youtube-open-without-playlist

A minimal Chrome extension that lets you open a single YouTube video from a playlist in a new tab without being forced into playlist playback (including Watch Later).

Why this exists

When you click a video inside a YouTube playlist (such as Watch Later), YouTube automatically appends playlist parameters to the URL (e.g. list=WL, index=4).
This causes videos to play sequentially, even when autoplay is turned off.

This extension adds a simple right-click menu option that opens the selected video without those playlist parameters, so only the chosen video plays.

How it works

The extension adds a custom context-menu item:

Open video in new tab (no playlist)

When selected, it:

• Removes playlist-related URL parameters
• Opens the cleaned video URL in a new browser tab
• Avoids playlist autoplay entirely

No ads are blocked and no playback behavior is modified beyond removing playlist context.

Installation (Developer Mode)

This extension is intentionally lightweight and is loaded as an unpacked extension.

1. Clone the repository to your local machine
   a. Choose (or create) a directory where you keep local projects or browser extensions

   • Example (macOS/Linux):

     mkdir -p ~/ChromeExtensions
     cd ~/ChromeExtensions
     

   • Example (Windows PowerShell):

     mkdir $HOME\ChromeExtensions
     cd $HOME\ChromeExtensions
     

   b. Clone the repository using Git:

   git clone https://github.com/mayest/youtube-open-without-playlist.git
   

   c. This will create a folder named:

   youtube-open-without-playlist
   

2. Open Chrome and navigate to:

   chrome://extensions
   

3. Enable Developer mode (top right)

4. Click Load unpacked

5. Select the youtube-open-without-playlist folder (the one containing manifest.json)

The extension is now active.

Usage

1. Open a YouTube playlist (e.g., Watch Later)
2. Right-click the video you want to watch
3. Select Open video in new tab (no playlist)

The video will open in a new tab without playlist parameters.

Notes

• The extension reads directly from the folder it was loaded from
• If you modify the code, click Reload on the Extensions page
• If the folder is moved, the extension must be reloaded via Load unpacked

License

MIT License