Feed Blocker

About

Feed Blocker helps you stay focused on YouTube by hiding distracting content and replacing it with something useful: a to-do list.

YouTube's algorithm is designed to keep you watching. The homepage feed, the sidebar recommendations, the end-of-video suggestions — they all exist to pull you into the next video, whether you planned to watch it or not. Feed Blocker removes those elements so you can use YouTube intentionally, without the constant temptation to click "just one more."


WHAT IT BLOCKS
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Homepage feed
When you open youtube.com, the entire recommended video grid is hidden. No trending videos, no suggestions based on your watch history, no algorithmic rabbit holes. You see only the search bar and navigation — exactly what you need to find a specific video.

Sidebar recommendations
On any video watch page, the sidebar full of "Up next" recommendations is removed. The video player expands to fill the space, giving you a cleaner viewing experience without tempting you to keep clicking.

End-of-video suggestions (optional)
Those clickable overlays and video walls that appear in the last few seconds of a video? You can choose to block those too. Turn this on in the popup and you will no longer see end cards, end screens, or video wall suggestions when a video is finishing.


WHAT YOU GET INSTEAD: A TO-DO LIST
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When blocking is active and you visit the YouTube homepage, the feed is replaced with a simple to-do list. Instead of a wall of recommended videos, you see the question: "What are you here to do?"

Add tasks, check them off when they are done, and delete them when you no longer need them. A counter shows your progress (e.g. "3 of 5 done").

Your to-do list syncs across devices using Chrome Sync, so if you use the same Chrome profile on your laptop and desktop, your tasks stay up to date everywhere. The list respects YouTube's dark mode, so it looks right whether you use a light or dark theme.


THREE BLOCKING MODES
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Always
Blocking is active every time you visit YouTube. The feed and recommendations are hidden around the clock. This is the default mode and the simplest option if you want full-time protection from distractions.

Schedule
Set specific hours when blocking should be active. Perfect if you want to stay focused during work hours but allow yourself to browse freely in the evening.

  • Set separate start and end times for weekdays
  • Optionally enable weekend blocking with its own time range
  • Times are available in 15-minute intervals (e.g. 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM)
  • Overnight schedules are supported (e.g. 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM)

When you are outside your scheduled blocking hours, YouTube works normally with no restrictions.

Off
Blocking is completely disabled. YouTube works as usual. Use this when you want to take a full break from the extension without uninstalling it.


SNOOZE
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Sometimes you need a quick break, even during blocking hours. Snooze lets you temporarily pause blocking without changing your settings.

Choose from four durations:
  • 15 minutes
  • 30 minutes
  • 1 hour
  • 2 hours

While snooze is active, the popup shows a status badge with the time remaining (e.g. "Snoozed until 3:45 PM"). The snooze timer runs in the background, so it works even if you close the popup or navigate away. When the timer expires, blocking resumes automatically.

Changed your mind? Cancel snooze at any time from the popup to immediately resume blocking.


HOW IT WORKS
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Feed Blocker is a lightweight content script that runs only on youtube.com. It watches the page for YouTube's feed and recommendation elements and hides them using CSS. A background observer detects when YouTube dynamically reloads content (which it does frequently as a single-page app) and re-applies blocking as needed.

The extension does not modify, intercept, or read any video content, comments, or personal data. It simply hides specific page elements.


POPUP CONTROLS
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Everything is controlled from the extension popup — there is no separate settings page to find. Open the popup by clicking the Feed Blocker icon in your browser toolbar to see:

  • A status badge showing whether blocking is active, off, or snoozed
  • Mode buttons to switch between Always, Schedule, and Off
  • Schedule configuration (visible only in Schedule mode)
  • A toggle for blocking end-of-video suggestions
  • Snooze buttons
  • A cancel snooze button (visible only when snooze is active)


PRIVACY
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Feed Blocker does not collect, transmit, or store any personal data. There are no analytics, no tracking scripts, no external network requests, and no third-party services.

Your settings (blocking mode, schedule, end-of-video preference, and to-do list) are stored using Chrome's built-in storage and synced across your Chrome profile if you have Chrome Sync enabled. Snooze state is stored locally and does not sync.

No data ever leaves your browser.


PERMISSIONS EXPLAINED
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Feed Blocker requests only the minimum permissions it needs:

Storage — saves your settings (mode, schedule, to-do list) so they persist between sessions and sync across your Chrome profile.

Alarms — used to end snooze timers in the background, even when the popup is closed.

Host permission (youtube.com) — required for the content script to run on YouTube pages and hide feed elements. The extension runs on youtube.com only and cannot access any other website.


AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES
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Feed Blocker is available in English, French, and Spanish. The extension automatically uses your browser's language.


QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK
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If you have suggestions, run into a bug, or just want to say hello, you can reach the developer at [email protected]