aside-notification-activation

Notification Activation

Enabling website notifications requires TWO steps — browser permission AND site-level opt-in. Both are mandatory; browser permission alone does nothing if the site hasn't been told to send notifications.

Step 0: Check if already granted

Before granting permission, check if this origin already has a notification grant:

// Query the daemon to see if we already granted notification permission for this origin
const origin = new URL(page.url()).origin;
const existing = await trpcClient.inbox.getNotificationGrant.query({ origin });
if (existing) {
  // Already granted — skip to Step 2 (site-level opt-in) or Step 3 (source resolution)
}

If a grant already exists, skip Step 1 entirely. The browser already has "Allow for AI" permission for this origin. Proceed to Step 2 if site-level opt-in has not been done, then Step 3 before waiting.

Step 1: Grant browser permission

await page.grantNotificationPermission();

Call this on the target site FIRST. This does two things:

1. Grants "Allow for AI" notification permission at the browser level (silent, no dialog)
2. Records the grant in the daemon so future sessions can check without re-granting

After grantNotificationPermission() returns, wait for the page to settle before proceeding to Step 2.

Step 2: Enable notifications in the site's settings UI

This is the critical step. Most websites require you to opt in to desktop/browser/push notifications from their own settings page. The general strategy:

2a. Navigate to the site's notification settings

// Take a snapshot to orient — look for settings/gear icons, profile menus
await snapshot(page, { interactive: true });

// Common approaches:
// 1. Direct URL if known (check browsing history or guess common patterns)
//    e.g. /settings/notifications, /preferences, /account/notifications
// 2. Click settings icon (gear) → look for "Notifications" section
// 3. Profile menu → Settings/Preferences → Notifications tab