[Dev][Addon] How to query tabs across addons using the browser API?

[vict0rsch]

I'm developing a browser extension / MAO and I'd like to query all tabs using one of the browser APIs.

My issue is that I can't see tabs from another workspace.

There is no option from browser.tabs or browser.tabGroups or browser.window that allows an extension to see all tabs across workspaces.

This is counter-intuitive (extensions run across workspaces in Zen) and borderline bug IMHO but maybe I missed something?

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi @vict0rsch! I'm Dosu and I’m helping the desktop team.

You didn't miss anything—right now, Zen's browser APIs (like browser.tabs, browser.tabGroups, and browser.windows) only let extensions see tabs in the current workspace, not across all workspaces. This is a known limitation and has been discussed as a regression since Zen 1.8b+; before that, extensions could access tabs from all workspaces, but that changed with the new tab management system. Workspace info (like workspace IDs) isn't exposed to extensions, and there's no public API for querying tabs across workspaces or even identifying which workspace a tab belongs to. The Zen team has cited privacy, security, and architectural reasons for this, and there's no official workaround or alternative API at this time. There are ongoing requests for a Workspaces API, but nothing has shipped yet. If your extension relies on cross-workspace tab access, you'll need to work within these current limitations for now.
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