YouTube Watch Later Sweeper

WHAT IT DOES

YouTube Watch Later Sweeper is a browser extension that automatically scans the current YouTube page for Watch Later playlist items, video entries, and remove buttons. It detects Watch Later items by examining playlist video renderers, video elements with remove buttons, and Watch Later-specific class patterns. The extension adds a floating sweep button (🧹) next to each detected Watch Later video, allowing you to select individual videos for bulk removal. Clicking the button toggles the selection state, and selected videos are added to a bulk collection. The main panel allows you to remove selected videos from Watch Later, optionally mark them as watched before removal, add notes about why you're removing each video, and store removal history locally. The extension processes removals in configurable batches to avoid rate limiting. The extension maintains a removal database per video with removal history, notes, and tags. The main panel displays removal history with video titles, removal dates, action types, and notes. All data is stored locally in your browser using GM_setValue, ensuring your removal history persists across page reloads and browser sessions. This helps YouTube users, content consumers, and anyone with a cluttered Watch Later playlist to quickly clean up their queue by bulk removing videos they've already watched or no longer want to watch.

WHERE IT RUNS

This extension runs on any YouTube page that displays Watch Later playlist items, video entries, or remove buttons – including the Watch Later playlist page, YouTube sidebar playlists, and any page showing the Watch Later queue. The extension intelligently adapts to different page structures and supports a wide range of common YouTube display patterns. No manual configuration is required per site; the extension automatically detects Watch Later items using a flexible pattern matching system. This makes it ideal for YouTube users who want to clean up their Watch Later playlist efficiently.

HOW TO USE

Simply install the extension and navigate to your YouTube Watch Later playlist. The extension automatically detects Watch Later video items and places a small sweep button (🧹) next to each one. Click any of these buttons to select that video for removal – the button highlights to show it's selected. Click it again to deselect. As you select videos, a counter at the bottom-right shows how many you've collected. When ready, click the floating button (🧹) to open the main panel. Choose an action (Remove from Watch Later or Mark as watched & remove), add a note about the removal reason, then click "Sweep Selected Videos" to start the bulk removal process – the extension processes videos in batches (configurable size, default 10) to avoid rate limiting. The panel also displays your removal history for reference. Use the settings section to enable or disable auto-detection and set the batch size. The "Clear All History" button removes all tracking data when needed.

ONE TECHNICAL SECTION – WHY IT WORKS

The extension employs a multi-layered detection system that identifies YouTube Watch Later items with high accuracy. First, it scans the DOM using a comprehensive set of CSS selectors targeting playlist video renderers, video items, and remove button elements. The video ID extraction uses regex pattern matching to identify YouTube's 11-character video ID from href attributes or data attributes. The remove button detection uses aria-label matching for "Remove" or "Watch Later" labels. When a user selects videos and initiates a sweep, the extension processes them in batches with configurable batch size (default 10) to avoid rate limiting or performance issues. Each removal is performed by programmatically clicking the remove button on each item, with a 500ms delay between batches. The extension also logs each removal with video ID, title, action type, notes, and tags. A MutationObserver detects dynamic content updates and re-scans only when the Watch Later playlist changes, balancing real-time accuracy with system performance.

THE PANEL – DRAG / PER-SITE POSITION / SNAP / COLLAPSE / RESIZE / ESCAPE

The Watch Later sweeper panel includes a draggable title bar, allowing you to position it anywhere on screen for convenient access during playlist cleanup. The extension remembers your preferred position per website, so the panel opens in the same location each time you return to that domain. The panel supports snap-to-edge behavior – when dragged near screen edges, it gently snaps into place for a tidy workspace layout. You can collapse the panel down to just its title bar by clicking the collapse button, keeping it accessible without taking up screen space. The selection and history are contained within a scrollable body, ensuring all content remains accessible even on smaller screens. Pressing the Escape key closes the panel instantly, returning you to your playlist management workflow.

PLEASE NOTE

This extension requires the free BotGentz extension to be installed and enabled, as it relies on BotGentz's userscript injection and GM_* API shims for cross-browser compatibility. Websites frequently update their HTML structures and class names, which may cause Watch Later detection to break temporarily – we actively maintain the matching patterns and release updates regularly. The extension stores all removal data, notes, and history exclusively in your local browser storage (GM_setValue); no data is ever transmitted to any external server or third party. The extension does not read, modify, or interfere with any YouTube content, videos, or functionality beyond the Watch Later controls – it operates on the page content and stores only metadata (video IDs, titles, removal actions, and notes) that you explicitly create. You are responsible for backing up your removal history data if you switch browsers or clear your storage. Use this tool responsibly and in accordance with YouTube's Terms of Service.