TubeStack Your YouTube library in Chrome—save tabs, organize like iTunes, resume where you left off.

TubeStack is a Chrome extension (Manifest V3) for people who keep many YouTube tabs open. It helps you save watch tabs into a local library, close them to free RAM, and come back later—with optional hooks to YouTube and OpenAI only when you turn them on.

Local-first: your library, playlists, and settings stay on your device in Chrome extension storage—not on a TubeStack server. TubeStack does not request Chrome History permission or scan unrelated browsing history. Privacy ↓ · Full privacy policy →

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What TubeStack is and does

Inspired by OneTab, built for YouTube power users. Instead of leaving dozens of watch tabs open, TubeStack collapses them into organized local playlists while preserving URLs and locally tracked watch progress (for videos you open while the extension is installed).

Core workflows

• Save open YouTube tabs from the toolbar or context menu; optionally close tabs after save to cut clutter and RAM use.
• Library view with an iTunes-style Artist · Album · Category browser, compact session picker, and searchable video list.
• Restore individual videos or whole saved sessions; focus sessions and queue tools for intentional watching.
• Organize with Watch States (workflow status), user-defined tags, themes/categories, video and stack notes, timestamp notes, decision logs, priority tiers, and local playlist snapshots.
• Optional YouTube Data API + OAuth (your keys): imports, metadata, subscription helpers, create/sync playlists on your Google account.
• Optional OpenAI (your API key): AI-assisted categorization and optional Watch State suggestions from titles/metadata in your saved library (only when you run it; suggestions are not applied until you confirm).

TubeStack is not affiliated with YouTube, Google, or OpenAI.

Organization: Tags vs Watch States

TubeStack uses two separate systems:

System	What it is
Tags	Freeform labels you create (e.g. React, CCNA, research). A video can have many tags.
Watch States	A fixed workflow status per video: Queue, Watching, Saved, Finished, Important, Reference, Skip, Add to Playlist. Filter and bulk-update from the dashboard and library.

Notes (video notes, timestamp notes, stack notes, research summaries, and decision logs) are stored locally in Chrome extension storage. TubeStack does not request Chrome History permission or scan unrelated browsing history. Optional OpenAI organization sends only metadata for videos you select when you explicitly trigger an AI action.

Chrome Web Store docs: docs/ (listing · release checklist)

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Features

OneTab-style YouTube tab saving

• Save all open YouTube tabs into TubeStack playlists
• Close tabs after saving to reduce RAM and browser clutter
• Restore individual videos or entire saved sessions later
• Preserve video URLs and resume positions when possible
• Organize tabs into reusable local playlists stored directly inside the extension

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Focus and resource management tools

TubeStack is designed to help reduce YouTube overload, browser clutter, and unnecessary RAM usage from large YouTube tab sessions.

Features include:

• Save tabs instead of leaving them open indefinitely
• Close saved YouTube tabs to reduce browser RAM usage
• OneTab-style YouTube queue management
• Focus sessions
• Queue management
• Prioritization systems
• Locally tracked watch progress on YouTube watch tabs (videoProgress, watchByDay) — no Chrome History API
• Resume later workflows
• Preserve watch progress when possible

Future versions may include:

• screen-time analytics
• session tracking
• recommendation filtering
• creator frequency analysis
• watch habit insights

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Playlist features and long-term YouTube library

TubeStack is designed as more than temporary tab storage.

Instead of losing track of hundreds of YouTube tabs, playlists, and saved videos, TubeStack allows you to build a long-term organized YouTube library directly inside the extension.

TubeStack supports:

• Local playlists stored directly inside the extension
• Favorite videos
• Watch later queues
• Priority systems
• Long-term archives
• Topic-based collections
• YouTube playlist importing/exporting

TubeStack organizes videos using:

• Artists → YouTube creators/channels
• Albums → user-defined topic collections
• Categories → organizational groupings

Examples:

Artist: Linus Tech Tips
Album: Homelab Build Ideas
Category: Networking

Artist: Veritasium
Album: Physics Concepts
Category: Education

AI-assisted categorization (Optional OpenAI integration)

TubeStack can optionally use the OpenAI API to intelligently organize videos.

AI features include:

• Automatic category generation
• Bulk video categorization
• Topic grouping
• Playlist cleanup
• Smart organization suggestions
• Category depth modes (broad vs detailed organization)

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AI categorization modes

Let AI decide everything

AI automatically creates and assigns categories.

Use my categories

AI sorts videos into categories you already created.

Choose category depth

Generate approximately:

• 10 broad categories
• 20 balanced categories
• 30 highly specific categories

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How videos are categorized

TubeStack attempts to categorize videos using:

• YouTube metadata
• video titles
• creator/channel names
• descriptions
• tags (when available)

Not all YouTube videos contain useful tags, so AI can supplement missing metadata and improve organization quality.

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YouTube API + OAuth features (Optional)

TubeStack works locally without Google integration, but additional features unlock when connecting your own Google Cloud project and YouTube account.

YouTube Data API v3

Used for:

• playlist imports
• metadata retrieval
• subscription analysis
• channel scanning
• playlist synchronization

Google OAuth

Used to authenticate actions on your YouTube account.

OAuth unlocks:

• Create YouTube playlists
• Import playlists from your profile
• Export TubeStack playlists to YouTube
• Create playlists as:
  • Public
  • Private
  • Unlisted

TubeStack stores API keys locally on your device using Chrome extension storage.

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OpenAI API integration (Optional)

TubeStack can optionally connect to OpenAI for AI-assisted organization features.

OpenAI features include:

• AI categorization
• playlist organization
• smart grouping
• category suggestions
• future recommendation tools

Your OpenAI API key is stored locally on your device and only used when AI features are run.

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Installing TubeStack (Developer Mode)

TubeStack is currently installed as an unpacked Chrome Extension.

Installation steps

1. Download the TubeStack ZIP or clone this repository
2. Extract/unzip the folder somewhere on your computer
3. Open Google Chrome
4. Navigate to:

chrome://extensions

5. Enable Developer mode (top-right corner)
6. Click Load unpacked
7. Select the TubeStack folder containing:

manifest.json

TubeStack should now appear in your Extensions manager.

Pin it to the right of the address bar by selecting the puzzle piece and pinning TubeStack.

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Privacy

TubeStack is local-first: saved videos, playlists, organization data, locally tracked watch progress, and most settings live in your browser’s extension storage, not on a TubeStack server.

TubeStack does not request Chrome History permission and does not scan unrelated browsing history. TubeStack can locally record playback progress for YouTube videos watched in YouTube tabs while the extension is installed, so it can preserve resume position, estimate remaining time, and build Focused Playlists. This playback progress is stored locally in Chrome extension storage (videoProgress per video and watchByDay for daily totals).

• Progress is observed on YouTube watch pages via content/youtube-progress.js (heartbeats to the service worker) and optionally captured when you save tabs from the open player or URL timestamp.
• Does not request the Chrome History permission.
• YouTube API keys, OAuth client/session data, and OpenAI API keys you provide are stored locally on your device.
• Google and OpenAI are contacted only when you enable and use those optional features; requests go directly from the extension to those services (not through a TubeStack backend).
• TubeStack does not sell your data. You can delete stored data from Settings in the extension or by removing the extension.

Full privacy policy →

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TubeStack setup guide

One-time Google Cloud configuration for the YouTube Data API v3 key and OAuth playlist tools, plus optional OpenAI setup for AI categorization.

In the extension:

• Connect YouTube (dashboard/connect-youtube.html) — plain-language, step-by-step sign-in for playlist import/export (OAuth Client ID + test sign-in). No TubeStack server.
• Setup Integrations — advanced checklist for YouTube Data API key, OAuth, and OpenAI.
• Manual fields remain in Settings. Full reference: dashboard/setup-guide.html.

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Google Cloud — one project

TubeStack uses a single Google Cloud project for both:

• YouTube Data API v3
• Google OAuth authentication

Everything can be configured inside Google Cloud Console.

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1. Create or select a Google Cloud project

Create a dedicated project such as:

TubeStack

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2. Enable YouTube Data API v3

Navigate to:

APIs & Services → Library

Search for:

YouTube Data API v3

Then click:

Enable

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3. Create a YouTube API key

Navigate to:

APIs & Services → Credentials

Then:

Create Credentials → API Key

Optional but recommended:

• Restrict the key to YouTube Data API v3 only

Paste the key into:

TubeStack Settings → YouTube API Key

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4. Configure OAuth consent screen

Navigate to:

APIs & Services → OAuth consent screen

Choose:

External

Fill out:

• App name
• Support email
• Developer contact email

Add the scope:

https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube

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Testing mode recommendation

Keep the OAuth app in:

Testing

Do not publish during development.

Under:

Test users

add the Google email accounts allowed to authenticate with TubeStack.

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5. Create OAuth Client ID

Navigate to:

APIs & Services → Credentials
→ Create Credentials
→ OAuth Client ID

Application type:

Web application

Add the authorized redirect URI shown in TubeStack settings.

Example:

https://YOUR_EXTENSION_ID.chromiumapp.org/

Paste the OAuth Client ID into:

TubeStack Settings → YouTube OAuth

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OpenAI setup (Optional)

TubeStack can optionally use OpenAI for AI-powered organization tools.

1. Create an OpenAI API key

Visit:

https://platform.openai.com/

Create an API key and paste it into:

TubeStack Settings → OpenAI API Key

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Important billing note

ChatGPT subscriptions and OpenAI API billing are separate systems.

Using the OpenAI API requires:

• API billing
• prepaid credits
• or active API payment setup

inside the OpenAI Platform account.

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Security

If you develop or fork this repo: do not commit real API keys, OAuth client secrets, or other credentials to GitHub, and do not paste them into public issues or screenshots.

If you use TubeStack as an extension: anything you enter in Settings—YouTube Data API key, OAuth Web Client ID, OpenAI API key—is stored only in Chrome extension storage on your own device. TubeStack does not upload those values to a TubeStack server or operate a backend that collects your secrets.

You create and control access in your cloud accounts (for example Google Cloud Console for the YouTube Data API and OAuth client, and OpenAI for API keys). Those services decide what your project is allowed to do; the extension keeps your credentials locally and, when you run a feature that needs them, sends requests directly from your browser to Google or OpenAI—not through TubeStack.

For more detail, see PRIVACY.md.

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Disclaimer

TubeStack is not affiliated with YouTube or Google.

Use YouTube API, OAuth, downloads, and AI integrations responsibly and in accordance with applicable platform terms and laws.

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License

MIT — see LICENSE