mode — browsers may discard storage when the private window closes. Use a normal window.
  • Blocked storage — check that cookies and site data are not blocked for the Phexotial origin.
  • Full storage quota — clear unused browser data to free space.
  • Browser cleanup utilities — some tools automatically clear IndexedDB on exit.
  • IndexedDB restrictions — certain privacy extensions may block IndexedDB access.
  • Conflicting privacy extensions — temporarily disable privacy extensions to test.

Native Orbit Did Not Unlock

The Native Link badge indicates that the Phexotial extension is linked to the current context. If it does not appear:

  1. Ensure the official Phexotial extension is installed and enabled.
  2. Open the Browser settings tab in the Sidebar.
  3. Retry the extension handshake by reloading Phexotial.
  4. Confirm the extension version supports Native Link detection.
  5. Reload the Phexotial page or open a new tab.

An already-unlocked reward should remain available even if the extension is later removed, because unlocked features are stored locally.

The Extension Toolbar Icon Is Missing

If the Phexotial icon does not appear in the browser toolbar:

  1. Click the Extensions puzzle-piece icon in the toolbar.
  2. Find Phexotial in the list.
  3. Click the pin icon next to it to pin it to the toolbar.

Capture Current Page Does Not Work

The extension's Capture Current Page feature (Alt+Shift+P) only works on standard web pages (http: and https:).

The following pages are not supported:

  • edge:// pages
  • chrome:// pages
  • about: pages
  • file: pages
  • Browser settings pages
  • Other extension pages

Navigate to a regular http: or https: page and try again.

Data, Privacy, and Backups

Local-First Storage

Phexotial stores all workspace data — layouts, saved items, projects, tasks, preferences, feed cache, and more — locally in your browser using IndexedDB. No data is sent to Phexotial servers, because there are no Phexotial servers.

External Requests

Phexotial makes the following types of external network requests:

  • Feed requests — fetching RSS, Reddit, and Hacker News content from originating servers or through a configured feed gateway.
  • Feed gateway — if configured, cross-origin feed requests are routed through a gateway to avoid CORS restrictions.
  • AI provider requests — if you configure an AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama), analysis requests go directly to that provider using your own API key.
  • Remote media — feed thumbnails and favicons are loaded from their originating servers.
  • Extension handshake — the extension and website detect each other through browser APIs; no browsing history is collected.

API Keys

AI provider API keys are stored locally in your browser's IndexedDB. They are not included in backup exports. They never leave your browser except when sent directly to the AI provider you configured.

Backup Guidance

  1. Open Phexotial Settings (Sidebar → Settings tab).
  2. Open the Data / Backup section.
  3. Click Export backup to download a JSON file.
  4. Store the file securely.
  5. Import it into another Phexotial installation when needed.

Do not edit backup files unless you understand the schema. Malformed or unsupported backups are rejected to protect existing data.

Website and Extension Separation

The website and browser extension use separate local storage areas. They do not automatically share a workspace. Use backup export and import to transfer data between them.

Extension Help

What the Extension Changes

The Phexotial extension replaces your browser's new-tab page with the Phexotial observatory. It also provides a toolbar popup, page capture, context menu integration, and an options page.

Local New-Tab Behavior

When the extension is enabled, opening a new tab loads Phexotial directly from the extension's bundled files. No external server request is needed to display the interface.

Toolbar Popup

Click the Phexotial icon in the toolbar to open the signal console popup. From there you can capture the current page or open the full observatory.

Capture Current Page

Use Alt+Shift+P or the toolbar popup to capture the current page. The page title and URL are saved to your Phexotial Reading Queue or Bookmarks. Only http: and https: pages are supported.

Extension Settings

Right-click the Phexotial toolbar icon and select Options, or go to edge://extensions, find Phexotial, and click Options. From there you can open full settings or import a backup.

Native Link

When the extension is installed and active, a Native Link badge appears on the Phexotial logo. This indicates the extension and website are connected through the browser. No online verification or DRM is involved.

Permissions

The Phexotial extension requests only the following permissions:

Permission Why Phexotial Uses It
activeTab Reads the current page title and URL only after the user activates capture (toolbar click or Alt+Shift+P). No passive tab access.
storage Stores small extension preferences (capture destination, diagnostics) via chrome.storage. Also provides access to IndexedDB, which stores all Phexotial workspace data and Custom Orbit video wallpapers locally.
contextMenus Adds optional "Save page to Phexotial" and "Save link to Phexotial Reading Queue" context menu items.

The extension does not request host permissions for passive browsing access. Tab information is accessed only when the user explicitly triggers a capture action.

Disabling and Removing

To disable: go to edge://extensions and toggle off Phexotial. To remove: click Remove. Removing the extension restores the browser's previous new-tab behavior.

Conflicts With Other New-Tab Extensions

Browsers allow only one new-tab override at a time. If another extension is also set to override the new tab, disable it to ensure Phexotial appears.

Contact Support

Still receiving static?

Email Phexotial support:

a1deffy@gmail.com
Email Support

Include the steps that triggered the issue and any visible error message.

Information That Helps

To help diagnose your issue, include the following in your email:

  • Phexotial version
  • Browser name and version
  • Operating system
  • Website or extension context
  • Exact steps to reproduce the issue
  • Visible error text (if any)
  • Whether the problem persists after reload
  • A screenshot with private information removed
PHEXOTIAL SUPPORT REPORT

Phexotial version:
Context: Website / Edge extension / Other Chromium extension
Browser:
Operating system:

Issue:
Expected behavior:
Steps to reproduce:
Visible error:

Troubleshooting already attempted:

Do not include feed URLs, API keys, personal notes, browser history, workspace data, or full diagnostics. The template is user-controlled — nothing is collected or transmitted automatically.