Smart Tab Organiser

A Chrome extension that deduplicates tabs, tidies pinned tab lists, maintains optional GitHub tab groups, and organizes tabs with AI. Duplicate handling can keep the tab with the highest anchor number, such as the latest GitHub issue comment.

Privacy

• Local storage: Settings and optional credentials use chrome.storage.local. A credential goes only to its issuing service when you use that feature.
• No analytics: No telemetry or tracking from this extension.
• Local AI options: Chrome built-in AI processes prompts on your computer. A loopback provider sends prompts only to a server on your computer.
• Optional cloud features: Cloud AI and GitHub tab groups send data only after you configure a key and use the applicable feature.
• Privacy Policy
• Release notes

Key features

• AI tab organization: Group tabs with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Chrome built-in AI, or a loopback model server. Cloud providers use your API key. Provider fallback is opt-in.
• Duplicate detection: Same base URL with different anchors/hashes; optional ignore-query / ignore-hash rules; case-insensitive matching.
• BOOKMARKS and pinned URLs: Pin, unpin, and order tabs from a list. Choose the BOOKMARKS group colour; the default is yellow.
• PRs (optional): Maintain a group for open pull requests and review requests, and choose its colour. The default is blue. Stale PR tabs leave the group but remain open.
• Configured GitHub labels (optional): Group issue tabs from an ordered list of exact label names. Matching ignores letter case, and the first match wins. Each label has a Chrome group colour. You can disable label sync on toolbar clicks without disabling manual refresh.
• Closed issues (optional): Move closed issue tabs to Closed. Closed takes priority over configured labels. The extension does not change pinned or split-view tabs.
• Toolbar, context menu, and shortcut: Left-click the icon, use its menu, or assign a shortcut at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.

AI without a provider API key

Chrome built-in AI and the loopback provider do not need a provider API key.

Provider fallback is off by default. If you enable it, a local provider can try the other local provider. Chrome built-in AI joins only after its model is downloaded. The loopback provider joins only after you set a model name.

Cloud fallback requires a separate opt-in. Each attempted cloud provider receives the same sanitized tab data. A provider can receive the prompt even when its request fails.

Chrome built-in AI (Gemini Nano)

Nothing to install — the model runs inside Chrome itself.

• Requires Chrome 138+ on a supported desktop platform and about 22 GB of free disk space.
• GPU use requires more than 4 GB of VRAM. CPU use requires at least 16 GB of RAM and four CPU cores.
• The first model download requires an unmetered connection.
• Chrome downloads the model (a few GB) on first use. Because the download can need a user gesture that a service worker doesn't have, use Options → Check availability → Download model to fetch it up front.
• Gemini Nano is smaller than cloud models, so grouping is coarser. The extension organizes tabs in batches of 20 and merges matching group names.

Loopback model server (Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp, vLLM)

The extension connects only to an OpenAI-compatible server on localhost or 127.0.0.1. The server configuration controls local processing and any forwarding.

1. Install a runtime and pull a model. For example, use ollama pull llama3.1:8b.

2. Start the server so it accepts requests from extensions. Ollama rejects unknown origins, so it must be launched with:

   OLLAMA_ORIGINS="chrome-extension://*" ollama serve

   In LM Studio, enable CORS in the local server settings. llama.cpp's server allows this by default.

3. In Options, set the server address (default http://localhost:11434/v1). Then enter the exact model name that the server reports, such as llama3.1:8b or qwen3:8b. Test connection lists available models.

Notes:

• Local generation is slow. A 35B model takes roughly one minute for 12 tabs. Requests stop after three minutes. If a timeout occurs, use a smaller model or organize fewer tabs.
• Small models are less reliable at emitting bare JSON, so a stricter retry is attempted automatically before failing.

Example: GitHub issue tabs

For tabs such as:

• https://github.com/Expensify/Expensify/issues/573091
• https://github.com/Expensify/Expensify/issues/573091#issuecomment-3595795518
• https://github.com/Expensify/Expensify/issues/573091#issuecomment-3595796076

With the applicable dedupe settings, the extension treats these tabs as one logical page. It keeps the tab with the highest anchor number and closes the others.

For example, settings can contain this optional ordered list of exact GitHub issue label names:

1. Overdue
2. Daily
3. Bug
4. New Feature

Label matching is exact and case-insensitive. The first configured matching label wins. Colour selectors follow the configured order. A reordered label keeps its colour.

GitHub label colours do not control Chrome group colours. The default colours use this order: red, green, purple, cyan, orange, pink, yellow, blue, grey. The extension reserves the current BOOKMARKS and PR colours, and grey.

After normal dedupe, issues with Overdue go to Overdue first. Other issues go to Daily, Bug, or New Feature, as applicable.

An issue with Bug and New Feature goes to Bug because Bug appears first in settings.

If the Closed feature is enabled, a closed issue goes to Closed instead of a label group.

The extension does not create empty groups. Pinned and split-view tabs remain unchanged.

Managed groups appear after pinned tabs. Their order is BOOKMARKS, PRs, configured labels, and Closed. Configured labels use their settings order.

Project structure

├── manifest.json          # Extension config and permissions
├── background.js          # Service worker (dedupe, pin tidy, AI, GitHub groups)
├── options.html/css/js    # Full settings (API keys, lists, PRs, AI)
├── icons/                 # Runtime icons at 16, 48, and 128 pixels
├── scripts/               # Release builder and validators
├── store-assets/          # Listing artwork and screenshots
├── PRIVACY_POLICY.md
├── RELEASE_NOTES.md
└── README.md

Install from source (local use)

Requirements

• Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or another Chromium browser with unpacked extensions.
• For cloud AI organization: an API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or more than one provider.
• For AI without a provider key: Chrome 138+ on supported hardware, or a loopback OpenAI-compatible server such as Ollama. See AI without a provider API key.
• For GitHub tab groups: a GitHub personal access token with access to the applicable repositories.

Steps

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/twisterdotcom/smart-tab-organiser.git
   cd smart-tab-organiser

2. Open the extensions page:

   • Chrome: chrome://extensions
   • Edge: edge://extensions

3. Turn on Developer mode.

4. Click Load unpacked and choose this folder (the directory that contains manifest.json).

5. Pin the extension (optional): use the puzzle icon → pin Smart Tab Organiser so the toolbar actions are easy to reach.

First-time setup

1. Right-click the extension icon → Options (or open Options from the extensions list).
2. Set the dedupe, pinned tab, and GitHub tab group options that you want.
3. Under AI settings, choose a provider. Add an API key only for a cloud provider.
4. Reload the extension after code changes: on chrome://extensions / edge://extensions, click Reload on the extension card.

How to use

Toolbar icon (default)

Left-click runs dedupe and then tidy pinned tabs. The action also refreshes enabled GitHub groups. You can disable label-group sync for toolbar clicks. Manual label refresh remains available.

If Organize tabs on extension icon click is enabled, AI organization runs after the managed-group preparation. The badge can show the duplicate count.

Context menu

Right-click the extension icon. The menu entries appear in this order:

1. Deduplicate AND organize tabs with AI
2. Reload all tabs
3. Collapse all tab groups
4. Expand all tab groups
5. Edit extension options

Keyboard

Assign a key to Organize tabs with AI at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.

Development

• Edit files in this repository.
• On the extensions page, click Reload on the extension card.
• Use Inspect views: service worker and the options-page developer tools to debug.
• Run ./scripts/validate.sh before a release. It checks the source, tests, package, and store images.

How dedupe works (simplified)

1. Normalise URLs using your settings (query/hash handling).
2. Group tabs by normalised URL.
3. Pick a keeper, such as the tab with the highest hash number or the most recent access time.
4. Close other tabs in the group.

Permissions

Permission	Why
tabs	Read tab URLs/titles, close tabs, reload, pin/unpin, reorder.
storage	Save settings and optional API tokens locally.
tabGroups	Create and update BOOKMARKS, PR, configured-label, Closed, and AI groups.
notifications	User feedback for long-running or batch actions (where implemented).
contextMenus	Right-click commands for duplicate removal and tab organization.
Host access for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, GitHub	Used only for configured cloud AI and GitHub features. Cloud AI receives titles, sanitized URLs, custom instructions, and relevant group names.
Host access for localhost / 127.0.0.1	Reaches a loopback model server. The extension rejects other hosts.

Details: PRIVACY_POLICY.md.

Build a Chrome Web Store package

Run the release builder from the repository root:

python3 scripts/build-release.py

The builder creates a validated ZIP in dist/.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature)
3. Commit and push
4. Open a pull request

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Acknowledgments

Built for people who live in the browser—especially anyone drowning in duplicate issue tabs and pull requests.

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Made with care by twisterdotcom