Youtube Playback Guard

YouTube Playback Guard is a lightweight browser extension that prevents selected YouTube videos and channels from playing based on user-defined rules.

Videos are automatically paused on load and playback is blocked if the video title or channel matches configured blocklist rules. Content that does not match any rules plays normally without redirection or page modification.

All configuration and rule matching happens locally in the browser. The extension does not collect, track, or transmit any personal data.

Optional remote blocklists can be enabled by the user and are fetched only from URLs they explicitly provide.

How it works

- Automatically pauses videos on load
- Blocks playback if a video title or channel matches configured rules
- Allows safe videos to play normally without redirecting or breaking the page
- Supports optional remote blocklists (JSON) with periodic background updates
- Retains the last known good blocklist if a remote update fails

Key features

- Blocks YouTube videos by title keywords and channel handles
- Prevents playback without redirecting or modifying page navigation
- Supports remote blocklists (JSON) with user-controlled update intervals
- Uses optional host permissions for remote list fetching
- Works on Firefox and Chromium-based browsers
- No ads, tracking, analytics, or external services

Privacy and safety

- All processing is performed locally in the browser
- No personal data is collected, stored, or transmitted
- Remote blocklists are optional and only fetched from user-provided URLs
- The extension does not monitor user activity beyond evaluating the current video

Intended use

This project is intended to help users who want fine-grained control over YouTube content without relying on platform-level filtering.

It is designed to act as a non-confrontational safeguard and does not attempt to judge content beyond simple, transparent rule matching.

Design principles

- Fail closed: blocked content remains blocked if an error occurs
- Minimal permissions
- No ads, no tracking, no data collection
- Transparent, auditable behavior