CHROME EXTENSION · IN DEVELOPMENT

Great ideas live in your tabs. Keep them.

Meet Creator Desk: a YouTube research side panel that turns passing inspiration into saved references, timestamped notes and your next creative move.

See what it does Explore video research

Developer prototype, not a Chrome Web Store release. Chrome 116+ · YouTube-first · Public download not available yet.

Why some videos make you watch till the end

Example Creator · YouTube

▶ Creator Desk100vid / side panel

YOUR CREATOR RESEARCH

Keep this idea.

✓Reference savedCollection · Hook ideas

0:42

Notice how the opening question creates curiosity.

2:15

A visual payoff worth studying later.

Local notesExport JSON / CSV ↗

Illustrative product preview — not a screenshot of a released extension.

THE SIDE PANEL, REIMAGINED

From “that's interesting” to “I can use that.”

You already research inside YouTube. Creator Desk brings the small but essential creator tools into the same window.

Save the reference

Capture a video's canonical link, organize it with labels and tags, and find it again in your local collection.

Remember the moment

Add your own timestamped notes for hooks, storytelling beats and moments worth returning to.

Inspect public metadata

Request titles, channels, published dates and public engagement data with your own YouTube Data API key.

Search with intention

Run explicit keyword searches and page through public results without opening another research workspace.

Shape the next idea

Use local transcript paste or file import and Idea Lab templates to move from research toward a script.

Take your work with you

Export and import your collection as JSON, or export a CSV for your own research and planning process.

ONE VIDEO AT A TIME

The little workflow that compounds.

01 / NOTICE

Find a video worth studying.

Open a YouTube video. Invoke the extension to capture the active tab's video URL.

02 / COLLECT

Save what matters.

Bookmark the reference, add notes and optionally inspect public information when you need it.

03 / CREATE

Carry the insight forward.

Export your research and use it to inform your scripts, content calendar or next upload.

PERMISSIONS, WITHOUT THE MYSTERY

Your browser. Your call.

Useful research shouldn't require blanket access to your browsing. Here's what the current developer build actually requests and when.

No passive browsing surveillanceNo content scripts, cookie access, browsing-history permission or background page scraping in the current manifest.

PermissionWhy it exists

activeTab BUILT IN

Temporary active-tab access after you invoke the extension

Capture the current YouTube video's URL on your action. Not a persistent browsing-history feed.

sidePanel BUILT IN

Chrome's side panel interface

Show your research workspace next to the page you're viewing.

storage BUILT IN

Extension-local and session storage

Keep your bookmarks, notes and settings in your Chrome profile. No Chrome Sync.

www.googleapis.com OPTIONAL

Requested separately for YouTube Data API access

Make an API request only when you choose a lookup or search and provide your own API key.

Shared research endpoint OPTIONAL

Only in builds configured with a platform origin

With separate consent, sync allowed public video/channel observations. Not needed for local notes.

Permission names reflect the current Manifest V3 developer build. A future published version may require a new review if permissions change.

Stays local by default

Bookmarks, tags, timestamped notes and transcript imports. You can export them or delete them yourself.

Optional shared research

Only allowlisted public observations can sync after opt-in. Search terms, private notes, transcripts and API keys are excluded. Server deletion must be confirmed separately.

GOOD QUESTIONS

Before you install.

The extension is in active development. Here's what to expect from the current prototype.

Can I get it from the Chrome Web Store?

Not yet. Creator Desk is currently a developer prototype that can be loaded unpacked in a development environment; there is no public Chrome Web Store listing or download button.

Do I need a YouTube API key?

Not to save URLs, tags or timestamped notes. Public metadata inspection and keyword search currently use a YouTube Data API v3 key from your own project, with a separately granted Google host permission. API quotas still apply.

Can it read all my tabs, history or cookies?

No. The current manifest uses activeTab for temporary access when you invoke the extension, and does not request tabs, history or cookies permissions. It does not inject content scripts.

Is my research uploaded automatically?

No, not by default. Your personal collection stays in your Chrome profile. If you separately enable Shared research, allowlisted public API results can sync; private notes, search queries, transcripts and credentials are excluded. Disabling sharing requests deletion, and the extension displays whether server deletion has been confirmed.

Does it download videos or publish for me?

No. The prototype focuses on research, local transcript imports, notes and portability. Video downloads, automatic publishing and private YouTube Analytics are not part of this build.

YOUR NEXT 100 VIDEOS

The extension is coming.
Your research can start now.

Try the 100vid browser workspaces while Creator Desk is being prepared for release.

Explore video tools