HoldUp

A gentle friction tool to interrupt autopilot browsing.

HoldUp adds a small moment of friction before you open distracting sites. It doesn’t block anything – it just asks “Are you sure?” so you don’t fall into autopilot browsing. Instead of going straight into Twitter, YouTube, Reddit or news loops, HoldUp shows a full-page overlay on sites you choose. You can always continue, but only after a deliberate action. Key features: • Quick site control – Add or remove the current site in one click from the popup – Manage your full list of sites from the Settings page – Smart matching: blocking "twitter.com" also covers subdomains like "mobile.twitter.com" • Two challenge types – Type the domain: e.g. type "twitter.com" to continue – Countdown: wait a few seconds before you’re allowed to proceed – Configurable timer: choose 5 / 10 / 15 / 30 seconds for the countdown mode • Snooze / bypass (optional) – After passing the challenge, you can choose “Don’t ask again for X minutes” – Snooze duration is configurable from 0–60 minutes (0 = always ask) – Bypass is tracked per-site, so snoozing Twitter doesn’t affect other sites • Strict Mode – Disables snooze / bypass entirely – Maximum friction: you’ll get challenged every time you open a blocked site • Quick exit – Press Esc on the overlay to immediately close the current tab – A clear hint on the screen reminds you this option exists • Simple stats – See how many times HoldUp has interrupted you today – Lifetime total interruptions – “Today” automatically resets at midnight • Works on modern web apps – Supports Single Page Applications (Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, etc.) – Detects URL changes even without full page reloads • Dark mode – Respects your system dark mode preference – Overlay, popup and settings all adapt automatically Privacy-friendly by design: • 100% local – data is only stored in chrome.storage • No tracking, no analytics, no ads • No external servers or accounts – the extension runs entirely in your browser HoldUp is not a strict blocker and it doesn’t try to shame you. It just creates a small, intentional pause between the impulse to open a site and actually loading it. You stay in control – but no longer on autopilot.