Google had already stopped supported Chrome releases from running Manifest V2 extensions. The August 31 Chrome Web Store purge creates a different break: browsers that still understand Manifest V2 can no longer depend on Google's marketplace to install or update those packages. Full uBlock Origin disappeared with the remaining MV2 listings, while Brave had to move a selected copy onto its own backend. Chromium browsers now need separate policies and distribution systems for extensions that Google no longer accepts, according to Google's cutoff timeline and Brave's support policy.
The deletion drew 476 points and 379 comments on Hacker News in the brief snapshot, an unusually large response to a store-maintenance deadline. That attention is a community signal, while the underlying event is confirmed by Google: all remaining Manifest V2 items were scheduled for removal on August 31, 2026. Web Iterate's report spotted the consequence beyond Chrome. The Chrome Web Store has served as the common catalog for several Chromium browsers, even when those browsers make different choices about the engine underneath.
The store deadline followed the runtime deadline
Chrome 138 was the final release that could run Manifest V2, and only when an enterprise policy was present. Chrome 139 removed that policy. An old installation on Chrome 138 or earlier may remain on disk after the store purge, but it cannot receive updates or be reinstalled through the Chrome Web Store. Once that browser moves to Chrome 139 or later, the extension ceases to function, according to the official support timeline.
For current Chrome users, then, August 31 was mostly the removal of listings for code the supported browser had already rejected. For a compatible browser, the store action is operational: there is no package to discover, no normal install button and no Google-hosted update route. The difference explains why Brave prepared its own distribution channel even though it is built on Chromium. Brave says Chrome Web Store removal would disable those MV2 extensions in Brave unless the browser supplied them independently.
Google began closing the store much earlier. It stopped accepting new public or unlisted Manifest V2 extensions in January 2022 and new private ones in June of that year. Warnings and staged disabling arrived later. The API decision predates the final purge; August 31 closes the catalog side of the transition, as the timeline records.
Why uBlock Origin cannot change one manifest field
Manifest V3 changes the execution model as well as the manifest file. Chrome moved background work to service workers, prohibited remotely hosted executable code and replaced blocking uses of webRequest with declarativeNetRequest for most extensions. Google argues that these changes reduce persistent resource use, prevent unreviewed remote code from running and avoid giving extensions a live callback over each network request. Those are concrete security and performance goals in Chrome's MV3 overview.
The migration cost is also concrete. Google's own guide says request handling must be rewritten in terms of declarative rules instead of converted through a one-call substitution. Under MV2, an extension can inspect a request and decide at runtime what to do. Under MV3, it generally submits conditions and actions for the browser to enforce. Policy-installed enterprise extensions retain a narrow exception for blocking webRequest, but ordinary store extensions do not, according to the blocking-request migration guide.
uBlock Origin depends on the older model. The full extension is a wide-spectrum content blocker with custom rules, multiple filter lists and a per-site dynamic firewall. Its project now lists the Chrome Web Store entry as removed on August 31 and directs Chromium users to manual releases that usually do not auto-update. The same official repository points Chrome users toward the separate uBlock Origin Lite project and lists no MV3 build of the original.
uBlock Origin Lite is actively maintained. It runs entirely through declarative mechanisms, so filtering can be ready when the browser starts and while its service worker sleeps. Its maintainer also says the two products remain different enough that the Chrome Web Store will not automatically move users from full uBlock Origin to Lite. The project FAQ asks users to choose explicitly based on the sites they visit and the filtering behavior they need.
The update problem extends beyond Chrome
Brave's response shows what browser independence now costs. Since version 1.81, Brave says it has hosted AdGuard, NoScript, uBlock Origin and uMatrix on its own backend. Users obtain those four packages through brave://settings/extensions/v2, separate from their former Chrome Web Store versions. Brave disables other removed MV2 extensions because continuing to run stale packages could expose users to unfixed security flaws, according to its Manifest V3 policy.
Brave's exception covers four extensions. The browser describes MV2 support as best-effort and dependent on cooperation from each extension author. Its built-in Shields blocker is separate from the extension manifest system. Users who rely on one of the hosted extensions are now trusting Brave to package and deliver it. The vendor's policy shifts update responsibility from one shared marketplace to individual browser vendors for the few MV2 projects they choose to carry.
Manual installation is a poor general substitute for that machinery. uBlock Origin publishes releases on GitHub, yet its installation notes warn that manually placed Chromium builds usually will not update automatically. A package frozen at a known version may keep working in a compatible browser, but every missed security or filter-engine update adds maintenance for the user or administrator. Google's version timeline leaves Chrome 138 as an obsolete browser branch, so its remaining MV2 compatibility does not provide a safe long-term path.
The practical choices differ by browser
Chrome users who want the same project's filter lists can install uBlock Origin Lite from the store, but they should expect a separate extension with different defaults. The maintainer says generic cosmetic filtering is off in Lite's basic mode and becomes available in Complete mode. Some filters cannot be converted to declarative rules, so Lite can be less effective on sites that fight blockers or require delicate anti-breakage fixes. On the other hand, its fully declarative design filters at browser launch and keeps the extension's service worker light, as the uBO Lite FAQ explains.
Firefox keeps another route open. Mozilla supports Manifest V2 alongside V3 and retains both blocking webRequest and declarativeNetRequest. That lets the full uBlock Origin continue using the network-control model it was designed around. Mozilla's explanation of its MV3 implementation is also a reminder that a manifest label does not guarantee identical APIs across browsers. Developers still need to check what each engine permits.
Brave users can enable the browser-hosted MV2 copy or use Brave's native Shields. Other Chromium browsers need to publish their own position on runtime support and package delivery; Chromium compatibility alone no longer answers either question. The uBlock Origin repository currently lists separate installation routes for Firefox, Edge and Opera, which is safer guidance than assuming a Chrome Web Store link will work everywhere.
Update delivery is now browser-specific
Brave's four-extension exception can last only while the browser keeps its MV2 patches, the authors cooperate and each hosted package continues to receive safe updates. uBlock Origin Lite is moving too: its FAQ notes that custom filters and external list subscriptions were added in June 2026, even though some runtime filtering still cannot be ported. Watch release freshness and vendor-hosted update behavior. Any further convergence in MV3 filtering APIs could reduce the split; if progress stalls, browser vendors and extension teams will keep carrying separate update systems long after the one-day cleanup.