Whorl

A Thunderbird extension that enables @-mentioning contacts.

Features

• @-mention autocomplete: Type @ in the compose window to trigger a dropdown with matching contacts
• Multiple contact sources: Searches address books, current recipients, and custom contacts
• Custom contacts: Add your own contacts that appear alongside address book results
• Blocklist: Exclude specific contacts from appearing in suggestions
• Configurable trigger: Change the trigger character from @ to any character
• Auto-add to recipients: Mentioned contacts are automatically added to the To field
• Smart recipient handling: If a contact is in CC/BCC, they’re moved to To when mentioned
• Theme-aware: Dropdown and settings automatically adapt to light and dark themes
• Keyboard navigation: Use arrow keys to navigate, Enter/Tab to select, Escape to close

Requirements

• Thunderbird 128 or later (Manifest V3)
• HTML compose mode (plain text mode not supported)

Installation

From XPI Package

1. Download the latest .xpi file from Releases
2. In Thunderbird, go to Tools → Add-ons and Themes
3. Click the gear icon → Install Add-on From File
4. Select the downloaded .xpi file

From Source (Development)

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Open Thunderbird
3. Go to Tools → Add-ons and Themes
4. Click the gear icon → Debug Add-ons
5. Click Load Temporary Add-on
6. Select src/manifest.json from this repository

Usage

1. Open a new compose window or reply to an email
2. In the email body, type @ followed by a name or email
3. A dropdown will appear with matching contacts
4. Use arrow keys or mouse to select a contact
5. Press Enter/Tab or click to insert the mention
6. The contact will be added to the To field if not already a recipient

Settings

Access settings by right-clicking the extension in Add-ons Manager and selecting "Options", or via Tools → Add-ons and Themes → Whorl → Options.

Available Settings

• Trigger character: The character that activates the dropdown (default: @)
• Maximum results: Number of contacts shown in dropdown (default: 10)
• Auto-add to recipients: Automatically add mentioned contacts to the To field
• Contact sources: Toggle searching address books, current recipients, and custom contacts
• Custom contacts: Add name/email pairs that appear in suggestions
• Blocklist: Patterns to exclude from suggestions (matches name or email)

Backspace Behavior

When your cursor is immediately after a mention:

• First backspace: Removes the last word (e.g., "@John Smith" → "@John")
• Second backspace: Removes the entire mention

File Structure

whorl/
├── src/                       # Extension source code
│   ├── manifest.json          # Extension manifest (Manifest V3)
│   ├── background.js          # Contact API & recipient management
│   ├── compose-script.js      # Autocomplete & mention logic
│   ├── compose-styles.css     # Dropdown & mention styling
│   ├── options.html           # Settings page
│   ├── options.js             # Settings page logic
│   ├── options.css            # Settings page styling
│   ├── icon-48.png            # Extension icon (48x48)
│   └── icon-96.png            # Extension icon (96x96)
├── scripts/
│   ├── package.sh             # Linux/macOS packaging script
│   ├── package.ps1            # Windows packaging script
│   ├── release.sh             # Linux/macOS release script
│   └── release.ps1            # Windows release script
├── dist/                      # Built XPI files (generated)
├── README.md
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
└── CLAUDE.md                  # Development guidelines

Permissions

This extension requires the following permissions:

• compose: Access to compose window details and recipient management
• addressBooks: Access to search contacts in address books
• scripting: Ability to inject scripts into compose windows
• storage: Persist extension settings

Building

Package the extension as an XPI file:

# Linux/macOS
./scripts/package.sh

# Windows
.\scripts\package.ps1

The XPI file will be created in the dist/ folder.

Releasing

Releases are automated via GitHub Actions. Use the release script to create a new release:

# Linux/macOS
./scripts/release.sh 1.0.0

# Windows
.\scripts\release.ps1 1.0.0

The script will:

1. Validate the version format
2. Update src/manifest.json with the new version
3. Commit the change
4. Create and push the tag
5. Trigger GitHub Actions to build and publish the release

License

MIT License

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read the Contributing Guidelines before submitting pull requests.

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Created by Den Delimarsky