Named after a famous literary character who wasted his entire life on distractions, BrásCubas is the ultimate blocker that stops you from meeting the same fate.
Intentional YouTube feed building. Curate sources, organize by topic, generate a focused feed — and watch it in a distraction-free local Focus Player.
BrásCubas has two parts:
| Part | What it does | How to install |
|---|---|---|
Chrome Extension (.crx) |
Feed Builder UI, topic management, feed generation | Install manually in Chrome |
Companion App (.pkg) |
Runs the local Focus Player server + connects it to Chrome | Run the macOS installer |
Both are available on the Releases page.
- Download
BrasCubas-<version>.crxfrom the latest release. - Open
chrome://extensionsin Chrome. - Enable Developer mode (toggle in the top-right corner).
- Drag and drop the
.crxfile onto the extensions page. - Click Add extension in the confirmation dialog.
Blocked by Chrome? Chrome may warn about extensions installed outside the Web Store. If the extension is removed automatically, try the unpacked method instead: rename the
.crxto.zip, extract it, then click Load unpacked and select the extracted folder.
The Companion App installs the local Focus Player server and registers it with Chrome so it starts automatically whenever you click Open Focus Player.
- Download
BrasCubas-Companion-<version>.pkgfrom the latest release. - Double-click the
.pkgfile to run the installer.
macOS security warning? Right-click the file → Open → click Open in the dialog. This is expected for software distributed outside the Mac App Store.
- Follow the installer steps (no configuration needed — just click through).
- After installation, reload the BrásCubas extension in
chrome://extensions. - Open BrásCubas, build a feed, and click Open Focus Player.
The server starts automatically in the background — no terminal required.
To update either part, download the new version from the Releases page and repeat the relevant step above. The Companion App installer handles updates in-place.
- Open the BrásCubas popup from the Chrome toolbar.
- Click Feed Builder to open the full app.
- Add YouTube channels, playlists, or videos as sources.
- Organize them by topic, set per-source limits, and click Regenerate Feed.
- Click Open Focus Player to watch your feed distraction-free.
The Focus Player is a local web app served by the Companion App. It provides:
- Distraction-free playback (no recommendations, no comments)
- Autoplay queue with shuffle
- Watch progress tracking synced back to BrásCubas
- Topic-grouped queue display
Open the ⚙ Local Viewer panel in the Feed Builder's left rail for:
- Connection testing
- Error log with copy-to-clipboard
- Direct link to this issues page
Common issues:
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| "Companion app is not installed" | Install the .pkg from the releases page, then reload the extension |
| "Could not reach local Focus Player" | Click Test Connection in the ⚙ panel — if it fails, try restarting Chrome |
| macOS blocked the installer | Right-click → Open → Open |
| Extension removed by Chrome | Rename .crx → .zip, extract, Load unpacked |