Recommend YouTube videos directly to your friends' feeds.
WatchThis! is a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that lets you send YouTube video recommendations to friends without leaving the page. Recommendations appear directly in your friends' YouTube homepage feed.
Check out the official Website and YouTube Video.
- Send YouTube video recommendations to friends with one click
- Recommendations appear as cards in your friends' YouTube homepage
- Friend request system with accept/reject flow
- Google OAuth and email/password sign-in
- Works on Chrome (MV3) and Firefox (MV2)
Install the extension from:
Sign up inside the extension popup, add your friends and start recommending videos.
You can run your own backend. See pocketbase/README.md for a step-by-step guide on setting up your own PocketBase instance with the correct schema and security rules.
# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/watch-this-extension.git
cd watch-this-extension
# 2. Install dependencies
npm install
# 3. Configure your backend URL
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and set VITE_POCKETBASE_URL to your PocketBase instance
# 4. Build the extension
npm run build # Chrome
npm run build:firefox # Firefox
# 5. Load the unpacked extension
# Chrome: go to chrome://extensions → Load unpacked → select .output/chrome-mv3/
# Firefox: go to about:debugging → Load Temporary Add-on → select .output/firefox-mv2/manifest.jsonnpm run dev # Chrome with hot reload
npm run dev:firefox # Firefox with hot reload
npm run compile # TypeScript type check (no output)entrypoints/
background.ts # Service worker — message router
content/
homepage.ts # Injects recommendation feed into YouTube homepage
video.ts # Injects "WatchThis!" button on video pages
popup/ # React popup UI
auth/ # OAuth callback page
lib/
pocketbase.ts # PocketBase client singleton
auth.ts # Auth state management
friends.ts # Friend request logic
recommendations.ts # Recommendation CRUD
youtube.ts # YouTube URL helpers
types/
index.ts # Shared TypeScript types
pocketbase/
schema.json # PocketBase collection schema (import to self-host)
README.md # Self-hosting guide
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | WXT (Vite-based) |
| UI | React 19 + Tailwind CSS v4 |
| Backend | PocketBase |
| Language | TypeScript (strict mode) |
| Tool | Version |
|---|---|
| Node.js | 22 LTS |
| npm | 10+ |
Contributions are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md first.
GPL-3.0 with Additional Terms — Copyright © 2026 Lukas Weihrauch
The name "WatchThis!" is a trademark of Lukas Weihrauch. Derivative works must be renamed and may not use this name.
If you find WatchThis! useful and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on Ko-fi:
https://ko-fi.com/lukasweihrauch
Thank you — your support helps fund hosting, development, and improvements.