Your Hub, with more tools.

Turn off the unpacked Companion on your browser's Extensions page before installing the store version, so only one copy is active. You can keep that disabled copy while you check the new installation.

Refresh the Hub after installing. Source permissions and Companion settings may need to be set again. Website data stays in the same browser profile. Companion-managed app storage belongs to the installed extension. Export Journal, Keyboard, Streaming and Day Hub through Companion & data → My data before changing installations, then restore those backups with the new Companion connected.

Open the same Chrome Web Store listing in desktop Edge and choose Get or Get extension. If prompted, allow extensions from other stores, then confirm Add extension. Return to the Hub in that Edge profile and refresh it.

See Microsoft's installation instructions. This uses the Chrome Web Store listing.

For development and testing, you can load the ZIP below manually. General users should use the store button above. The ZIP does not install itself or receive store updates.

Download Companion 1.1.0 ZIP for testing

1. Extract the ZIP into a folder you will keep. Find manifest.json directly inside that folder; do not select the ZIP itself.
2. In a new tab, type chrome://extensions for Chrome or edge://extensions for Microsoft Edge.
3. Turn on Developer mode, choose Load unpacked, and select the extracted folder containing manifest.json.
4. Open Benny's Hub in the same browser profile and refresh it. This packaged preview connects only to that public Hub address, not localhost or a file opened from your computer.
5. Return to this setup page. Once it says Connected, open Companion settings and turn on Streaming and news and approve browser access.

Updates are manual: download and extract the newer package into the same folder, click Reload on the extension's card, then refresh the Hub. Close old streaming windows and launch a new stream. Changing files on our website does not update your installed preview.

To stop testing: turn the extension off or choose Remove on its card. Uninstalling removes its settings and Companion-managed app data, including journal entries and drafts. Export your apps first through Companion & data → My data. Other Hub website data is separate. Use the store button above for public installation.

If your browser or organization blocks developer extensions, use the store installation route where permitted.

Official instructions: Chrome development testing · Edge local testing.

The bar begins with no control highlighted and includes that blank step between loops. In Step mode, Space scans forward, holding Space for three seconds scans backward, and Enter selects a highlighted control. Auto scan follows the Hub’s parking preferences; with Parking off, it keeps scanning through a silent blank step. With Space brake on, tap Space to pause scanning, then tap again to resume; a three-second hold resumes when released. Only a dotted outline marks the selected button while scanning is paused; no Paused label or badge is added. With toolbar speech on, Paused is spoken after its label finishes. Parking clears the highlight and brings the Parked indicator into view. The blank step is silent in Step mode. Return to Hub is always the last control. Help includes Toolbar Speech On/Off, which controls Companion narration separately from video sound and Hub voice settings. The Mute/Unmute control changes video sound. With Communication Speaker Mode on in Hub Settings, Say I need help uses your chosen speaker and voice even when Hub TTS and Toolbar Speech are off. Keep the original Hub tab open.

Clicks on the movie keep the bar in control. For signing in or typing, use Alt+Shift+B to temporarily allow the website's keyboard and mouse controls. Press it again to return to the bar.

The revised preview reserves a separate area for the controls and fits the video above it. Service compatibility is still experimental; signed-in provider layouts need testing.