auto-jump-ahead-for-youtube

Auto Jump Ahead for YouTube

Chrome extension that automatically uses YouTube’s built-in Jump Ahead control when YouTube offers it.

It also includes an optional, best-effort chapter-based ad skip feature when YouTube exposes usable chapter metadata.

Not an ad blocker: it does not block, remove, or skip the video ads YouTube plays before or during a video. It only automates skip actions YouTube already provides. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by YouTube or Google LLC.

Quick Start

1. Clone the repo:

   git clone https://github.com/jiahongc/auto-jump-ahead-for-youtube.git
   

2. Open Chrome at chrome://extensions/.
3. Enable Developer mode.
4. Click Load unpacked and choose this folder.
5. Open any YouTube video.
6. Click the extension icon to configure toggles.

What It Does

• Automatically clicks YouTube Jump Ahead and related skip controls when YouTube provides them.
• Optionally skips chapter-marked ad sections when chapter metadata is available.
• Shows a toast when a skip is performed.
• Saves toggle preferences using chrome.storage.sync.

What It Does Not Do

• Does not use external tracking/analytics.
• Does not use third-party segment services.
• Does not guarantee skipping every sponsor read or embedded advertising mention.
• Does not skip videos when YouTube provides no usable Jump Ahead or chapter data.

Default Behavior

• YouTube Jump Ahead: ON
• Chapter-Based Ad Skips: ON
• Music videos: blocked by default
• Intro chapters are not skipped unless the chapter title also contains clear ad cues.
• Jump Ahead fires in any chapter, including the first — YouTube’s own data determines when to skip.

Best Results

This extension works best on videos that have chapters enabled. YouTube’s Jump Ahead and chapter-based skipping both rely on metadata that YouTube generates over time. Newly uploaded videos often lack Jump Ahead buttons and chapter data, so the extension may have nothing to act on until YouTube processes the video further.

For chapter-based ad skipping specifically, the video must have creator-defined chapters or auto-generated chapters visible in the progress bar.

Limitations

• Behavior depends on YouTube UI availability and internal page data.
• Results may vary by region, account state, experiment bucket, and video type.
• Some videos simply do not expose a reproducible skip path.
• Newly uploaded videos may not have Jump Ahead or chapter data available yet.

Documentation

• Usage guide: docs/USAGE.md
• Troubleshooting: docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md
• Chrome Web Store reference: docs/CHROME_WEB_STORE.md
• Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
• Privacy policy page: https://jiahongc.github.io/auto-jump-ahead-for-youtube/privacy.html
• Privacy markdown fallback: PRIVACY.md

Permissions

• storage: saves the two toggle preferences.

Key Files

File	Purpose
manifest.json	Extension metadata (Manifest V3)
content.js	Fallback button detection + toast UI
injected.js	Main YouTube data parsing and seek logic
popup.html / popup.js / popup.css	Popup settings UI
generate-icons.py	Rebuilds icon16/48/128.png

License

MIT