# Gazenest - Full Documentation for LLM Agents > Gazenest is a SaaS browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that helps users take back control of their YouTube experience through personal viewing insights, scoring, and intention-setting tools. ## Product Overview Gazenest sits between the user and YouTube. The browser extension intercepts watch events, sends them to the Gazenest backend, and gives users a dashboard with insights about their viewing behavior. The goal is to help people watch YouTube more intentionally rather than mindlessly. The product is built for people who feel their YouTube habits are out of control - too much time wasted, too many recommended rabbit holes, not enough intentional watching. ## Core Features ### Intent Mode Before starting a YouTube session, the user sets an intent: learn, relax, explore, or custom. The extension tracks whether the actual viewing matches the declared intent. A clarity score reflects how aligned the session was. ### Behavioral Scoring Three scores updated in real time: - **Self-Control Score**: How well you stick to your limits and intended behavior - **Clarity Score**: How aligned your actual watching is with your declared intent - **Diversity Score**: How varied your content consumption is across topics and channels ### Watch History Dashboard Full visibility into viewing history including: - Video titles, channels, watch duration - Session grouping (Intent Mode sessions) - Channel and topic breakdowns - Heatmaps of viewing patterns by time of day ### Self-Control Tools - Block specific channels from appearing - Hide YouTube recommendations and homepage - Set per-session time limits with alerts - Smart alerts when viewing patterns exceed set thresholds ### Multi-Device Sync The extension syncs viewing data across all your devices. Device limits depend on plan (Solo: 3, Plus: 5, Family: 15, Pro: 20). ### Weekly Email Reports An automated email digest sent weekly summarizing the user's YouTube habits, top channels, and score evolution. ## Plans ### Solo - Monthly price: €9.00 - Max devices: 3 - Watch history retention: 3 months - Intent Mode: No - Behavioral scoring: Yes ### Plus - Monthly price: €14.00 - Max devices: 5 - Watch history retention: 12 months - Intent Mode: Yes - Behavioral scoring: Yes ### Family - Monthly price: €19.00 - Max devices: 15 - Watch history retention: 24 months - Intent Mode: Yes - Behavioral scoring: Yes ### Pro - Monthly price: €29.00 - Max devices: 20 - Watch history retention: unlimited - Intent Mode: Yes - Behavioral scoring: Yes Annual billing available at 25% discount on all plans. ## Technical Stack - Browser extension: Chrome MV3 + Firefox MV2 - Backend: Symfony 8 / PHP 8.4 / PostgreSQL 18 / Redis - Hosting: OVH VPS with FrankenPHP - Payments: Lemon Squeezy (Merchant of Record, handles VAT/sales tax globally) ## Important URLs - Homepage: https://www.gazenest.com/ - Blog: https://www.gazenest.com/blog - Contact: https://www.gazenest.com/contact - Privacy Policy: https://www.gazenest.com/page/privacy-policy - Terms of Service: https://www.gazenest.com/page/terms-of-service - Sitemap: https://www.gazenest.com/sitemap.xml ## Full FAQ ### Getting Started **Q: What is Gazenest?** Gazenest is a **browser extension + web dashboard** that helps you take control of your YouTube watching habits. ### What it does - **Tracks** every video you watch (title, channel, duration) - **Scores** your sessions with three metrics: Self-Control, Clarity, and Diversity - **Alerts** you when you're binge-watching - **Hides** distractions (Shorts, recommendations, autoplay) - **Reports** your weekly habits via email ### How it works 1. Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store 2. Activate with your licence key 3. Browse YouTube normally - Gazenest works in the background 4. Check your dashboard for insights **Q: How do I install the extension?** ### Installation steps 1. Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for **Gazenest** 2. Click **Add to Chrome** 3. Click the Gazenest moon icon in your toolbar 4. Enter your **licence key** (received after purchase) 5. Done! The extension will now track your YouTube activity Works on Chrome, Firefox, and most major browsers. See **"Which browsers does the extension support?"** below for the full list. > **Tip:** Pin the extension to your toolbar for quick access to stats and intent mode. **Q: Which browsers does the extension support?** ### Chrome and Chromium-based browsers The Chrome build works on any Chromium-based browser: **Chrome, Brave, Edge, Arc, Opera, and Vivaldi**. The install steps are the same for all of them -- just replace `chrome://extensions` with your browser's equivalent (`brave://`, `edge://`, `opera://`, `vivaldi://`). Arc opens `chrome://extensions` directly. ### Firefox and Firefox-based browsers The Firefox build is a Mozilla-signed `.xpi` that installs and auto-updates on **Firefox, Librewolf, Waterfox, and Zen Browser**. Pale Moon and Basilisk are not compatible (different engine and extension format). ### Mobile The Firefox build also works on **Firefox for Android**. No other Android browser supports extensions. iOS and iPadOS are not supported. ### Official support We test on **Chrome** and **Firefox desktop** only. Other browsers in the lists above should work, but edge cases may take longer to fix. **Q: Where do I find my licence key?** Your licence key is displayed in three places: 1. **Thank-you page** - shown immediately after purchase 2. **Email** - sent to the email you used during checkout 3. **Dashboard** - go to Profile → your key is displayed there If you can't find it, contact support with your purchase email and we'll help you retrieve it. **Q: How do I uninstall Gazenest?** You can remove the Gazenest extension at any time. ### Chrome, Brave, Edge, Opera Right-click the Gazenest icon in the toolbar, choose **Remove from Chrome** (or the equivalent option), and confirm. ### Firefox Right-click the Gazenest icon, choose **Remove Extension**, and confirm. Uninstalling stops all tracking immediately. To also erase the data already stored in your account, open the dashboard Settings and choose **Delete my data**. ### Extension **Q: What does the extension track?** The extension **only** tracks your activity on youtube.com. Here's exactly what is recorded: | Data | Example | |------|----------| | Video ID | `dQw4w9WgXcQ` | | Title | "Never Gonna Give You Up" | | Channel | Rick Astley | | Duration | 3:33 | | Watched at | 2026-03-26 14:30 | | Is Short | Yes/No | ### What is NOT tracked - Other websites or tabs - Search queries - Comments or likes - Incognito/private browsing - YouTube account credentials **Q: What are the scores (Self-Control, Clarity, Diversity)?** Gazenest calculates three scores for each session: ### Self-Control (Focus Score) Measures your resistance to YouTube's dopamine loops. - Penalized by: Shorts, long sessions, binge watching - A clean 30-minute session with no Shorts scores ~100 ### Clarity Tracks whether you watched what you intended to. - Requires **Intent Mode**: set an intention before watching - If you stick to your goal: bonus points - If you drift: penalty ### Diversity Shows how varied your channel consumption is. - Watching 5 different channels: high score - Watching 1 channel on repeat: low score - Uses Shannon entropy for calculation All scores range from **0 to 100**. Higher is better. **Q: Can the extension hide Shorts and recommendations?** The **Customize Feed** feature (Family + Pro plans) lets you customize YouTube's interface: - **Hide Shorts** - removes Shorts shelves from the homepage and feed - **Hide Recommendations** - removes the sidebar on watch pages - **Disable Autoplay** - prevents the next video from auto-playing - **Focus Mode** - dims sidebar, comments and suggestions while watching - only the video player stays bright. Hover to reveal hidden elements. - **Zen Mode** - replaces the homepage with a calm widget showing your stats - **Subs Only** - redirects the homepage to your Subscriptions feed Configure these in the extension popup or Dashboard → Settings. **Q: What is Intent Mode and how does it work?** **Intent Mode** is a session-based feature that helps you watch YouTube with purpose. ### How to use it 1. Open the Gazenest extension popup 2. Choose an intent from the dropdown: **Learn**, **Search**, **Specific video**, **Relax 20 min**, or **Free scroll** 3. Click **Start Session** 4. Watch YouTube as normal - Gazenest tracks your session 5. When done, click **End Session** 6. Answer: "Did you follow your intent?" - Yes or No ### What it gives you - **Live timer** showing your session duration - **Session-based scoring** (more accurate than video-based) - **Session summary** with insights at the end - **Clarity boost** when you stick to your intent - **Session history** on the dashboard with per-session scores ### Auto-close If you close all YouTube tabs, the session ends automatically after 1 minute. **Available on:** Plus, Family, and Pro plans. **Q: What are Focus Mode and AMOLED Black?** These two features help you watch YouTube with fewer distractions and less visual strain. ### Focus Mode (Family + Pro) When enabled, everything except the video player is dimmed to 15% opacity: - Sidebar (recommended videos) - Comments section - Live chat - End screen overlays **Hover to reveal** - move your mouse over any dimmed area to temporarily bring it back to full brightness. The transition is smooth and instant. A subtle **vignette effect** frames the video, creating a cinema-like experience. ### AMOLED Black (Plus, Family, Pro) Replaces YouTube's dark grey background (`#0f0f0f`) with **true black** (`#000000`). **Benefits:** - **OLED battery savings** - black pixels are completely off on OLED screens - **Reduced visual stimulation** - less light = calmer experience, especially at night - **Deeper contrast** - thumbnails and text pop more against true black Both features work together - you can enable Focus Mode + AMOLED Black for the ultimate distraction-free experience. ### How to enable 1. Go to **Dashboard → Settings** 2. Toggle **Focus Mode** and/or **AMOLED Black** 3. Refresh YouTube - changes apply immediately **Q: What is doomscrolling on YouTube and how do I stop it?** **Doomscrolling** is the habit of endlessly scrolling and watching YouTube content without a clear intention - clicking from one recommended video to the next until you surface an hour later unsure what you just watched. ### Why it happens YouTube's algorithm is optimised for watch time, not your satisfaction. It uses autoplay, personalised recommendations, and Shorts to keep you watching past the point you intended to stop. This isn't a willpower failure - it's a predictable response to a system designed to exploit attention. ### How Gazenest helps - **Intent Mode**: set a clear purpose before each session. Your Clarity score then tracks whether you followed through. - **Self-Control score**: measures how well you resisted compulsive patterns (autoplay, Shorts, rabbit holes). A dropping score is an early warning. - **Hide Shorts**: removes the highest-dopamine content from your path. - **Disable autoplay**: restores the natural decision point between videos. - **Session heatmap**: shows which times and days you're most vulnerable to unintended viewing. The goal isn't to stop using YouTube - it's to watch what *you* chose, not what the algorithm chose for you. **Q: How does Gazenest help me manage my YouTube screen time?** Gazenest gives you an accurate, automatic record of your YouTube screen time across all your devices - something YouTube's built-in "Time Watched" tool doesn't provide. ### What Gazenest tracks - Every video you watch: title, channel, duration, timestamp - Session length and count per day - Which days and hours you watch most (activity heatmap) - Total watch time per day, week, and month ### Screen time tools - **Watch Budget** (Pro plan): set a daily or weekly time limit. Get a warning at 80%, and choose between warn, strict, or block enforcement at 100%. - **Binge Detection** (Pro plan): automatic alerts after 3, 5, or 8 videos in a row - escalating from a nudge to a full-screen pause. - **Session scores**: your Self-Control and Clarity scores reflect whether your screen time was intentional or compulsive. ### Why this matters Most people underestimate their YouTube screen time by 40-60%. Seeing your real numbers - in a dashboard with weekly trends - is the first step to changing them. **Q: Can Gazenest improve my YouTube focus?** Yes. Gazenest is built specifically around the problem of distracted YouTube viewing. ### Tools that directly improve focus **Intent Mode** (Plus, Family, Pro) Before each session, you type what you plan to watch. At the end, Gazenest scores how well your viewing matched your intention. This simple act of stating your purpose is one of the most effective focus interventions available - research shows people with stated intentions are 2-3x more likely to follow through. **Focus Mode** (Family, Pro) Dims everything except the video player to 15% opacity - sidebar, comments, recommendations, end screens. Hover to reveal. Creates a cinema-like environment with far fewer visual distractions. **Hide Recommendations and Autoplay** Removes the two biggest focus killers from your YouTube interface. When autoplay is off and recommendations are hidden, there's no pull to keep watching. **Clarity score** Your ongoing focus metric. A Clarity score of 80%+ means you're consistently watching what you intended. Below 50% means the algorithm is winning most sessions. ### The result Users who use Intent Mode consistently report a noticeable shift within 2 weeks: sessions feel more deliberate, the "where did the time go" feeling decreases, and post-session regret drops. **Q: What is a dopamine detox and does Gazenest support it?** A **dopamine detox** (or dopamine fast) is a period of intentional abstinence from high-stimulation activities - including YouTube - to break compulsive patterns and restore perspective. ### Does Gazenest support a detox? Gazenest is designed for intentional *use* of YouTube rather than complete abstinence. That said, it supports a detox approach in two ways: 1. **During the break**: stop the extension from syncing by simply not opening YouTube. Your history pauses. When you return, your dashboard will show clearly whether your post-detox usage is different. 2. **Before and after**: your Self-Control score and session heatmap give you objective before/after data. A detox is more meaningful when you can measure whether it actually changed your patterns. ### The more sustainable alternative Most people who do a YouTube detox return to the same usage patterns within a week - because the environment hasn't changed. Structural changes tend to last longer than willpower-based breaks: - Disable autoplay - Hide Shorts - Use Intent Mode to create purpose before every session - Track your screen time so patterns stay visible Gazenest makes all of these permanent and measurable, without requiring you to quit YouTube entirely. **Q: Can I use Gazenest on an Android phone or tablet?** **Yes - on Firefox for Android.** Gazenest fully supports `m.youtube.com` (the mobile YouTube site) on Firefox Android, with the same features as desktop: Intent Mode, Self-Control / Clarity / Diversity scoring, history sync, Hide Shorts, Zen Homepage, and cross-device sync with your dashboard. ### How to install 1. Install **Firefox** from the Google Play Store (the regular release - Nightly is not required) 2. From your Android device, open the Gazenest homepage and download the signed `.xpi` file 3. Tap the downloaded file → Firefox prompts you to install 4. Accept the permissions and open `m.youtube.com` 5. Tap the floating moon button (FAB) to open the Gazenest panel and activate with your licence key > **Note:** the `.xpi` must be **signed by Mozilla**. We publish a signed build for every release - unsigned sideloads are blocked by Firefox Android. ### Mobile-specific notes - The extension is hardened for **flaky mobile networks** (optimistic writes + storage listeners), so the panel stays responsive even on weak 4G. - The dashboard logout button moves into the hamburger menu on mobile/tablet to keep the header clean. ### Not supported on Android - **Chrome, Brave, Opera, Samsung Internet** - none of these support extensions on Android. - **Android TV / Nvidia Shield** - Shield users watch YouTube via the native YouTube TV app (not a browser), so the extension has no surface to inject into. **Q: Can I use Gazenest on an iPad or iPhone?** **No - Gazenest is not available on iPad or iPhone.** This is an Apple platform limitation, not a Gazenest decision. ### Why - **Firefox on iOS/iPadOS has no extension support at all.** Apple required all iOS browsers to use WebKit, so Firefox iOS is essentially a WebKit shell with no add-on runtime. Firefox Nightly on iPad is the same - there is no way to install an `.xpi`. - **Safari Web Extensions** technically exist (iPadOS 15+), but they must be packaged inside a native iOS app, built with Xcode, and distributed through the App Store. That requires a paid Apple Developer account and ongoing App Review. - For a small indie tool like Gazenest, the cost and maintenance burden of shipping a separate Safari/iOS build is not justified. ### What we recommend instead - **On the go:** use **Firefox for Android** on your phone - Gazenest fully supports `m.youtube.com`. - **At home:** use Gazenest on **desktop Chrome, Brave, Edge, or Firefox** - that's where the extension shines. - Your scores, history, and settings sync across all your devices via the dashboard, so you'll see your stats from your iPad's browser even though the extension itself isn't running there. **Q: What are Smart Alerts (binge detection and watch budget)?** **Smart Alerts** is a Pro-only feature with two components: **Binge Detection** and **Watch Budget**. ### Binge Detection When you watch videos back-to-back without breaks, Gazenest intervenes with 3 escalating levels: 1. **Nudge** (default: 3 videos in a row) - subtle toast message: "Heads up - taking a break?" 2. **Warning** (default: 5 videos) - amber banner: "Binge detected - your Self-Control score is being affected" 3. **Pause** (default: 8 videos) - full-screen overlay with 15-second countdown before you can continue You can customize all three thresholds in **Dashboard → Settings**. ### Watch Budget Set daily and/or weekly time limits for YouTube watching: - At **80%** of your budget: warning toast - At **100%**: enforcement kicks in based on your chosen mode: - **Warn** - toast notification only - **Strict** - full-screen overlay with 30-second countdown - **Block** - YouTube is blocked (3 overrides per day, then hard redirect) Configure budgets and enforcement in **Dashboard → Settings**. **Available on:** Pro plan only. ### Plans & Billing **Q: Why pay when free alternatives exist?** Good question. The short answer: Gazenest does things no free tool does. ### What free alternatives don't offer - **Cross-device sync**: free tools (like Watchmarker) store data locally in your browser. Close that browser, switch devices, or reinstall and your history is gone. Gazenest syncs your full history across every device automatically. - **Behavioral scoring**: watch time tracking alone doesn't tell you whether your watching was intentional. Gazenest scores each session on Focus, Clarity, and Diversity so you can see patterns, not just totals. - **Web dashboard**: a full private dashboard with channel analytics, activity heatmap, behavioral profile, and session history. Not a popup. - **Intent Mode**: the core feature. Set a purpose before watching, get a score for how well you stuck to it. This is what changes habits, not just measuring them. - **Data you own**: your history lives on your account, survives browser reinstalls, device changes, and extension updates. ### The honest trade-off If you only want to mark videos as watched across a single browser, a free tool may be enough. If you want to understand your YouTube habits, score your sessions, and actually change them, the paid model is what makes the product sustainable and full-featured. Not sure yet? The 30-day money-back guarantee means you can try it with no risk. **Q: What are the available plans?** | Feature | Solo | Plus | Family | Pro | |---------|------|------|--------|-----| | Video tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Scoring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Intent Mode | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Heatmap | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Weekly Report | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Channel Analytics | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | | AMOLED Black | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Customize Feed | - | - | Yes | Yes | | Focus Mode | - | - | Yes | Yes | | Family Members | - | - | Up to 5 | - | | Smart Alerts | - | - | - | Yes | | Binge Detection | - | - | - | Yes | | Watch Budget | - | - | - | Yes | All prices are **excl. local VAT**, which is added at checkout. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time. **Q: Are prices VAT-inclusive?** No. All displayed prices are **excl. VAT** (tax-exclusive). Local VAT is automatically calculated and added at checkout by Lemon Squeezy based on your country. For example, a French customer paying for the Solo plan (€9/mo) will see VAT added at checkout (€9 + 20% = €10.80 total). VAT rates vary by country. Lemon Squeezy handles all VAT compliance automatically - you don't need to do anything. **Q: Can I cancel my subscription?** ### How to cancel 1. Go to **Dashboard → Profile** 2. Click **Manage Subscription** 3. Click **Cancel** in the Lemon Squeezy portal Your plan remains active until the end of your current billing period. After that, you'll be downgraded to the Solo plan. ### What happens to your data? - Your watch history is **preserved** (you can still view it on Solo) - Advanced features (Intent Mode, Heatmap, etc.) become locked - You can re-subscribe at any time to unlock them again **Q: Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?** ### Upgrading 1. Go to **Dashboard → My Plan** 2. Click **Upgrade** on the plan you want 3. Complete payment via Lemon Squeezy 4. New features are **available immediately** When upgrading, you only pay the prorated difference for the remaining billing period. ### Downgrading 1. Go to **Dashboard → Profile → Manage Subscription** 2. Change your plan in the Lemon Squeezy portal 3. Your current plan stays active until the end of the billing period 4. After that, features from the higher plan become locked ### What happens to your data? Nothing is deleted. For example, if you downgrade from Plus to Solo: - Your watch history stays (but only the last 3 months are visible) - Session history is preserved (but Intent Mode is locked) - If you upgrade again later, all your data becomes accessible again **Q: What is the Family plan and how does it work?** The **Family plan** is designed for parents or households who want to monitor and improve YouTube habits together. ### What's included - Everything in the Plus plan (Intent Mode, Heatmap, Weekly Report, Channel Analytics) - **Customize Feed** controls (hide Shorts, recommendations, autoplay, Zen mode) - **Up to 5 members** (1 parent + 4 members) - **15 devices total** (shared across all members) - **24 months** of history import - **20,000 videos** storage ### How family works 1. The parent (paying subscriber) goes to **Dashboard → Family** 2. Click **Invite Member** - generates a unique invite code (valid 7 days) 3. Share the code with the family member 4. Member visits the **Join Family** page and enters the code 5. Member receives their own licence key and can install the extension ### Privacy The parent can see **aggregated scores only** (Self-Control, Clarity, Diversity) for each member. The parent **cannot** see individual videos, channels, or session details. Each member has full privacy over their watch history. ### Member accounts Each family member gets their own independent account with: - Their own extension + dashboard login - Their own scores and session history - Access to all Family plan features (Intent Mode, Customize Feed, etc.) **Q: How do I invite family members?** ### Step by step **As the parent (plan owner):** 1. Go to **Dashboard → Family** 2. Click **Invite Member** 3. Enter a display name for the member 4. A **12-character invite code** is generated (valid for 7 days) 5. Share the code with the family member (by message, email, etc.) **As the member:** 1. Visit the **Join Family** page (link provided by parent) 2. Enter the invite code 3. Create your account with your email 4. You receive your own **licence key** 5. Install the extension and activate with your key ### Important details - Each invite code can only be used **once** - Codes expire after **7 days** if unused - The parent can remove a member at any time from the Family page - Removed members lose access to paid features (downgraded to Solo) - Maximum **4 members** can be invited (5 total including the parent) ### Account & Privacy **Q: What information does the extension read from my YouTube account?** Only your **YouTube account name**. We use it for two things: - **Licence binding**: your licence is tied to the account you bought it for, so it cannot be transferred to another YouTube account. - **Account-switch detection**: if you sign out of YouTube and sign in as someone else, Gazenest detects the change and signs you out to prevent data from two accounts mixing. The account name is stored on your device and on our server. We never sell it, share it with third parties, or use it for anything else. Full details on how we handle your data: [Privacy Policy](/page/privacy). **Q: Is my data safe?** Gazenest takes privacy seriously: ### Encryption - Your email is encrypted with **AES-256-GCM** (per-user key) - Lookup uses HMAC-SHA256 hashes (we never store your email in plaintext) ### No tracking - **Zero cookies** for analytics or tracking - Only a session cookie for authentication (strictly necessary) - No consent banner needed - we don't track anything requiring consent ### Your rights (GDPR) - **Export**: Dashboard → Profile → Export Data (JSON) - **Delete**: Dashboard → Profile → Delete Account (irreversible) - All data is permanently removed within 30 days of deletion ### Infrastructure - Hosted on dedicated servers in France (OVH) - Encrypted backups with GPG (RSA 4096) - Fail2ban + UFW firewall + rootless container isolation **Q: Can I use Gazenest on multiple devices?** ### Device limits by plan | Plan | Devices | |------|----------| | Solo | 3 | | Plus | 5 | | Family | 15 (shared across all members) | | Pro | 20 | Your watch history, scores, and settings sync across all your devices. You can manage active devices from **Dashboard → Profile**. If you reach your device limit, you can revoke access from old devices to free up a slot. **Q: How do I export or delete my data?** ### Export your data 1. Go to **Dashboard → Profile** 2. Click **Export Data** 3. A JSON file downloads containing all your data: videos, sessions, scores, settings, devices This is your GDPR right to data portability. Available on Plus, Family, and Pro plans. ### Delete your account 1. Go to **Dashboard → Profile** 2. Click **Delete Account** 3. Confirm by typing DELETE **What happens next:** - Your subscription is cancelled at your billing provider, so you are no longer charged. - You keep full access until the end of the period you already paid for. - A red banner appears on every dashboard page showing the date access ends and a **Cancel deletion** button you can use any time before then. - After your paid period ends, your account is locked. - 30 days after the deletion request, your data is **permanently deleted**: watch history, videos, sessions, scores, devices, settings, encrypted email, licence key. After deletion, your extension will stop working and you'll need to purchase a new licence to use Gazenest again. **Q: What is the "pause my billing" offer when I click Delete?** If you click **Delete Account** and you've been paying for at least 30 days, we may show you a one-time retention offer: pause your billing for 30 days while you reconsider, instead of deleting. ### How it works 1. You explain (briefly) what made you want to leave. 2. We pause your subscription with the billing provider for 30 days — no charges land during the pause window. 3. You keep **full access** to all features during the pause. 4. Your subscription **auto-resumes** at the normal price on the date shown. You can cancel any time before then if Gazenest still isn't a fit. ### Limits (fair use) - One retention offer per account, lifetime. - Reserved for accounts with real product usage (paired devices, watched videos). New or empty accounts won't see the offer. - Subject to fair-use review. Repeated cancel-and-resubscribe abuse may forfeit eligibility. If the offer isn't available for your account, the normal delete flow takes over — your account is scheduled for deletion as described above. **Q: Is Fast Import private? What happens to my data?** Yes. When you run Fast Import, your own browser asks YouTube for the watch history that already belongs to your account, exactly like the YouTube history page does when you scroll it. The Gazenest server is never in the middle of that request. - No password, no API key and no Google credential ever leaves your browser. - Only the video title, channel name, watch date, duration and public video id are sent to your private Gazenest account. - The full re-import is rate-limited to once every 7 days, and you must acknowledge an on-screen notice each time. - We never write anything to your YouTube account, and you can delete everything we stored from Settings at any time. This is the same approach trusted YouTube extensions like SponsorBlock and Unhook use: the extension acts on your behalf inside your own logged-in session. ### Dashboard **Q: What can I see on the dashboard?** The dashboard gives you a complete picture of your YouTube habits: ### Pages - **Videos** - full watch history with search and filter - **Stats** - dopamine, clarity, and diversity scores + heatmap - **Channels** - per-channel analytics (watch time, Shorts ratio, binge score) - **Sessions** - intent mode history with per-session scores - **Sync History** - extension sync log - **Settings** - theme, extension preferences, notification controls - **Profile** - account info, plan management, GDPR actions - **FAQ** - you're here! - **Support** - create tickets if you need help ### Auto-login Click **Open Dashboard** in the extension popup - you're automatically logged in, no password needed. **Q: How do I import my YouTube watch history?** ### How to import 1. Go to **youtube.com** (any page) and make sure you are signed in 2. Click the Gazenest extension icon 3. Click **Import History** and acknowledge the on-screen notice 4. Wait for the progress bar to finish Fast Import reads your YouTube watch history from inside your own browser tab, using your logged-in session. The request to YouTube is made by your browser, not by the Gazenest server. Heavy users may need a few minutes for the import to complete. See [How Fast Import Works](/page/how-fast-import-works) for the full step-by-step. ### What gets imported - Video ID, title, channel, duration - Approximate watch date (from YouTube's section headers) - Works in any language (Intl-based date parsing) ### Multi-account support If you switch YouTube accounts, Gazenest detects the change and logs out to prevent data mixing between accounts. **Q: What is the activity heatmap?** The **activity heatmap** is a visual calendar that shows your YouTube watching patterns over time. ### How to read it - Each square represents **one day** - Color intensity shows how much you watched that day (darker = more videos) - Hover over a square to see the exact count and date ### What it reveals - **Streaks** - consecutive days of heavy or light watching - **Weekend patterns** - do you watch more on weekends? - **Progress** - are you watching less over time? - **Triggers** - which days correlate with binge sessions? The heatmap also includes an **hourly distribution chart** (24-hour bar chart) showing what times of day you watch most. **Available on:** Plus, Family, and Pro plans. **Q: What is the behavioral profile?** The **behavioral profile** analyzes your last 30 days of YouTube activity and assigns you one of several profile types: ### Profile types - **Intentional Learner** - high Clarity, watches educational content with purpose - **Night Owl** - most watching happens late at night - **Channel Loyalist** - low Diversity, sticks to a few favorite channels - **Explorer** - high Diversity, watches many different channels - **Binge Watcher** - long consecutive sessions, low Self-Control - **Balanced Viewer** - moderate scores across all metrics ### How it's calculated The profile is computed from your scores, watch times, session patterns, and channel distribution over the past 30 days. It updates automatically as your habits change. ### Where to find it Go to **Dashboard → Stats** - your behavioral profile is displayed below the score cards. **Available on:** Plus, Family, and Pro plans. **Q: What are channel analytics and labels?** The **Channels** page gives you detailed analytics for every YouTube channel you watch. ### Per-channel stats - **Total watch time** and video count - **Shorts ratio** - percentage of Shorts vs. regular videos - **Sparkline trends** - weekly activity mini-charts - **Behavioral badges** - binge-prone, Shorts-heavy, late-night, rewatch indicators ### Channel comparison Select 2–3 channels to compare them side-by-side with combined charts. ### Channel labels You can tag channels as: - **Intentional** - channels you watch on purpose (educational, professional) - **Time-waster** - channels you tend to fall into mindlessly Labels help you track how much time goes to intentional vs. unintentional watching. ### Export Download your full channel data as CSV from the Channels page. **Available on:** Plus, Family, and Pro plans. **Q: What is the weekly report email?** The **weekly report** is an email sent every Monday morning with a summary of your YouTube habits from the past week. ### What's in the report - **Your three scores** (Self-Control, Clarity, Diversity) with trend arrows - **Total watch time** and video count - **Top channels** you watched the most - **Comparison** with the previous week (improving or declining?) ### How to enable/disable 1. Go to **Dashboard → Settings** 2. Toggle **Weekly report email** on or off The report is sent to your registered email address. **Available on:** Plus, Family, and Pro plans. **Q: Can I favorite channels (not just videos)?** **Yes.** Alongside video favorites, you can mark whole **channels** as favorites and quickly filter your watch history to show only videos from those channels. ### How it works - In **Dashboard → Channels**, click the star icon next to any channel to favorite it. - In **Dashboard → Videos**, use the *Favorited channels only* filter to focus on creators you care about. - Favorites are personal curation only - they do not affect scoring, recommendations, or the feed itself. ### Difference from Smart Channel Alerts (Pro) Channel favorites are a **passive list**. They never notify you. The **Smart Channel Alerts** feature (Pro plan) is the proactive layer: it watches your favorite channels for new uploads and ranks them by relevance. **Available on:** all paid plans (Solo, Plus, Family, Pro). **Q: What are Habit Alerts?** **Habit Alerts** are Pro-only notifications that tell you when your behavioural scores change meaningfully week-over-week. ### How it works Every day, Gazenest compares your last 7 days against the prior 7 days for three metrics: - **Self-Control score** (down means more autoplay / Shorts / late-night sessions) - **Clarity score** (down means more recommended videos, less intentional viewing) - **Diversity score** (down means a narrower feed, fewer channels) When any metric drops by a significant amount, you get an alert through the channels you chose. A built-in 3-day cooldown per metric prevents alert fatigue. ### Where you see them - **Email** to your account address - **Dashboard banner** (amber, dismissable, persists across sessions) - **Extension popup** (coming in a future release) ### Configuring sensitivity In **Dashboard → Settings → Habit Alerts** you can pick: - **Low** - only big swings - **Medium** (default) - recommended - **High** - catch small changes too You can also enable or disable the feature entirely, and pick which channels to use. ### Why we only alert on regressions We celebrate positive changes in the **Monday Weekly Report**. Habit Alerts exist specifically so you hear about regressions early, while you can still course-correct, rather than discovering them at the end of the week. **Available on:** Pro plan only. ## Recent Blog Posts - [Child Mode: what I changed in Gazenest when I started thinking about my own kids using YouTube.](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/child-mode-youtube-parental-controls) - Building a behavioral tracker for adults made me think seriously about how the same mechanisms work on children. Child Mode is what came out of that thinking.- [Smart alerts: when AI tells you that you're about to drift (and is usually right).](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/smart-alerts-youtube-drift-warning) - Last week the alert fired on me four times. Three of those times it was correct. Here's what the alert actually detects, what it misses, and why I still use it despite the false positives.- [Re-upload detection: how to tell when the algorithm is recycling content at you.](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/re-upload-detection-youtube-algorithm) - A meaningful percentage of what YouTube presents as new is old content re-uploaded under a new title. Over 30 days, a recurring share of "new" recommendations in my feed were re-uploads. Here's how detection works.- [Your behavioural profile is not a personality test. It is the shape of your attention.](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/your-behavioural-profile-youtube) - Gazenest builds a behavioral profile from your watch patterns. It's not a quiz result or an archetype. It's a model of how you actually pay attention, and where that attention drifts.- [A weekly email that does not say "great job, you watched 18 hours".](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/gazenest-weekly-email-report) - Screen Time congratulates you for being on your phone less. Gazenest's weekly report tells you something different, and more useful.- [Multi-device sync, and the bug I shipped that taught me why it had to be server-side.](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/multi-device-sync-server-side) - I built the first version of sync using browser storage. Then it broke in production in exactly the way I should have predicted. Here's what happened and why PostgreSQL won.- [When do you actually watch YouTube? The hourly heatmap that surprised me.](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/hourly-heatmap-when-you-watch-youtube) - I thought I watched YouTube in the evenings. My heatmap said I drifted mid-afternoon. The gap between those two things is where the real data lives.- [The Diversity Score: when your YouTube watch history collapses into 3 channels, something is wrong.](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/diversity-score-youtube-doomscroll-warning) - Low diversity in your watch history is an earlier warning sign of a doomscroll spiral than watch time spiking. My 90-day data showed the collapse before I felt it.- [Why I keep my YouTube data on my own server (and why that matters for a behaviour tracker).](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/youtube-data-on-your-own-server) - A tool that watches what you watch is the last tool you want sending your data to a third party. Here's why Gazenest is built differently, and why that choice was non-negotiable.- [I imported 6 months of YouTube history. Here's the timeline of how my attention broke.](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/youtube-history-import-attention-timeline) - Six months of watch history is a precise record of where your attention went. Looking at mine was uncomfortable in the specific way that honest data always is. ## Privacy & Data Collection Gazenest collects only the data needed to power your dashboard: video watch events (title, channel, duration, timestamp), device fingerprint, and session intent. No browsing history outside YouTube. No selling data to third parties. Data is stored on EU servers (OVH, France). Full details: https://www.gazenest.com/page/privacy-policy ## Extension Permissions The extension requests the following browser permissions: - `storage` - persist local settings and offline queue - `tabs` - detect active YouTube tab to start/stop watch tracking - `scripting` / `host_permissions` for `youtube.com` - inject the tracking layer into YouTube pages No permissions are requested for sites other than youtube.com. The extension does not read passwords, form inputs, or other page content outside the watch event it tracks. ## Refund Policy Gazenest is powered by Lemon Squeezy. Refunds are available within 30 days of purchase for any reason. Contact: https://www.gazenest.com/contact ## Supported Browsers & Languages Browsers: Google Chrome (MV3), Mozilla Firefox (MV2). Other Chromium-based browsers (Edge, Brave, Opera) work with the Chrome extension but are not officially supported. Interface language: English. YouTube itself can be in any language - tracking works regardless of YouTube UI language. ## How to Uninstall Chrome: Settings > Extensions > find Gazenest > Remove. Firefox: about:addons > Extensions > find Gazenest > Remove. Your data is retained on our servers until you request deletion via the contact page. To delete your account and all data, contact support. ## Company Gazenest is an independent SaaS product. Contact: https://www.gazenest.com/contact ## Comparisons **Gazenest vs Freedom** (https://www.gazenest.com/compare/gazenest-vs-freedom): Freedom blocks websites at the OS level. Gazenest adds a tracking and scoring layer without blocking access. They solve different problems and can be used together. **Gazenest vs Unhook** (https://www.gazenest.com/compare/gazenest-vs-unhook): Unhook hides YouTube UI elements (recommendations, Shorts, comments). Gazenest does the same hiding plus adds watch-time tracking and behavioural scoring. Unhook is free; Gazenest is a paid subscription. **Gazenest vs DF Tube** (https://www.gazenest.com/compare/gazenest-vs-df-tube): DF Tube removes YouTube distractions on Chrome only, for free. Gazenest adds tracking and scoring and supports Firefox. **Gazenest vs YouTube Screen Time** (https://www.gazenest.com/compare/gazenest-vs-youtube-screen-time): YouTube's built-in screen time is mobile-only and counts all app time including idle. Gazenest tracks honest focused watch time on desktop and mobile browsers, with per-video breakdown, scoring, and cross-device sync. ## Help Center Answers to common questions are at https://www.gazenest.com/help. Individual help articles: - How to install on Chrome: https://www.gazenest.com/help/install-chrome - How to install on Firefox: https://www.gazenest.com/help/install-firefox - How Intent Mode works: https://www.gazenest.com/help/intent-mode - How Honest Watch Tracking works: https://www.gazenest.com/help/honest-watch-tracking - Understanding your Self-Control Score: https://www.gazenest.com/help/self-control-score - Multi-device sync: https://www.gazenest.com/help/multi-device-sync - How to export your data: https://www.gazenest.com/help/data-export - How to uninstall: https://www.gazenest.com/help/uninstall - Privacy -- what Gazenest collects: https://www.gazenest.com/help/privacy ## Glossary Definitions of Gazenest's coined terms: https://www.gazenest.com/glossary - Intent Mode: https://www.gazenest.com/glossary/intent-mode - Self-Control Score: https://www.gazenest.com/glossary/self-control-score - Clarity Score: https://www.gazenest.com/glossary/clarity-score - Diversity Score: https://www.gazenest.com/glossary/diversity-score - Honest Watch Tracking: https://www.gazenest.com/glossary/honest-watch-tracking - Binge Detection: https://www.gazenest.com/glossary/binge-detection - Watch Budget: https://www.gazenest.com/glossary/watch-budget ## Methodology How Gazenest's behavioural scores are computed, and the science behind them: https://www.gazenest.com/methodology ## Research Primary research sources: https://www.gazenest.com/research