Advanced FAQ & Pattern Matching Guide

Advanced Technical Questions

How do the block icons work technically?

CleanTube adds 🚫 icons in multiple locations:

Video Overlays - Appear on hover over video thumbnails for channel blocking
Comment Authors - Next to usernames in comment sections
Channel Names - Next to channel names on video pages
Shorts - Bottom-left corner for keyword/title blocking (not channel blocking)
Live Chat - Next to usernames in live chat messages

Icons are semi-transparent by default and become prominent on hover for minimal UI interference.

How does the live statistics feature work?

CleanTube tracks your blocking activity in real-time:

Session Stats - Videos, comments, shorts, live chat messages, and notifications blocked this session
Timer - Shows how long you've been browsing YouTube
Floating Display - Bottom-left corner with transparency options
Popup View - Detailed breakdown in the Settings tab

Statistics reset when you restart your browser or navigate away from YouTube.

How does live chat blocking work technically?

CleanTube blocks messages in YouTube live chat streams in real-time:

User Blocking - Hide messages from specific users (works with @username format)
Channel Blocking - Block messages from users who match your blocked channel patterns
Keyword Filtering - Hide messages containing blocked keywords, wildcards, or regex patterns
Real-time Processing - Messages are filtered instantly as they appear
Smooth Animations - Blocked messages fade out smoothly instead of disappearing abruptly
Cross-frame Support - Works within YouTube's live chat iframes

Live chat blocking uses the same block lists as regular content, so no additional setup is needed.

Why can't I block YouTube Shorts by channel?

YouTube Shorts have a different layout that doesn't display channel names in the grid view, making channel-based blocking technically challenging.

Shorts Blocking Options:

Title Keywords - Block shorts containing specific words
Pattern Matching - Use wildcards like *PRANK* to block prank shorts
Content-Based - Block by video title content rather than creator

For comprehensive channel blocking, focus on regular videos, comments, and notifications which fully support channel-based filtering.

How do I manage large block lists efficiently?

CleanTube provides several management tools:

Search Filters - Type to search within your blocked lists
Bulk Patterns - Use wildcards to block multiple channels at once
Quick Unblock - Click "Unblock" buttons directly in the popup
Context Menu - Right-click to unblock previously blocked items

Example: Instead of blocking 10 reaction channels individually, use REACTION* to target "REACTION TO..." content specifically.

What browsers and versions are supported?

CleanTube works on all Chromium-based browsers:

Google Chrome - Version 88 and newer
Microsoft Edge - Version 88 and newer (Chromium-based)
Brave Browser - All recent versions
Opera - Version 74 and newer
Vivaldi - Version 3.6 and newer

The extension uses Manifest V3 and requires modern browser APIs for optimal performance.

Can I export/import my block lists?

Currently, CleanTube stores all data locally using the browser's extension storage API. Manual export/import is not built-in, but your data persists across browser sessions.

Data Persistence:

Block lists survive browser restarts
Settings are preserved during extension updates
Data is tied to your browser profile
Uninstalling the extension removes all data

How does CleanTube handle YouTube layout changes?

CleanTube uses robust CSS selectors and DOM observation patterns:

Adaptive Selectors - Multiple fallback selectors for each content type
MutationObserver - Monitors DOM changes for new content
Flexible Matching - Works with both old and new YouTube layouts
Continuous Updates - Regular updates to handle YouTube changes

Advanced Pattern Matching Guide

🌟 Wildcard Patterns

REACTION*

Blocks "REACTION TO..." but not "MY REACTION"

*VS

Blocks "NINJA VS" but not "VERSUS" or "VSauce"

PART?

Blocks "PART1", "PART2" but not "PARTY"

LIVE*

Blocks "LIVE STREAM" but not "BELIEVE" or "ALIVE"

🎯 Content-Specific Patterns

*GONE WRONG

Block clickbait endings like "PRANK GONE WRONG"

BEST*

Block "BEST OF 2025" but not "CONTEST" or "WESTERN"

EP?

Block "EP1", "EP2" episodes but not "EPIC" or "PEPPER"

*TIER LIST

Block ranking videos ending with "TIER LIST"

🔧 Regex Patterns (Advanced)

/^REACT.*/

Channels starting with "REACT" (case sensitive)

/.*GAMING$/i

Channels ending with "GAMING" (case insensitive)

/\d+.*(SHORTS|CLIPS)/

Channels with numbers + "SHORTS" or "CLIPS"

/(FAKE|SCAM|SPAM)/i

Block channels with these terms (any case)

💡 Pro Tips for Pattern Matching

Avoid Redundant Wildcards: *PRANK* = prank - use simple text when possible
Use Wildcards for Precision: REACTION* blocks "REACTION TO..." but not "MY REACTION"
Test Your Patterns: Add a pattern and check console logs to see what gets matched
Anchor Patterns: LIVE* (starts with) vs *LIVE (ends with) have very different effects
Single Character Wildcards: EP? blocks "EP1", "EP2" but not "EPIC" - very precise!
Case Sensitivity: Regular wildcards are case-insensitive, but regex patterns respect case unless you use the i flag
Performance: Simple text matching is fastest, wildcards are medium speed, regex is slowest but most powerful

Pattern Matching Examples by Use Case

🎮 Gaming Content

FORTNITE* → Blocks "FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE" but not "UNFORTUNATE"

*GAMEPLAY → Blocks "MINECRAFT GAMEPLAY" but not "GAME PLAYING"

/^\\d+.*KILLS?$/i → Blocks "50 KILLS" or "100 KILL" (regex)

📺 Reaction Content

REACTION* → Blocks "REACTION TO..." but not "MY REACTION"

*REACTS TO* → Blocks "STREAMER REACTS TO MEMES"

FIRST TIME* → Blocks "FIRST TIME WATCHING..."

🎭 Drama/Clickbait

*GONE WRONG → Blocks "PRANK GONE WRONG" in titles

*EXPOSED* → Blocks "YOUTUBER EXPOSED" in titles

/.*\\!{3,}.*/ → Blocks titles with 3+ exclamation marks (regex)

🏆 Sports/Competitive

*VS* → Blocks "TEAM A VS TEAM B"

*HIGHLIGHTS → Blocks "GAME HIGHLIGHTS"

WORLD CUP* → Blocks "WORLD CUP 2025..."