The project began with an uncomfortable observation: the most valuable learning resource ever built ships inside the most effective distraction machine ever designed. FocusTube exists to separate the two — without guilt, without accounts, and without asking anyone to leave the library.
Product philosophy
Protection should be layered, never all-or-nothing. A tool that demands total abstinence fails the person who needs ten minutes of tutorial — so FocusTube lets you subtract exactly as much noise as your day requires, and no more.
Every intervention teaches instead of scolds. Timers show their countdown, blocks explain themselves, unblock friction asks for a reason rather than a password. The product treats you as an adult negotiating with your own habits.
Design philosophy
The product ships one design language — Graphite & Iris — across every surface: popup, dashboard, overlays, block page, onboarding. Warm graphite, a single iris accent, hairline borders, spring easing. Restraint is the aesthetic; nothing glows, nothing begs.
Motion celebrates only what's earned. Rings close with a quiet spark, once per day, and every animation honors prefers-reduced-motion. Calm software shouldn't fight the operating system's accessibility settings to feel alive.
Privacy philosophy
Local-first is an architecture, not a policy. There is no server to betray you because there is no server. History lives in chrome.storage.local; sync writes plain JSON to a folder you own; AI summaries talk straight from your browser to your provider.
The extension ships as readable source. Every permission is listed with its reason, every data flow is inspectable, and SECURITY.md documents both the wins and the honest limitations.
How it's built
FocusTube is a hardened Manifest V3 extension: one service worker for timers and sync, focused content scripts per concern, and a single storage layer as the source of truth. Modules stay small; docs live beside code.
It's under active, honest development — v1.17 shipped the researched wave of companions, intent and streak insurance, and the roadmap is public. Selector drift on YouTube is named as the main maintenance cost, not hidden.
Each release added a layer: first the interface cleanup, then the systems, then the research.
The cleanup — ads, Shorts, autoplay, comments. YouTube, minus the machine.
The generalization — universal site blocking, Smart Lists, the first design system, Focus Score and heatmap.
The systems — cross-browser file sync, timezone-accurate history, and the Graphite & Iris redesign.
The research — companions, Watch Intent, streak insurance, adaptive goals, Sleep Guard, graduated friction.
Meet the developer behind FocusTube.
Prince Chouhan
I got tired of losing hours to YouTube. So I built the tool I wished existed.
FocusTube didn't start as a class assignment or a portfolio piece — it started because I was the problem. I'd sit down to watch one tutorial and surface two hours later, deep in a rabbit hole I never chose. I knew the algorithm was designed to do exactly that, and I wanted a way to fight back without leaving the platform entirely.
So I built the tool I wished someone had handed me: layered blocking, watch-intent prompts, focus rings, honest analytics — all running 100% on your device. No server, no account, no telemetry. AI summaries go straight from your browser to the provider you choose, and the entire codebase is open-source and auditable end-to-end. You never have to trust me — you can read every line it runs.
If this problem is yours too — if you're a student losing study hours, a developer stuck in the feed, or just someone who wants YouTube on your terms — FocusTube is free, the source is public, and contributions, forks and feedback are all very welcome.
Install from source in five minutes, close your first ring tonight, and read yesterday over coffee tomorrow.