8 ms·

Show HN: YouTube Shorts Redirector

I am neurodivergent and noticed the Youtube Shorts format was hacking my brain to engage longer than I wanted. I wrote this quick extension to gain my time back. If you have suggestions for improvement, I'm all ears. Thank you :)

victorstanciu 2y ago
If you use uBlock Origin, you can also just hide them: https://github.com/gijsdev/ublock-hide-yt-shorts https://github.com/gijsdev/ublock-hide-yt-shorts
- fnordian_slip 2y ago
  Thanks, I manually hide them every thirty days because I didn't know that ublock origin can do that, and I didn't want to install an extra add-on just for that (because I hoped that YouTube would some day realise how bad shorts are, and give up on them; wishful thinking, I know).
  - victorstanciu 2y ago
    > I manually hide them every thirty days The inability of tech companies to accept that no means no, and not "bother me later" is a dark pattern that I've noticed more and more lately.
    - Freak_NL 2y ago
      It seems to have gotten imbedded as 'just the way you ask users things' in UI developer's mindsets: Do you want to enable push notifications? [Yes please] [Later] How about [No]? Just add a note that I can always enable this later if I want to, but don't jerk around with this nudging making me feel I'm just postponing this choice.
      - numpad0 2y ago
        It's called dark patterns as GP mentioned. They're financially motivated to improve [Yes] clicks, so they just remove [No]. It's completely Web-legal and Web-ethical. IMO, something should have been done when A/B tests became normal(mid to late 2000s). That ship had long long sailed, but I believe that alone require independent ethics board if it is happening outside the Web. It should not be something easily handled with a blanket waiver in shrinkwrap EULA.
    - brokenmachine 2y ago
      As Louis Rossmann would say, Rapist mentality.
  - somat 2y ago
    I wrote a userscript that turns the links into a /v/ link. The whole "shorts" concept is sort of stupid. I mean the videos are fine, let people make whatever sort of video they want. the front page promotion is unwanted. But the thing I actively despise is the scrolling auto play interface. However youtube will play the video with a sane interface when the /short/ link is modified into /v/ Or I should say, I nearly wrote a userscript to do this, it mostly works but I still find myself manually changing urls. I am not good with JS.
    - efilife 2y ago
      A little nitpick, it's ?v= not /v/
      - somat 2y ago
        shorts have a link like youtube.com/shorts/XXXXXXX changing that to youtube.com/v/XXXXXXX works. and the video is still stupid, but now you have a sane environment to watch it in.
        efilife 2y ago
        I had no idea, thanks!
      - Phiwise_ 2y ago
        I think both redirect to the video, no? At least I think they used to.
    - brokenmachine 2y ago
      My tampermonkey script (credit to the original author, I forget where I got it from): // ==UserScript== // @name Youtube shorts redirect // @namespace http://tampermonkey.net/ // @version 0.3 // @description Youtube shorts > watch redirect // @author // @match *://*.youtube.com/* // @icon https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=youtube.com // @grant none // @run-at document-start // @license GNU GPLv2 // ==/UserScript== var oldHref = document.location.href; if (window.location.href.indexOf('youtube.com/shorts') > -1) { window.location.replace(window.location.toString().replace('/shorts/', '/watch?v=')); } window.onload = function() { var bodyList = document.querySelector("body") var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) { mutations.forEach(function(mutation) { if (oldHref != document.location.href) { oldHref = document.location.href; console.log('location changed!'); if (window.location.href.indexOf('youtube.com/shorts') > -1) { window.location.replace(window.location.toString().replace('/shorts/', '/watch?v=')); } } }); }); var config = { childList: true, subtree: true }; observer.observe(bodyList, config); };
  - Kiro 2y ago
    I think Shorts are great. What is your issue with them?
    - TonyTrapp 2y ago
      Besides the obvious reason that is even stated in the original submission of this article (they way they are presented is made to hack your brain for the dopamine kick and keep scrolling infinitely), there are also the technical aspects (no scrub bar, no volume control, accidentally touch the mouse wheel and you skip to the next video) - and maybe more subjectively: Shorts are about the worst-quality YouTube content there is.
tomthehero 2y ago
[flagged]
- dewey 2y ago
  You know, you don't _have_ to use this free entertainment website if it makes you so angry.
  - noisy_boy 2y ago
    Overreaction indeed but sometimes you need to grant access to YouTube to your kids for study purposes but don't want them to look at shorts. YouTube doesn't allow this in a straight forward manner. I didn't see any settings in Google's family link app even though the app is mainly designed to control access for kids.
anArbitraryOne 2y ago
I just use a macro that changes the URL from "shorts" to "watch", thereby yielding a regular video player
notpushkin 2y ago
Neat! There's also Redirector, which allows to do all kinds of redirects like this. For example, I use it to redirect from YouTube to Invidious or from Booking.com confirmation page to the variant without upsells (which are otherwise tricky to block with uBlock Origin). http://einaregilsson.com/redirector/ http://einaregilsson.com/redirector/ My rules: https://gist.github.com/notpushkin/ee1ed3aa55a0926708d0de854c7e5482 https://gist.github.com/notpushkin/ee1ed3aa55a0926708d0de854...
- shoaki 2y ago
  Redirector is great, but unfortunately is no longer maintained because the author passed away[0]. [0] https://github.com/einaregilsson/Redirector/issues/329 https://github.com/einaregilsson/Redirector/issues/329
frizlab 2y ago
I have an even more radical solution. Whenever I have to watch something on yt (because I was sent a link to it), I download the video using yt-dlp and watch the downloaded video. I never ever go on the website :-)
- Funes- 2y ago
  That's a good option, since it will make the whole experience much more intentional. Carefully selecting what you want to watch and committing to it without having the option to immediatelly skim through it before it's completely downloaded, or to frantically jump from video to video, without ads, nor stumbling upon comments, nor "suggested" videos, is certainly a good thing. You could always use any Invidious instance listed on https://invidio.us https://invidio.us, though, if you have good impulse control and prefer streaming to downloading and watching offline.
- ldenoue 2y ago
  You might enjoy my app (iOS only) to load and save the video and show you the transcript so you can only focus on that video https://www.appblit.com/scribe https://www.appblit.com/scribe
  - frizlab 2y ago
    This looks like a good app! I won’t have a use personally for it, but still looks good. How did you do the transcripts?
panqueca 2y ago
Youtube lite is also a time saving alternative worth to check. The only down side is you have to have your own api keys though. - https://youtube-lite.js.org https://youtube-lite.js.org
fotcorn 2y ago
Note that YouTube Shorts are just normal YouTube videos on a different URL. This means you can take a link to a Shorts like https://www.youtube.com/shorts/<id> https://www.youtube.com/shorts/<id> and change it to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<id> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<id>. This way, you won't get the dreaded doomscroll interface, and you can also scrub through the video!
- Phiwise_ 2y ago
  Plus adjust the volume! Really speaks to the modern state Google's in that they took out their own functionality to more closely clone TikTok, I assume. Paul Graham's got an old quote about what it indicated about Microsoft when they decided to clone Google's business, and it comes to mind every time I see those terrible and vertical thumbnails.
  - pixelpoet 2y ago
    Wait, TikTok doesn't allow you to change the volume? That sure would explain the increase in blaring phones since they became popular with the idiocracy. Thanks to others who pointed out that uBlock origin can permanently disable (as opposed to being annoyed every 30 days) shorts on YT, instant quality of life improvement.
    - Phiwise_ 2y ago
      >Wait, TikTok doesn't allow you to change the volume? Just a guess from Youtube's shorts not having it. I've never used it.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
    - boweruk 2y ago
      Regular YouTube videos on mobile also don't allow you to change the volume separate to the phone's 'master volume'. I don't think this is a TikTok/YouTube specific thing - you just don't see separate volume sliders on mobile like you would on a video playing on desktop.
Brajeshwar 2y ago
I use a very manual mode on Safari (my default browser) - once very month, I click the "X" besides the Shorts Carousal and it works until the next time, then I repeat. Disclaimer: I'm not that into YouTube and kinda 'lucky-priced' to be in a region-discounted part of the world.
kissgyorgy 2y ago
Shorts make me really mad. I use this Chrome extension to remove everything related to Shorts: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hide-youtube-shorts/aljlkinhomaaahfdojalfmimeidofpih https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hide-youtube-short...
- donutpepperoni 2y ago
  I think these short form videos will hurt us in the long run. Thank you for sharing this.
dilliwal 2y ago
Nice, already installed on my chrome, thanks
PM_me_your_math 2y ago
[dead]
crtasm 2y ago
Is there a way to get an RSS feed for a Youtube channel which excludes shorts?
- dvh 2y ago
  I use wrapper RSS that adds 3 autogenerated thumbnails from which you see that it is short (because of the black boxes) and you can skip it. You can maybe analyze pixels of those thumbnails.
  - crtasm 2y ago
    I found now that Piped includes duration in the RSS so might script around that. Wonder if Invidious could add that metadata too. https://github.com/TeamPiped/Piped/wiki/Instances https://github.com/TeamPiped/Piped/wiki/Instances
- ajdude 2y ago
  Thankfully when the channels whose RSS I am subscribed to posts a YouTube short, they are kind enough to add hashtags all over the place. It's practically muscle memory now to mark any entry with a hashtag as red without checking
f0ld 2y ago
There's a user script version of that here as well for mobile browsers. You need to install Tapermonkey first or Userscript app for Macintosh. https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/439993-youtube-shorts-redirect https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/439993-youtube-shorts-redi...

victorstanciu 2y ago

If you use uBlock Origin, you can also just hide them: https://github.com/gijsdev/ublock-hide-yt-shorts https://github.com/gijsdev/ublock-hide-yt-shorts

fnordian_slip 2y ago
Thanks, I manually hide them every thirty days because I didn't know that ublock origin can do that, and I didn't want to install an extra add-on just for that (because I hoped that YouTube would some day realise how bad shorts are, and give up on them; wishful thinking, I know).
- victorstanciu 2y ago
  > I manually hide them every thirty days The inability of tech companies to accept that no means no, and not "bother me later" is a dark pattern that I've noticed more and more lately.
  - Freak_NL 2y ago
    It seems to have gotten imbedded as 'just the way you ask users things' in UI developer's mindsets: Do you want to enable push notifications? [Yes please] [Later] How about [No]? Just add a note that I can always enable this later if I want to, but don't jerk around with this nudging making me feel I'm just postponing this choice.
    - numpad0 2y ago
      It's called dark patterns as GP mentioned. They're financially motivated to improve [Yes] clicks, so they just remove [No]. It's completely Web-legal and Web-ethical. IMO, something should have been done when A/B tests became normal(mid to late 2000s). That ship had long long sailed, but I believe that alone require independent ethics board if it is happening outside the Web. It should not be something easily handled with a blanket waiver in shrinkwrap EULA.
  - brokenmachine 2y ago
    As Louis Rossmann would say, Rapist mentality.
- somat 2y ago
  I wrote a userscript that turns the links into a /v/ link. The whole "shorts" concept is sort of stupid. I mean the videos are fine, let people make whatever sort of video they want. the front page promotion is unwanted. But the thing I actively despise is the scrolling auto play interface. However youtube will play the video with a sane interface when the /short/ link is modified into /v/ Or I should say, I nearly wrote a userscript to do this, it mostly works but I still find myself manually changing urls. I am not good with JS.
  - efilife 2y ago
    A little nitpick, it's ?v= not /v/
    - somat 2y ago
      shorts have a link like youtube.com/shorts/XXXXXXX changing that to youtube.com/v/XXXXXXX works. and the video is still stupid, but now you have a sane environment to watch it in.
      - efilife 2y ago
        I had no idea, thanks!
    - Phiwise_ 2y ago
      I think both redirect to the video, no? At least I think they used to.
  - brokenmachine 2y ago
    My tampermonkey script (credit to the original author, I forget where I got it from): // ==UserScript== // @name Youtube shorts redirect // @namespace http://tampermonkey.net/ // @version 0.3 // @description Youtube shorts > watch redirect // @author // @match *://*.youtube.com/* // @icon https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=youtube.com // @grant none // @run-at document-start // @license GNU GPLv2 // ==/UserScript== var oldHref = document.location.href; if (window.location.href.indexOf('youtube.com/shorts') > -1) { window.location.replace(window.location.toString().replace('/shorts/', '/watch?v=')); } window.onload = function() { var bodyList = document.querySelector("body") var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) { mutations.forEach(function(mutation) { if (oldHref != document.location.href) { oldHref = document.location.href; console.log('location changed!'); if (window.location.href.indexOf('youtube.com/shorts') > -1) { window.location.replace(window.location.toString().replace('/shorts/', '/watch?v=')); } } }); }); var config = { childList: true, subtree: true }; observer.observe(bodyList, config); };
- Kiro 2y ago
  I think Shorts are great. What is your issue with them?
  - TonyTrapp 2y ago
    Besides the obvious reason that is even stated in the original submission of this article (they way they are presented is made to hack your brain for the dopamine kick and keep scrolling infinitely), there are also the technical aspects (no scrub bar, no volume control, accidentally touch the mouse wheel and you skip to the next video) - and maybe more subjectively: Shorts are about the worst-quality YouTube content there is.

tomthehero 2y ago

[flagged]

dewey 2y ago
You know, you don't _have_ to use this free entertainment website if it makes you so angry.
- noisy_boy 2y ago
  Overreaction indeed but sometimes you need to grant access to YouTube to your kids for study purposes but don't want them to look at shorts. YouTube doesn't allow this in a straight forward manner. I didn't see any settings in Google's family link app even though the app is mainly designed to control access for kids.

anArbitraryOne 2y ago

I just use a macro that changes the URL from "shorts" to "watch", thereby yielding a regular video player

notpushkin 2y ago

Neat! There's also Redirector, which allows to do all kinds of redirects like this. For example, I use it to redirect from YouTube to Invidious or from Booking.com confirmation page to the variant without upsells (which are otherwise tricky to block with uBlock Origin). http://einaregilsson.com/redirector/ http://einaregilsson.com/redirector/ My rules: https://gist.github.com/notpushkin/ee1ed3aa55a0926708d0de854c7e5482 https://gist.github.com/notpushkin/ee1ed3aa55a0926708d0de854...

shoaki 2y ago
Redirector is great, but unfortunately is no longer maintained because the author passed away[0]. [0] https://github.com/einaregilsson/Redirector/issues/329 https://github.com/einaregilsson/Redirector/issues/329

frizlab 2y ago

I have an even more radical solution. Whenever I have to watch something on yt (because I was sent a link to it), I download the video using yt-dlp and watch the downloaded video. I never ever go on the website :-)

Funes- 2y ago
That's a good option, since it will make the whole experience much more intentional. Carefully selecting what you want to watch and committing to it without having the option to immediatelly skim through it before it's completely downloaded, or to frantically jump from video to video, without ads, nor stumbling upon comments, nor "suggested" videos, is certainly a good thing. You could always use any Invidious instance listed on https://invidio.us https://invidio.us, though, if you have good impulse control and prefer streaming to downloading and watching offline.
ldenoue 2y ago
You might enjoy my app (iOS only) to load and save the video and show you the transcript so you can only focus on that video https://www.appblit.com/scribe https://www.appblit.com/scribe
- frizlab 2y ago
  This looks like a good app! I won’t have a use personally for it, but still looks good. How did you do the transcripts?

panqueca 2y ago

Youtube lite is also a time saving alternative worth to check. The only down side is you have to have your own api keys though. - https://youtube-lite.js.org https://youtube-lite.js.org

fotcorn 2y ago

Note that YouTube Shorts are just normal YouTube videos on a different URL. This means you can take a link to a Shorts like https://www.youtube.com/shorts/<id> https://www.youtube.com/shorts/<id> and change it to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<id> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<id>. This way, you won't get the dreaded doomscroll interface, and you can also scrub through the video!

Phiwise_ 2y ago
Plus adjust the volume! Really speaks to the modern state Google's in that they took out their own functionality to more closely clone TikTok, I assume. Paul Graham's got an old quote about what it indicated about Microsoft when they decided to clone Google's business, and it comes to mind every time I see those terrible and vertical thumbnails.
- pixelpoet 2y ago
  Wait, TikTok doesn't allow you to change the volume? That sure would explain the increase in blaring phones since they became popular with the idiocracy. Thanks to others who pointed out that uBlock origin can permanently disable (as opposed to being annoyed every 30 days) shorts on YT, instant quality of life improvement.
  - Phiwise_ 2y ago
    >Wait, TikTok doesn't allow you to change the volume? Just a guess from Youtube's shorts not having it. I've never used it.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
  - boweruk 2y ago
    Regular YouTube videos on mobile also don't allow you to change the volume separate to the phone's 'master volume'. I don't think this is a TikTok/YouTube specific thing - you just don't see separate volume sliders on mobile like you would on a video playing on desktop.

Brajeshwar 2y ago

I use a very manual mode on Safari (my default browser) - once very month, I click the "X" besides the Shorts Carousal and it works until the next time, then I repeat. Disclaimer: I'm not that into YouTube and kinda 'lucky-priced' to be in a region-discounted part of the world.

kissgyorgy 2y ago

Shorts make me really mad. I use this Chrome extension to remove everything related to Shorts: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hide-youtube-shorts/aljlkinhomaaahfdojalfmimeidofpih https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hide-youtube-short...

donutpepperoni 2y ago
I think these short form videos will hurt us in the long run. Thank you for sharing this.

dilliwal 2y ago

Nice, already installed on my chrome, thanks

PM_me_your_math 2y ago

[dead]

crtasm 2y ago

Is there a way to get an RSS feed for a Youtube channel which excludes shorts?

dvh 2y ago
I use wrapper RSS that adds 3 autogenerated thumbnails from which you see that it is short (because of the black boxes) and you can skip it. You can maybe analyze pixels of those thumbnails.
- crtasm 2y ago
  I found now that Piped includes duration in the RSS so might script around that. Wonder if Invidious could add that metadata too. https://github.com/TeamPiped/Piped/wiki/Instances https://github.com/TeamPiped/Piped/wiki/Instances
ajdude 2y ago
Thankfully when the channels whose RSS I am subscribed to posts a YouTube short, they are kind enough to add hashtags all over the place. It's practically muscle memory now to mark any entry with a hashtag as red without checking

f0ld 2y ago

There's a user script version of that here as well for mobile browsers. You need to install Tapermonkey first or Userscript app for Macintosh. https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/439993-youtube-shorts-redirect https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/439993-youtube-shorts-redi...