Browser Extension
The SimSweep Browser Extension captures download URLs when you grab CC, linking files back to their source for the CC Hub.
The SimSweep Browser Extension captures download URLs when you grab CC from the web. SimSweep uses those URLs to link your files back to their original source, which feeds into the CC Hub and helps the whole community.
What It Does
When you download a .package or .ts4script file from a CC site, the extension:
- Captures the source URL (the page you downloaded from)
- Extracts metadata from the page (creator name, categories, tags, dependencies, required packs, thumbnails)
- Sends that data to SimSweep
- SimSweep matches the downloaded file to the source URL using file hashes
The result: your files in My CC get source badges (TSR, MTS, CurseForge, etc.) and clickable download links. Other CC Hub users can see those links too.
Supported Sites
The extension captures downloads from all major CC sites:
- The Sims Resource (TSR)
- ModTheSims (MTS)
- CurseForge
- Patreon
- itch.io
- NexusMods
- Tumblr
- SimFileShare (SFS)
- Google Drive
- Mega
- LoversLab (auto-flagged as NSFW)
- wicked.cc (auto-flagged as NSFW)
Plus most other sites where CC gets hosted. The extension tracks per-tab URLs so even when downloads come from external CDN hosts (Box.com, Cloudflare CDN, itchio mirrors), they get correctly attributed to the source page.
Site-Specific Extraction
On certain sites, the extension does more than just capture URLs. It reads structured data from the page:
| Site | What it extracts |
|---|---|
| CurseForge | Categories, tags, dependencies, required packs |
| NexusMods | Categories, tags, dependencies |
| TSR | Categories, tags. Session-specific URLs (like /thankyou/ pages) get normalized to canonical item URLs |
| MTS | Author name (from sidebar, not the "My Profile" nav link), categories |
| itch.io | Creator from URL subdomain (e.g., kuttoe.itch.io > "kuttoe") |
| SFS | Creator from filename pattern (SFS display names are often mangled) |
How Downloads Get Captured
The extension uses Chrome's download API to detect when a .package or .ts4script file finishes downloading. It then matches the download to the active tab's URL.
MV3 service worker handling: Chrome's Manifest V3 can kill the extension's service worker during long downloads. To handle this:
- A keep-alive interval prevents premature shutoff
- A polling fallback checks for completed downloads every 30 seconds, catching anything the service worker missed
- Tab data is stored in local storage (not session storage) so it survives worker restarts
Pre-Install Scanning
When the extension captures a download, SimSweep's notification system picks it up. Before you install the file, SimSweep runs a pre-install check:
- DBPF header validation - Makes sure the file is a valid package
- SHA-256 hashing - Checks for duplicates against your existing scan cache
- Malware signature matching - Compares against the threat database
- Behavioral analysis - For
.ts4scriptfiles, checks for suspicious patterns - Conflict detection - Scans for conflicts with your existing mods
- Dependency check - Identifies missing meshes or required companion files
- Archive support - RAR and 7z archives get unpacked and each file inside is checked individually
You'll see the results in the notification panel. A brief popup slides up from the footer showing the filename and verdict. Click it (or the footer badge) to open the full notification center with per-file Install, Ignore, or Undo actions. Batch "Install All" and "Ignore All" buttons appear when multiple files are waiting.
Install modes
Configure how installs work in Settings > Advanced > Extension:
- Install prompts - Off, Manual (ask first), or Auto (install clean files automatically)
- Archive extraction - Automatically unpack downloaded archives
- Pre-flight checks - Toggle the scan-before-install checks
- Malware scanning - Toggle malware checks on downloads
- Copy vs. move - Whether to copy the file to Mods or move it
Installation
The extension is available for Chrome and Chromium-based browsers (Edge, Brave, etc.).
- Install from the Chrome Web Store (or load unpacked for development)
- Pin it to your toolbar so the icon is visible
- Sign in with the same account you use in SimSweep
That's it. Downloads are captured automatically going forward.
Privacy
The extension only activates on CC download sites. It doesn't track your general browsing. The data it sends is:
- The URL of the page you downloaded from
- Page metadata (title, creator name, categories)
- The file's hash (not the file itself)
It doesn't send your browsing history, personal data, or anything from non-CC sites.