MotionBlock

MotionBlock is a Chrome Manifest V3 extension for blocking distracting motion first: GIFs, GIFV, looping video, and autoplay. Broader media controls are available as opt-in settings for images, video, audio, emoji, and CSS motion.

Working store title:

MotionBlock: GIF, Animation & Autoplay Blocker

Why this shape

The product is built around the repeated review themes from existing blockers:

• People search for GIF blockers and animation stoppers, not broad "media control".
• They want per-site rules because image and video needs vary by website.
• They dislike giant replacement graphics.
• They want GIFV, Reddit, Discord, Giphy, Steam, and autoplay-style videos covered.
• They do not want normal WebP images blocked by default.

Development

1. Open chrome://extensions.
2. Enable Developer mode.
3. Choose Load unpacked.
4. Select this folder: C:\Users\molod\Documents\Personal\settings\MotionBlock.

The popup controls the current site. The options page controls global defaults and exact-host website preferences.

Current MVP

• Dynamic network blocking for GIF, GIFV, WebP URL patterns, broad image, broad video, and audio settings.
• DOM cleanup for already-in-page images, video, audio, emoji renderers, and CSS motion.
• Per-site tri-state preferences: inherit, block/on, allow/off.
• Settings export/import with JSON backup files.
• Chrome-profile settings sync through Chrome extension sync storage when browser sync is enabled.
• System, light, and dark UI theme modes.
• Optional reveal buttons for blocked media. Off by default because complex sites can reuse hidden media surfaces.

Planning Docs

• docs/product-brief.md records the positioning and naming.
• docs/review-feedback.md records the vital review feedback and product implications from competitor research.
• docs/roadmap.md tracks likely release order.
• docs/store-listing-draft.md contains initial Chrome Web Store copy.
• docs/chrome-web-store-entry.md contains copy-paste Chrome Web Store fields.
• docs/permissions.md explains requested extension permissions.
• docs/manual-test-plan.md lists local and live-site test targets.

Local Fixture

Run:

.\scripts\serve-fixtures.ps1

Then open http://127.0.0.1:8765/fixtures.html.

Run the lightweight settings sanity check:

node .\test\sanity.js

Known limits

• WebP blocking is URL-based for now. It is off by default because detecting animated WebP reliably needs deeper byte inspection.
• First-frame GIF replacement is not implemented yet. The current default is a compact placeholder that preserves the displayed size when possible.
• Reveal buttons are opt-in. They are useful on simple pages, but broad video/image blocking can produce unreliable click-to-play behavior on complex sites.
• Emoji removal changes text and cannot be cleanly restored without reloading the page.

Support

If this extension saves you time and you want to support its development:

License

MotionBlock is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE.