Journal Genie is a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that makes it easy to switch between multiple accounts on journal websites like Dreamwidth, InsaneJournal, LiveJournal, and other LJ-compatible sites.

Instead of manually logging out and back in every time you want to switch accounts, Journal Genie lets you do it with just one click. It's perfect for managing character accounts for roleplay, personal blogs, community moderation, or any situation where you need multiple accounts.

Installing Journal Genie is quick and easy on both Chrome and Firefox:

For Chrome:

• Visit the Chrome Web Store and search for "Journal Genie"
• Click the "Add to Chrome" button
• Confirm the installation by clicking "Add extension"

For Firefox:

• Visit the Firefox Add-ons page and search for "Journal Genie"
• Click the "Add to Firefox" button
• Confirm the installation when prompted

After installation, look for the ✨ Journal Genie sparkle icon in your browser toolbar and click it to start adding your accounts!

Journal Genie is currently available for:

• Google Chrome - Full support on desktop and Chromebook
• Firefox - Full support on desktop and Android
• Chromium-based browsers - Edge, Brave, Opera (install from Chrome Web Store)

The extension works identically on all supported browsers, with all features available regardless of which browser you use.

Journal Genie supports all the major journal platforms:

• Dreamwidth - Full support including automatic API key generation
• InsaneJournal - Complete functionality
• LiveJournal - Full support for account switching
• Custom LJ-compatible sites - Any site that uses the LiveJournal interface

If your favorite journal site uses the LJ interface protocol, it should work with Journal Genie!

Adding your first account is simple:

• Click the ✨ Journal Genie sparkle icon in your browser toolbar
• Click "Add Account"
• Select your journal site from the dropdown
• Enter your username and password
• Optionally add a display name (like "My RP Account")
• Click "Save & Login"

Journal Genie will test your credentials and save them securely on your device.

The bulk icon upload feature allows you to upload multiple icon files at once to your journal accounts, saving you significant time compared to uploading them one by one.

Key benefits:

• Multiple files at once - Select and upload many icons simultaneously
• Automatic keyword generation - Sets sequential keywords like "Mood 1", "Mood 2", etc.
• Smart file validation - Checks file formats and sizes before uploading
• Seamless authentication - Handles login automatically if needed

Bulk icon upload is currently supported on:

• ✅ Dreamwidth - Full support with automatic API integration
• ✅ InsaneJournal - Complete functionality
• ❌ LiveJournal - Not currently supported

The feature automatically detects if your selected account supports bulk upload and will show a clear message if not.

Using bulk icon upload is simple:

• Open the Manage Accounts page
• Click the "📤 Bulk Icon Upload" button
• Select a Dreamwidth or InsaneJournal account from your saved accounts
• Add files by dragging and dropping or clicking to browse (JPG, PNG, GIF formats)
• Enter a keyword base (like "Mood" or "Character")
• Optionally add a comment for the icons
• Click "Upload Icons" and wait for completion

The extension will automatically log you in to the selected account if needed and upload all files with sequential keywords.

File requirements vary by platform:

• Formats: JPG, PNG, and GIF files
• Dreamwidth: Maximum 60KB per file
• InsaneJournal: Maximum 100KB per file
• Auto-resize: Icons will be resized to 100×100px automatically

Files that don't meet these requirements will be highlighted and won't be uploaded, allowing you to fix or remove them before proceeding.

Keywords are automatically generated using your base keyword plus a number:

• If you enter "Mood" as your base keyword
• Your icons will get keywords: "Mood 1", "Mood 2", "Mood 3", etc.
• The numbering starts from 1 and increments for each file
• This ensures each icon has a unique, organized keyword

You can always edit the keywords later through your journal's icon management page if needed.

Journal Genie comes with 8 beautiful built-in themes plus custom theme creation:

• Default - Purple/blue gradient (original Journal Genie look)
• Dark - Sleek dark theme for night owls
• Light - Clean, bright theme
• Blue - Professional blue theme
• Green - Natural green theme
• Red - Bold red theme
• Yellow - Warm yellow/orange theme
• Pink - Vibrant pink theme
• Custom - Create your own with any colors you want!

You can change themes anytime from the Manage Accounts page using the theme selector at the top.

Creating a custom theme is easy:

• Go to the Manage Accounts page
• Look for the theme selector in the header
• Select "Custom" from the theme dropdown
• Click the 🎨 button that appears next to the dropdown
• Use the color pickers to choose your colors:
  • Background Color - Main background gradient start
  • Secondary Color - Background gradient end
  • Accent Color - Buttons and highlights
  • Text Color - Primary text color
• Click "Save Theme" to apply your custom colors

Your custom theme will immediately apply to all Journal Genie interfaces.

Yes! Custom themes are saved locally on your device:

• Persistent storage - Your custom colors are saved even after closing the browser
• Easy switching - Switch between custom and built-in themes anytime
• Reset option - You can reset to default colors if needed
• Per-device - Themes are stored locally for privacy (not synced between devices)

Your custom theme settings will remain until you change them or reset the extension data.

Journal Genie offers three sorting options:

• Username - Alphabetical by account username
• Display Name - Alphabetical by the custom names you've given accounts
• Custom Order - Your personalized drag & drop order

Use the sort dropdown in the Manage Accounts page to switch between these options. Your choice is remembered across sessions.

You can create a custom order in two ways:

Method 1: Drag & Drop

• Set sort to "Custom Order"
• Click "Edit Order" to enable drag mode
• Drag accounts by the ⋮⋮ handle to reorder them
• Changes are saved automatically
• Click "Exit Edit Mode" when done

Method 2: Save Current Order

• Sort by Username or Display Name
• Click the "Save [Sort Type] Order" button that appears
• This saves the current alphabetical order as your custom order

When enabled, Group by Site organizes your accounts by journal platform:

• Accounts are grouped under their respective platforms (Dreamwidth, InsaneJournal, LiveJournal, etc.)
• Each group gets a visual header separator
• Within each group, accounts are still sorted by your chosen method
• Makes it easy to see all accounts for a specific platform at a glance

Toggle this on/off using the "Group by Site" switch in the Manage Accounts page.

This toggle controls which accounts are visible in the popup:

• Show All Sites OFF - Shows only accounts for the current website you're on
• Show All Sites ON - Shows accounts from all your journal platforms at once

This is useful when you want to focus on accounts for a specific platform or see everything at once. The toggle is available in both the popup and Manage Accounts page.

Yes! Use the search box in the Manage Accounts page to quickly find accounts by:

• Username - Search by the actual account username
• Display Name - Search by the custom names you've given accounts
• Domain - Find all accounts for a specific site

Search works in real-time as you type and combines with your sorting and grouping preferences.

Journal Genie includes three view modes to display your accounts in the Manage Accounts page:

• Card View - Default full-featured cards with all account details and buttons
• Minimized View - Compact cards showing essential information and actions
• Line View - Ultra-compact single-line display perfect for large account lists

Switch view modes using the "View" dropdown in the Manage Accounts page. Line view is especially useful for drag & drop reordering with many accounts.

Compact View is a toggle in the popup window that reduces the amount of information shown for each account:

• Normal View - Shows display name, username, and domain for each account
• Compact View - Shows only the display name (or username if no display name)

Enable Compact View using the toggle in the popup header. This is especially useful when you have many accounts and want a cleaner, more streamlined list.

Switching accounts is incredibly easy:

• Click the ✨ Journal Genie sparkle icon while on any journal site
• You'll see your saved accounts for that site (or all sites if "Show All Sites" is on)
• Simply click on any account to switch to it instantly
• Journal Genie will log you in automatically

The whole process takes just seconds!

Journal Genie shows different status indicators for your accounts:

• Ready (gray) - Account is saved and ready to use
• Logged In (green) - You're currently logged in to this account
• Error (red) - Account credentials need to be checked

Accounts with errors will show "Invalid credentials" and should be edited to update the password or tested to verify the credentials.

Use the "Test" button to verify your account credentials:

• Go to the Manage Accounts page
• Find the account you want to test
• Click the "Test" button on the account card
• Journal Genie will attempt to log in and show you the results

If the test succeeds, any previous error indicators will be cleared and you'll be logged in. If it fails, the account will be marked with an error status.

Display names are custom labels you can give your accounts to make them easier to identify:

• Username - Your actual journal login name (required)
• Display Name - A custom label like "Main Journal", "RP Character", or "Writing Blog" (optional)

Set display names when adding or editing accounts. They appear prominently in the interface and can be used for sorting. If you don't set one, the username will be shown as the main identifier.

The "Reload Tabs" toggle in the popup automatically refreshes other open tabs for the same journal site when you switch accounts.

For example, if you have multiple Dreamwidth tabs open and switch accounts, all those tabs will refresh to show the new account. This ensures you don't accidentally post or comment from the wrong account.

You can toggle this on or off based on your preference. The current tab (where you clicked to switch) is never reloaded.

Yes! In the Manage Accounts page, you can select multiple accounts for bulk operations:

• Use the checkboxes next to each account to select them
• Click "Select All" to select all visible accounts
• Click "Deselect All" when accounts are selected to clear the selection
• Selected accounts can be deleted together or exported as a group

The button shows how many accounts are currently selected.

Journal Genie includes special support for Dreamwidth that automatically manages API keys:

• When you add a Dreamwidth account, Journal Genie automatically generates an API key
• This provides more secure and reliable authentication
• API keys are stored locally and reused for future logins
• If an API key fails, Journal Genie will try to generate a new one or fall back to password authentication

This all happens behind the scenes - you just enter your regular username and password!

To edit an existing account:

• Click the ✨ sparkle icon and click "⚙️ Manage Accounts"
• Or in the popup, click "Edit" next to the account
• Update the username, password, or display name as needed
• Click "Update Account" to save changes

This is useful if you've changed your password on the journal site or want to update the display name.

Yes! Journal Genie is fully compatible with LJ Juggler exports:

• Open the Manage Accounts page
• Scroll to the Import & Export section
• Click "Choose File" and select your LJ Juggler export file
• Click "Import Accounts"

All your LJ Juggler accounts will be imported with their credentials preserved. You can test them after import to verify they work.

Journal Genie supports two export formats:

• Journal Genie Format - Includes all data: display names, custom sort order, validation status, and all Journal Genie-specific features
• LJ Juggler Compatible - Basic account data (username, password, site info) that can be imported into LJ Juggler

Choose Journal Genie format for full backups or transferring between devices. Use LJ Juggler format if you need to share with LJ Juggler users.

Creating a backup is easy:

• Open the Manage Accounts page
• Go to the Import & Export section
• Choose your export format (Journal Genie recommended for full backup)
• Optionally check "Export selected accounts only" if you've selected specific accounts
• Click "Export Accounts"

This creates a JSON file with your account data that you can save as a backup or use to transfer accounts to another device.

When you import accounts:

• New accounts are added to your existing accounts
• Existing accounts (same username and site) are updated with the imported data
• Validation status is reset - imported accounts start with "Ready" status
• Bulk operation - After import, click "Save All Changes" to confirm or "Discard Changes" to cancel

After importing, you can test accounts individually to verify the credentials still work.

If an account shows invalid credentials:

• Check your password - Make sure you're using the correct current password
• Edit the account - Click "Edit" and re-enter your credentials
• Test the account - Use the "Test" button to verify credentials
• For Dreamwidth - The extension will automatically try to regenerate the API key

If you recently changed your password on the journal site, you'll need to update it in Journal Genie too.

For custom journal sites:

• Make sure the site uses the LiveJournal interface protocol (has an /interface/flat endpoint)
• When adding the account, select "Custom LJ-compatible site"
• Enter just the domain name (like www.myjournal.com) without http:// or paths
• Some heavily modified LJ installations might not be fully compatible

If bulk icon upload encounters issues:

• Check the platform - Only Dreamwidth and InsaneJournal are supported
• Verify file sizes - Dreamwidth: max 60KB, InsaneJournal: max 100KB per file
• Check file formats - Only JPG, PNG, and GIF are supported
• Test your account - Make sure your account credentials are valid
• Try smaller batches - If uploading many files, try smaller groups

The bulk upload page will show specific error messages for any files that can't be uploaded.

If the Journal Genie sparkle icon ✨ isn't visible:

For Chrome:

• Click the puzzle piece icon in Chrome's toolbar (Extensions menu)
• Find Journal Genie in the list
• Click the pin icon next to Journal Genie to pin it to your toolbar
• Make sure the extension is enabled (toggle should be on)

For Firefox:

• Right-click on your toolbar and select "Customize Toolbar"
• Find the Journal Genie icon and drag it to your toolbar
• Click "Done" to save your changes

The sparkle icon should now appear in your toolbar permanently.

If account switching is having issues:

• Check your internet connection - Authentication requires connecting to the journal site
• Test the account - Use the "Test" button in Manage Accounts to verify credentials
• Clear browser cookies for the journal site if switching seems stuck
• For InsaneJournal - The site sometimes has slower response times
• For Dreamwidth - Try editing and saving the account to regenerate the API key

Yes! Journal Genie is designed with privacy as a top priority:

• Local storage only - All your account data is stored locally on your device
• No external servers - Nothing is sent to external servers or third parties
• No tracking - Journal Genie doesn't track your usage or collect analytics
• Direct authentication - Only communicates directly with the journal sites for login

Your passwords and account information never leave your computer except to authenticate directly with your journal sites.

Your passwords are stored securely:

• Browser's local storage - Passwords are stored in your browser's extension storage
• Local only - Data stays on your device, not synced to the cloud
• Browser security - Protected by your browser's built-in security systems
• API keys for Dreamwidth - Uses API keys instead of passwords when possible for added security

Only you have access to your stored credentials on your specific device.

Journal Genie requires these permissions to function (same on Chrome and Firefox):

• Storage - To save your account information locally
• Active Tab - To detect which journal site you're currently on
• Cookies - To manage login sessions for account switching
• Tabs - To reload other tabs when switching accounts (if enabled)
• Host permissions - To work with any journal site, including custom ones

These permissions are used only for the extension's core functionality and never for tracking or data collection. The permission model is identical across all supported browsers.

Yes, but each device needs its own setup:

• Install separately - Install Journal Genie on each device
• Export/Import - Use the export feature to transfer accounts between devices
• No automatic sync - For security, accounts don't sync between devices
• Regular backups - Export your accounts periodically for easy restoration

This design choice keeps your credentials more secure by not transmitting them over the internet.