Free Chrome extension · Open source

Watch YouTube on purpose.

Tell it what you're on YouTube for. It hides recommendations that don't fit, and stops you when a video pulls you off track.

Add to Chrome, it's freeSee how it works

No ads. No subscription. Runs only on youtube.com.

A YouTube home feed with YouTube Addiction Rehab: videos that match the goals stay sharp and the rest are blurred
Goal in this example: startups and web development. Everything else is blurred.

Three steps, then it stays out of your way.

  1. 01

    Write down your goals

    Say what you want from YouTube and what you want to stay away from, in plain words. There are no rules or keyword lists to maintain.

    Your goals
    I'm on YouTube to
    Learn Rust and prepare for system design interviews
    Keep me away from
    Prank videos, reaction videos, celebrity drama
    Hide Shorts
  2. 02

    Your feed filters itself

    Recommendations on the home page and beside each video are checked against your goals. Anything off-topic is blurred before you see it.

  3. 03

    Drifting gets a speed bump

    Open a video that doesn't fit and it pauses with a one-line nudge. Still want it? Type “this video is not a distraction” and keep watching.

Not another on/off blocker.

Typical blockers

Blocks all of YouTube, including the tutorial you needed

Keeps the videos that help you

One switch: on or off

Judges each video against your own goals

Turned off once, never turned back on

Stays on, because it doesn't get in your way

What it can see, and what it can't.

Video titles and your goals go to our server and AI providers only to make the call. We don't keep the titles.

Read the privacy policySee the source on GitHub

It reads

  • Titles of the videos on youtube.com pages you open
  • The goals you write
  • Your email address, from Google sign-in

It never reads

  • Your watch history
  • Any website other than youtube.com
  • Passwords, payments or messages

Questions

  • Yes. Every feature is free, with no usage limits and no ads. It's a side project and the developer covers the costs.

    Feedback keeps it going: send feedback.

  • Signing in with Google keeps your goals in sync and lets our server answer your requests. We use your email only to identify your account.

  • Your email, the goals you write, and the titles of videos on youtube.com pages you open. Titles and goals are sent to our AI providers (TypeSafe, with OpenAI as a backup) to decide what to show, and we don't store the titles. It never reads your watch history or any other website. Details are in the privacy policy.

  • Yes. Type “this video is not a distraction” on the warning and the video plays. The small effort is the point: it gives you a moment to decide.

  • Not yet. It runs in Chrome on desktop.

  • The original version is on GitHub. You can run it yourself with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Groq key, or a local model.

  • Email support@youtubeaddiction.rehab.

Let the 10-minute tutorial stay 10 minutes.

Install it, write one goal, and open YouTube.

Add to Chrome, it's free