Tab Debt

About

Awareness, not productivity.

  Tab Debt shows you exactly how long each browser tab has been open. No judgment. No forced closures. Just simple awareness.

  What It Does

  Tab Debt tracks how long your tabs have been open and displays this information in a clean, searchable dashboard. That's it. No complex features, no overwhelming options—just straightforward tab awareness.

  • See how long each tab has been open
  • Search and sort your tabs by time or title
  • Optional: Display time directly in tab titles ([2h 15m] format)
  • Badge shows your oldest tab time on the extension icon
  • Click any tab in the dashboard to switch to it instantly

  Why It's Useful

  Ever close your browser and realize you had 30 tabs open? Ever wonder which tabs have been sitting there for days? Tab Debt gives you that awareness.

  • Spot tabs you forgot about
  • Find that article you meant to read
  • Understand your browsing patterns
  • Clean up when you're ready (not when we tell you to)

  Powerful Features

  Dashboard
  Beautiful popup with all your tabs listed, sorted by how long they've been open. See title, domain, time open, and "debt level" (Fresh, Medium, High, Critical) at a glance.

  Search & Sort
  Instantly search across tab titles and URLs. Sort by time or alphabetically. Find what you need fast.

  Bulk Actions
  Close multiple tabs at once based on age:
  • Close tabs older than 1 hour
  • Close tabs older than 6 hours
  • Close tabs older than 24 hours
  • Close all except active tab

  Individual Tab Actions
  Hover over any tab to see a close button. One click to close tabs you don't need.

  Stats Dashboard
  See total tabs, average time open, and oldest tab at a glance.

  Settings Page
  Full-featured settings with:
  • Toggle time display in tab titles on/off
  • Toggle badge display
  • Time format options (Short, Full, Verbose)
  • Notification settings (optional alerts for old tabs)
  • Export your tab data as JSON
  • Reset all data

  Privacy First

  This is important: Tab Debt collects ZERO data.

  • All data stored locally on your device
  • No analytics, no tracking, no telemetry
  • No network requests to external servers
  • Your browsing habits stay private
  • Uninstalling removes everything

  We mean it. Open the source code and check—there's not a single network request in the entire extension.

  Optional Features

  Everything is optional and can be toggled:

  • Title Display: Show/hide [Xh Ym] prefix in browser tabs
  • Badge Display: Show/hide oldest tab time on extension icon
  • Notifications: Get alerted when tabs exceed age thresholds (1h, 6h, 24h, etc.)

  How It Works

  1. Install the extension
  2. It starts tracking when each tab was opened
  3. Open the popup anytime to see your tabs
  4. Times update automatically every minute
  5. Toggle tracking on/off whenever you want

  Dashboard-Only Mode

  Don't want time prefixes in your tab titles? Turn off "Show time in tab title" in settings. You'll still get the full dashboard and stats, just without modifying your actual tabs.

  No Judgment

  Tab Debt doesn't tell you to close tabs. It doesn't automatically close anything. It doesn't nag you. It just shows you information. What you do with that information is entirely up to you.

  Some people keep tabs open for weeks—that's fine. Tab Debt just makes you aware of it.

  Who It's For

  • People who want to understand their browsing habits
  • Tab hoarders who lose track of what's open
  • Anyone who's ever closed their browser and regretted it
  • People who prefer awareness over automation

  Technical Details

  • Manifest V3 (latest Chrome extension standard)
  • No external dependencies
  • Minimal permissions (only tabs and storage)
  • Works offline
  • Lightweight and fast
  • Regular updates

  Permissions Explained

  Tab Debt requests these permissions:

  • tabs: Read tab titles and track when tabs open/close
  • storage: Save preferences and timestamps locally on your device
  • scripting: Display time in tab titles (optional, can be disabled)
  • alarms: Update tab times automatically every minute

  That's it. No location access, no browsing history, no personal data.

  Open Development

  Have feedback or feature requests? Email [email protected]

  Tab Debt is built with transparency and privacy as core principles.

  What Tab Debt Is NOT

  ❌ Not a productivity tool that forces you to close tabs
  ❌ Not an automated tab manager
  ❌ Not a memory optimization tool
  ❌ Not a replacement for good browsing habits

  What Tab Debt IS

  ✅ A simple awareness tool
  ✅ A way to see what you have open
  ✅ A dashboard for your browser tabs
  ✅ Privacy-respecting and honest

  Try It

  Install Tab Debt and see how long your tabs have been open. That's all we're asking. No commitments, no tricks, no dark patterns.

  Your tabs, your data, your choice.