YT re:Watch is local-first. Its history, progress, subscriptions, cached feed records, analytics, settings, playlist references, and ignored-channel records are stored in the extension profile on the current device.

• watched-video and Shorts history;
• playback positions, durations, and completion state;
• re:Watch channel subscriptions and ignored-channel tombstones;
• cached feed inventory and scheduling state;
• playlist references;
• analytics snapshots and presentation settings;
• backup and import state.

The project does not operate an account system, history server, advertising profile, or cloud synchronization service. Changing YouTube accounts does not change the local re:Watch profile.


The feed needs public information to discover uploads and identify channels.

• Public YouTube RSS feeds are requested for followed channels.
• A public channel page may be requested for handle resolution or metadata.
• These direct extension requests omit browser credentials.
• Thumbnails, avatars, and banners displayed in the interface may load from YouTube-owned image hosts.
• Local feed search does not send a remote search request.
• Saving a playlist reference does not fetch or import its member videos in the background.

re:Watch does not use OAuth in v5 and does not change subscriptions, playlists, history, or other data in the user's YouTube account.


The extension is not an anonymity tool. Google, YouTube, the browser, the network provider, and websites may still observe ordinary browsing through requests, cookies, IP addresses, browser identifiers, or other mechanisms. re:Watch only controls the separate data that it records for its own features.


Records remain until they are removed in re:Watch, reset from Settings, or deleted with the browser profile/extension data.

Removing a local subscription creates an ignored-channel tombstone. That record prevents a later import from silently restoring the channel. When tombstones exist, Channels → Ignored provides restore and forget actions.

Reset all data removes re:Watch-owned history, playlist references, local subscriptions, ignored-channel tombstones, feed and scheduler state, deletion markers, analytics snapshots, and settings from the current browser profile.


Export creates a local JSON file containing the supported profile data. Restore merges compatible records into the current browser profile. The file may reveal viewing habits, so store and share it as sensitive data.

There is no automatic synchronization between devices or browsers. Export and restore are the supported transfer method.


Browser permissions are used to store extension data, run the YouTube integration, open extension pages, and retrieve the public channel information required by the local feed. Chrome and Firefox packages use browser-specific manifests but follow the same privacy boundaries.

For implementation details, see the technical reference. For practical questions, see the FAQ.