TermBot

Neutral clause reader. A Chrome extension plus a local Python sidecar that marks easy-to-miss structure in loan, insurance, and wealth terms.

Reading help, not advice. It does not click agree, submit, or fill forms.

Spec (governance, not this product): Fintech-CUI-Trust-Framework

Demo

▶️ Watch the short demo on YouTube
⬇️ Download the full MP4 demo

TermBot highlights easy-to-miss fees, limits, rights, conditions, and exclusions directly on a terms page. Reading help, not advice.

What it does

On a recognized terms page it fills five kinds of span: Fee, Limit, Right, Condition, Exclusion. Click a span for one plain-language line, one round-integer example, and Reading help, not advice.

Unrecognized pages get a corner chip Read this page. Folded clauses get Hidden terms here. Clicking that chip points at the fold. It does not open the fold. You can ignore it.

The toolbar switch is the only master switch. Off restores the page.

Install the extension

1. Chrome → chrome://extensions → Developer mode → Load unpacked.
2. Choose the extension/ folder in this repo (the folder that contains manifest.json).
3. Open fixtures/loan.html to check marks. Open fixtures/gated.html to check Hidden terms here.

Local sidecar (click explanations)

Scan stays on the page. Clicking a span calls http://127.0.0.1:8787/explain with this sentence plus one before and one after.

python3 sidecar/app.py

Config lives off-repo at ~/.clause-reader/config.yaml (mode 600). Copy sidecar/config.example.yaml. The sidecar is stdlib only; sidecar/requirements.txt is empty on purpose.

protocol: openai          # openai | anthropic
base_url: https://api.openai.com/v1
api_key: sk-...
model: gpt-4o-mini
listen: 127.0.0.1:8787

No config / sidecar down → timeout card. Generation boundary fail → cannot-read card. A login wall is not cannot-read.

Generation boundary

Two lines only. Page numbers win. If the page has no number, a round integer plus The exact amount is not on this page.

Forbidden: buy / don't-buy, guarantees, comparison, scores, invented rates / fees / day counts / payouts, story wrappers.

Never

• Click Agree / Submit, fill forms, or log in for you
• Send passwords, cookies, session, cards, ID, full HTML, or other tabs
• Persist full clause text
• Open a hidden fold without you

Layout

extension/     Chrome MV3
sidecar/       local HTTP adapter
fixtures/      acceptance pages
docs/plans/    locked design and engineering plan