# 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: 30). ### Weekly Email Reports An automated email digest sent weekly summarizing the user's YouTube habits, top channels, and score evolution. ## Plans ### Solo - Monthly price: Included - Max devices: - Watch history retention: months - Intent Mode: No - Behavioral scoring: Yes ### Plus - Monthly price: Included - Max devices: - Watch history retention: months - Intent Mode: No - Behavioral scoring: Yes ### Family - Monthly price: Included - Max devices: - Watch history retention: months - Intent Mode: No - Behavioral scoring: Yes ### Pro - Monthly price: Included - Max devices: - Watch history retention: months - Intent Mode: No - 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. ### 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 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: 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. ### Plans & Billing **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 (€4.99/mo) will see VAT added at checkout (€4.99 + 20% = €5.99 total). VAT rates vary by country. Lemon Squeezy handles all VAT compliance automatically - you don't need to do anything. ### 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 | 30 | 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. ## Recent Blog Posts - [YouTube Focus: How to Watch with Purpose and Stop the Rabbit Hole](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/youtube-focus-guide) - You open YouTube to watch one specific video. Forty-five minutes later, you're six videos deep into a topic you never planned to explore. Here's how to fix that.- [Gazenest vs Freedom vs Cold Turkey: Which Screen Time Tool Actually Works for YouTube?](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/gazenest-vs-freedom-cold-turkey) - Freedom blocks YouTube. Cold Turkey blocks YouTube. Gazenest doesn't block anything. Here's why that makes it more effective for most people - and when blockers are the right choice.- [Why Quitting YouTube Doesn't Work (And What Actually Does)](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/why-quitting-youtube-doesnt-work) - Millions of people try to quit YouTube every year. Most are back within a week. Quitting isn't the problem - the strategy is. Here's what actually works.- [Dopamine Detox from YouTube: Does It Actually Work?](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/dopamine-detox-youtube) - "Dopamine detox from YouTube" has millions of views and a growing Reddit community. But does it actually work? And is it the right solution to the problem you're trying to solve?- [How to Set a YouTube Screen Time Limit That Actually Works](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/youtube-screen-time-limit) - Your phone says you spent 40 minutes on YouTube today. Your gut says that's wrong. Most screen time tools miss browser-based viewing entirely. Here's how to get an accurate picture and set a limit that sticks.- [How to Stop Doomscrolling YouTube (and Actually Enjoy It Again)](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/how-to-stop-doomscrolling-youtube) - You opened YouTube to watch one video. Two hours later, you're deep in a rabbit hole of content you never planned to watch. Sound familiar? Here's how to break the cycle.- [YouTube Algorithm: How It Hooks You (and How to Fight Back)](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/youtube-algorithm-how-it-hooks-you) - YouTube's algorithm serves 700 million hours of video daily. It knows what you'll click before you do. Understanding how it works is the first step to not being controlled by it.- [How Much Time Do You Really Spend on YouTube?](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/how-much-time-do-you-spend-on-youtube) - The average person watches 48 minutes of YouTube per day. But most people drastically underestimate their actual screen time. Do you know your real number?- [YouTube Shorts Addiction: Why It Might Be Worse Than TikTok](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/youtube-shorts-addiction) - YouTube Shorts gets 70 billion daily views. It uses the same infinite-scroll psychology as TikTok, but it's baked into a platform you already use. Here's why that makes it harder to resist.- [What Is Intent Mode (and Why It Changes How You Watch YouTube)](https://www.gazenest.com/blog/what-is-intent-mode) - Most YouTube sessions start with 'I'll just watch one video' and end 90 minutes later. Intent Mode is a simple feature that changes this pattern completely. ## 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