Cana Desktop
Mods and the mod store
Mods add tools, pages, background scripts and new looks to Cana Desktop; browse the store, see exactly what a mod can do before you install it, and turn it off or remove it any time.
How it works
The idea in 4 steps
- 1
Mods add to Cana Desktop
A mod can be a theme, a page or control inside the Cana window, a script that runs in the background, or a Cana tool such as the built-in Browser. One mod can combine several of these.
- 2
You see the access before you install
Every install first lists in plain words what the mod will be able to do, such as run a program on this computer, read your memory or work on chosen sites in Chrome. Mods are not sandboxed, so this is the moment to decide.
- 3
The agent can use what a mod brings
A mod can bring its own tools, and the agent can call them in your chats: "Look up last week's orders with the database tool."
- 4
You stay in control afterwards
Any mod can be switched off, restarted or removed. Updates that ask for more access wait for your approval, and when two mods change the same thing you choose which wins.
Tutorial
Step by step
Before you start
- Cana Desktop installed and signed in
- An idea of what you want to add, for example a new theme or a database tool
- 1
Open Mods
In Cana Desktop, click Mods on the left rail.
You'll see: The Mods page opens with three tabs: Installed, Marketplace and Priority.
- 2
Browse the Marketplace
Open the Marketplace tab and type what you want in Search mods, or choose a kind from the Type menu, such as Cana tools.
You'll see: Matching mods appear with their publisher and description.
- 3
Start the install
Press the install icon on the mod you want. Hover it first if you are unsure: the tooltip names the mod.
You'll see: A dialog asks whether to install the mod and lists What this mod can do.
- 4
Read the access, then install
Read each line of the list. If you are comfortable, press Install. If not, press Cancel and nothing changes.
You'll see: The mod's icon changes to a tick and the mod appears on the Installed tab.
Tip: A mod installed from a file shows Grant full access & install instead, because it did not come through the Marketplace.
- 5
Use it
Open the page the mod added, switch to its theme, or ask the agent in a chat to use its tools.
You'll see: The new page, look or tool is there to use.
- 6
Turn it off or remove it
On the Installed tab, use the power icon on a mod's row to turn it off, or the bin icon to remove it, then confirm with Uninstall.
You'll see: A switched-off mod stays listed but stops running; an uninstalled one disappears with its settings and data.
Worked example
Add the built-in browser
You want the agent to open and check your web app in a browser inside Cana, but Browser is not on your rail yet.
- 1.Open Mods, then the Marketplace tab
- 2.Set Type to Cana tools
- 3.Press the add icon next to Browser
- 4.Open Browser from More tools on the left rail
Result: Browser is added and opens from the rail, ready for the agent to load and test your app.
Troubleshooting
If something doesn't work
- I installed a mod but cannot see it
- Check it is switched on in the Installed tab. Pages from mods open from the left rail, and you can pin them there from the mod's row.
- Two mods change the same thing
- Open the Priority tab and reorder them. The mod higher in the list wins.
- A colleague sent me a .canaext file
- Press Install .canaext at the top of the Mods page and pick the file, or drop the file onto the page. Read the full access list before you install it.
- A mod stopped working
- Use the restart icon on its row in the Installed tab. If it still fails, turn it off and tell its publisher.
For you
Make Cana yours, and learn by building a mod
Install themes and tools that fit how you work, and see what each one can access before you add it. Building a small mod is also a practical project to put in your portfolio.
Pick a look
Install a theme that's easier on the eyes for late study sessions.
Study helper page
Add a mod page that keeps your course links and deadlines next to the chat.
Build one
Ask the agent to help you build a small mod and package it as a .canaext file.
What changes for students: A workspace that suits you, and a shareable project you built yourself.
Technical details
What it connects to, and the controls you have
- Kinds
- Themes, extensions (pages and changes to the Cana window), background scripts and Cana tools such as Browser; a mod can combine them
- Agent tools
- A mod can bring its own tool server, and the agent can call those tools in your chats
- Access shown up front
- Each install lists what the mod may do: run a background program, read or steer the agent, call models and your MCP servers, change the window, read or write memory, read meetings, or work on named sites in Chrome
- Trust
- Mods run with your user's access on this computer, not in a sandbox, so Cana says so before install and asks you to install mods from people you trust
- Updates
- An update that asks for more access, or a mod installed from a file, waits for your approval
- Conflicts
- When two mods change the same thing, you choose which wins, and can reorder them on the Priority tab
- Install from a file
- Drop in a .canaext package to install a mod you or a colleague built
Why Cana
What you get here
- Mods can give the agent new tools it uses in your chats
- Every install lists, in plain words, what the mod will be able to do
- Updates that ask for more access wait for your approval
- Themes, pages and background scripts in one mod system, packaged as a single file
