GitBook Reading Time Estimator

WHAT IT DOES

GitBook Reading Time Estimator scans any GitBook documentation page and displays a floating badge with key reading metrics. It extracts text from the main content area—excluding navigation, sidebars, headers, and code blocks—and calculates the total word count. Based on your reading speed (WPM), it estimates how long the page will take to read, showing the time in minutes or hours. A progress bar updates as you scroll, showing how much of the page you've read. The badge also shows a breakdown by section, displaying the word count for each heading section. You can copy the entire reading summary as text for reporting or planning. This helps you quickly gauge how long a documentation page will take to read, plan your reading time, and understand the content structure.

WHERE IT RUNS

This script runs on GitBook documentation pages (*.gitbook.io/*). It operates entirely within your browser tab, reading the page's DOM to locate the main content area and extract text. The script cannot access other tabs, your browsing history, bookmarks, downloads, or any data outside the current page. All settings—including badge position, WPM, word count visibility, progress bar visibility, section count visibility, and auto-detect preference—are stored locally using GM_setValue and never transmitted anywhere.

HOW TO USE

After installing with the BotGentz extension, the script automatically detects GitBook pages and displays the reading time badge (if auto-detect is enabled). The badge shows estimated reading time, word count, and section count. Click "Estimate Reading Time" to manually refresh the counts. The progress bar updates as you scroll through the page. Customize the badge position (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right, or float), adjust your reading speed (WPM) to get accurate reading time estimates, and toggle word count, progress bar, and section count on or off. Click "Copy Summary" to copy a formatted text summary to your clipboard.

THE REAL MECHANISM

The script detects GitBook content using selectors like .markdown-section, .page-content, .document-content, and .prose, with fallback to article or main elements. It clones the content area and removes unwanted elements (script, style, code blocks, pre, navigation, sidebar, header, footer) to extract only readable text. The word count splits the text by whitespace and filters empty strings. Sections are detected by finding heading elements (h1-h6) and splitting the content by these headings, creating a breakdown of word counts per section. The reading time is calculated as word count divided by the user's WPM setting. The progress bar tracks scroll position relative to the total document height. The badge is rendered with stats, section breakdowns, and a progress bar. All DOM manipulation uses safe methods with no innerHTML from untrusted content.

THE PANEL

The Reading Time badge is displayed within the BGPanel component, which you can drag anywhere on your screen by its header. It snaps to the nearest edge when released, keeping your workspace organized. The panel collapses to a small bubble showing only the emoji icon when minimised—click to expand it again. You can resize the panel horizontally to see more of the section breakdown. Press the Escape key to collapse the panel instantly. Your panel position and size are saved per-site.

PLEASE NOTE

This script requires the free BotGentz browser extension to function. GitBook documentation pages vary in structure—the script attempts to find the main content area using common selectors, but some pages may use custom layouts that are not detected. The word count excludes code blocks and preformatted text to focus on readable content. The section breakdown depends on heading elements being present; pages without headings will show a single section. The reading time is an estimate based on average reading speed—adjust the WPM setting to match your personal reading pace. The script never reads or writes password fields, hidden inputs, or file inputs. It stores only your badge position, WPM, word count visibility, progress bar visibility, section count visibility, and auto-detect preference locally. No page content, user data, or personal information is ever collected, transmitted, or shared.