Spectator Zen for Twitch

About

Spectator Zen for Twitch is a lightweight Chrome extension that helps you enjoy calmer, distraction-free streams. With one simple toggle, you can clean up the Twitch page layout to focus on the video player—without fullscreen, without complicated settings, and without clutter.

Whether you’re watching esports, gaming, music, or just relaxing with a livestream, Spectator Zen reduces visual noise and helps you stay focused on the content you came for.

This extension is not affiliated with or endorsed by Twitch.

What you get

Zen Mode (ON / OFF)
Instantly switch between the normal Twitch layout and a cleaner, distraction-free experience.

Modular options (active only when Zen Mode is ON)
Choose exactly what you want to hide:
- Hide sidebar / recommendations: removes the left sidebar to reduce visual distractions.
- Hide chat: hides the chat panel for maximum focus.
- Cinema width (best effort): expands the player when Twitch applies width limits, without forcing fullscreen.

Smart default behavior
By default, Zen Mode applies only to channel pages (for example: twitch.tv/<channel>), so it doesn’t affect Home or Directory pages.

Optional experimental mode
An optional setting allows Zen Mode to apply on Home and Directory pages for users who prefer a clean layout everywhere on Twitch.

Keyboard shortcuts
Alt + Z: Toggle Zen Mode
Alt + Shift + O: Open the extension popup
Shortcuts can be customized at: chrome://extensions/shortcuts

Why Spectator Zen instead of fullscreen?

Fullscreen isolates the video, but it’s not always ideal. Spectator Zen lets you:
- Stay in normal browser mode while reducing distractions
- Multitask or use split-screen layouts
- Hide chat and recommendations without entering fullscreen
- Apply a consistent, calm layout across streams with one click or hotkey

It’s a focused viewing mode without changing how you use your browser.

Privacy-first by design

Spectator Zen does not collect, track, or transmit any personal data.
No analytics.
No tracking.
No accounts.
No external servers.

Only local preferences (such as enabled options) are stored using Chrome’s built-in extension storage.

Minimal permissions

The extension only requests what’s strictly necessary:
- Access to Twitch pages to apply layout changes
- Storage to remember your settings
- Commands to enable keyboard shortcuts

No additional permissions are used.

Built for stability and compatibility

- Uses Chrome Manifest V3
- Conservative, fail-safe CSS that won’t break pages if Twitch changes
- Lightweight handling of Twitch’s single-page navigation
- Compatible with modern Chrome versions and older Chrome releases (around 2022), including many Chromebooks

Perfect for

- Viewers who want a clean Twitch interface
- Anyone looking to hide chat or sidebar clutter
- Focused or “zen” viewing while studying or working
- A calmer, less distracting Twitch experience

Enjoying calmer streams? Support the project ☕
https://buymeacoffee.com/nightintel