01Intent
Set an intention
Put into words what you came to YouTube to do.
A little more room for choice on YouTube
Instead of blocking,
make room to choose again.
Sanctum is a privacy-first Chrome extension that helps you reduce YouTube Shorts and recommendation-driven browsing, so you can choose what to watch with greater intention.
Free to start · Optional interventions · Minimal data
01 / INTENTYour current flowSanctum
03 / CHOICESee my intentAny choice is okay.
intentI came here to learn or get some work done
Do you still want to keep watching this flow?
●Any choice is okay.
Intent → Drift → Choice → Reflection
When the flow slips,
let choice come back into view.
The Sanctum experience is four simple steps. It starts with your intention and ends with your choice.
02Drift
Notice the drift
Gently notice when recommendations, Shorts, or autoplay take the lead.
03Choice
Choose
Keep watching, return to your intent, or step out for a moment.
04Reflection
Reflect briefly
Look back at today’s choice without judging yourself.
youtube.com / watch
SanctumYour current flowStable Extension
Chrome extension
Not a tool to stop YouTube,
a tool to use it your way.
Sanctum makes room for choice between regular videos, recommendations, Shorts, and autoplay. You can choose to keep watching, or skip the moment entirely.
- ✓Works without forced blocking
- ✓A softer check on recommendations and Shorts
- ✓Interventions you can turn off or adjust
- ✓Start right in Chrome
One system for intentional digital use
Sanctum begins in the browser,
and grows beyond it.
We are working toward a unified system across browser, desktop, and mobile—designed to help you notice automatic digital habits, reconnect with your original intention, and make a conscious choice about what to do next. The Chrome extension is available today. Desktop and mobile experiences are planned as the next stages of Sanctum.
Chrome Extension
AvailableNotice when YouTube recommendations, Shorts, and autoplay pull you along—and choose again right inside Chrome.
Desktop
PlannedExtend intentional-use support beyond the browser into the broader desktop environment.
Mobile
PlannedBring the same reflective and choice-centered experience to everyday mobile use.
The Sanctum standard
A good intervention
does not decide for you.
“I can keep watching, return to what I meant to do, or step away for a moment.”
Choice
Keep watching, return, or step away. We respect all three choices equally.
No pressure
No shame and no scolding. A small pause creates space; it does not take control.
Privacy
We look only as much as needed to support your intent, never to watch you.
Sanctum
When you can choose again,
your way of using it can change.
Use YouTube with Sanctum—not more strictly, but more like yourself.
Start with the extension↗