Apple is focusing heavily on practical vibe coding with macOS Golden Gate, and Safari is getting one of the coolest features by far. With the Describe an Extension tool, you can simply explain what you want in a few words, and then Apple Intelligence will build it in seconds. The concept is deceptively simple, and it’s making me completely reconsider some web browser add-ons. No longer do I have to hunt down obscure third-party extensions and trust them with my browsing data. If I want a custom tool in my browser, Safari puts it just a few keystrokes away.
Obviously, there are some limitations and caveats to keep in mind, so read on below for a tour of what’s possible with this tool in the macOS Golden Gate public beta.
How Apple Intelligence Can Create Your Next Extension
The Describe an Extension feature is part of Safari 27 in macOS 27 Golden Gate. To try it today, you need to install the public beta of macOS Golden Gate. First, enroll your Apple account in Apple’s Beta Software program, and then activate beta updates from the Software Update pane in your Mac’s System Settings window. Just don’t install the beta on your primary computer since you might encounter OS-breaking bugs.
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The Describe Extensionoption appears under the menu button on the left side of Safari’s address bar. It displays suggested prompts with actions, such as highlighting a particular word on all web pages, closing duplicate tabs when you click a button, turning a web page grayscale, or showing a colorful firework each time you click on a page. These are just examples to illustrate what’s possible. The tool searches for similar extensions on the App Store and recommends them before generating extensions, too.
The Describe Extension option appears alongside Notify Me, which alerts you to changes on web pages using AI (Credit: Apple/PCMag)
The Describe Something Elsebox lets you type anything you can imagine, but only certain descriptions will work. The simpler the extension, the more feasible it is. For example, if you ask for an ad blocker, a password manager, or a VPN extension, the tool informs you that it doesn’t support those. That’s understandable because these are all complex types of software that need regular updates and support to function properly and securely.
Safari includes suggested prompts across categories like Boost Productivity, Improve Focus, and Get Creative (Credit: Apple/PCMag)
Extensions you create automatically sync between your Apple devices, including your iPhone. The Share Across Devices option in Safari’s extension settings window controls this behavior and is active by default. You can’t officially share an extension you create with another person yet, but you could always just send them the prompt you used.
Importantly, these AI-generated extensions are arguably more private than traditional browser extensions, which might include code that tracks your browsing. Even legitimate extensions can sometimes also get updates that carry malicious code. Extensions you generateeceive risky updates. Apple also limits the damage these extensions can do by preventing you from building complex, consequential tools, such as VPNs, too
To test out the Describe an Extension feature, I created a few extensions of increasing complexity. The feature worked well for simple things, although not always on the first try.
Extension #1: A Reactive Playback Button for Background Tabs
I began my testing of the Describe an Extension tool by typing a simple, single sentence into the prompt box: “A play/pause button that controls playback in background browser tabs in a single click.” Then, I clicked Create.
The Describe an Extension tool recommends similar extensions, but they aren’t always exact matches (Credit: Apple/PCMag)
Next, Safari shows a progress bar with a Creating Extension message while the AI builds your extension. The process took under thirty seconds, although it might take longer for more complex extensions. After clicking Try, the new extension button appeared on Safari’s toolbar for experimentation and testing. If it works well, you can click Saveto install it in Safari. If something doesn’t work as expected or you want to make changes, you can click Edit.
A persistent toolbar appears at the top of the Safari window when you’re generating and testing an extension (Credit: Apple/PCMag)
The button worked as I hoped, controlling playback in a YouTube tab in the background. However, I wanted it to switch between a pause icon and a play icon while media was playing. I clicked Editand told the AI I wanted that change. After clicking Update, the progress bar appeared once again with a new version of the extension. It worked as described, and I could continue going back and forth with the AI in this way. Unlike with most other vibe coding experiences, however, you can’t conduct full-on conversations with the underlying model.
You can prompt the AI model to change the extension from the Edit view (Credit: Apple/PCMag)
Extension #2: A Free, Multi-Image Downloader With a Slick Interface
For my second test, I tried building extensions with a user interface. First, I described an image downloader that would let me quickly choose which images on the current page to save to my Mac. Safari found several similar extensions on the App Store, but all of them cost money or had in-app purchases. In cases such as this, the Describe an Extension tool might be able to save you some cash.
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Extensions in the App Store are still a good choice if you want something more complex (Credit: Apple/PCMag)
The resulting image downloader worked well on the first try. It displayed a pop-up window with checkboxes and a download button, giving me an easy way to quickly download multiple images.
I also generated a simple note-taking extension that created and saved website-specific notes from a toolbar button. Safari got this right on the first try, too. The Describe an Extension feature excels at simple tools like these.
Safari lets extensions show pop-up menus, and the AI coding model takes full advantage of this (Credit: Apple/PCMag)
Extension #3: An AI Answer Blocker to Clean Up Google Search
Finally, I tried building an extension that hides AI answers in Google search results, complete with a button that unhides them. I described what I wanted, loaded the extension, and it didn’t work. Rather than attempting to fix the problem myself, I clicked the Edit button, typed “It didn’t work, can you try to make it work?”, and let Apple’s AI take another swing at it. That may sound silly, but it’s often how vibe coding works.
Safari lets you prompt the underlying coding agent for changes to your extension (Credit: Apple/PCMag)
Luckily, the resulting extension worked as advertised, hiding AI answers from Google until I clicked a button. Websites change over time, so extensions like this one might eventually break. Thus, a traditional browser extension that gets regular updates might be a better choice for a task like this.
The AI doesn’t ever update the extensions you build, so you may have to generate a new one if something breaks (Credit: Apple/PCMag)
Apple Intelligence Makes the Web Safer and More Personalized
I’ve been using AI to generate the occasional browser bookmarklet and AutoHotkey script for Windows for more than a year, but Safari’s Describe an Extension experience, along with the new Describe a Shortcut tool, represents a massive step forward for effective, consumer-oriented vibe coding. I’ve avoided many browser extensions for years because of security concerns, installing only a few that I feel I can trust. Now, however, if I find myself doing something tedious in my browser or wishing a web page functioned differently, I can turn to Apple’s feature with reasonable confidence. No AI tool is completely safe, of course, but the Describe an Extension feature doesn’t seem to have any incentive to capture my passwords or spy on my web browsing. I just wish Microsoft Edge in Windows 11 had something similar.
About Our Expert
Chris Hoffman
Senior Writer, Software
Experience
I’ve been writing about technology for more than 15 years and using it in earnest for over twice as long. As a member of PCMag’s software team, I focus on Windows coverage, but also write about other key desktop operating systems and system apps. (I used Windows 3.1 upon its release and have followed every subsequent release closely).
Prior to joining PCMag, I wrote for How-To Geek starting in 2011, and my articles amassed over a billion page views. I went on to run the publication as editor-in-chief for four and a half years. I have also contributed to Computerworld, Fast Company, PCWorld, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, and many other outlets about everything from AI to PC hardware to Windows. I founded and ran my own direct-to-reader Windows-focused newsletters, Windows Intelligence and The Windows ReadMe, working in partnership with Thurrott.com.
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