Creating a Custom YouTube Music Web Extension for Personalized Listening

In an effort to enhance my music listening experience on YouTube Music, I developed a browser extension that allows users to precisely track songs and focus only on the portions they truly enjoy. This project aims to provide a more tailored and efficient way to engage with music content, putting control firmly back into the listener’s hands.

Key Highlights of the Development Process

• Evolution of the Codebase:
  The initial version of the extension was crafted entirely in JavaScript. For improved maintainability and scalability, I transitioned it to TypeScript and utilized Vite for bundling. Interestingly, since the first iteration incorporated JSDoc type annotations, porting to TypeScript was streamlined—an easy switch that took around ten minutes and roughly $0.60 in hosting costs.

• User Interface Design:
  The current UI is intentionally minimalistic, focusing on core functionality rather than visual flair. My primary goal was to test how well web components could be integrated, especially considering the limited exposure of these components to AI models like Claude during training. Despite its simplicity, the extension is fully functional and responsive.

Looking Ahead

I plan to publish this extension on the Chrome Web Store shortly and expand support to Firefox. Before that, I aim to refine the user interface to ensure a more polished experience.

For those interested in exploring the project or contributing, you can review the code on GitHub: https://github.com/anikait1/clib-tube

Stay tuned for updates as this tool evolves to offer a more personalized listening experience!