Zen Auto Tab Closer

A lightweight, privacy-focused Firefox extension that automatically closes:

• Zoom tabs ending with #success after 3 seconds
• Slack thread tabs after 10 seconds

Why This Extension?

When you join a Zoom meeting from your browser, Zoom opens a tab that redirects to launch the desktop app, then leaves behind a tab ending with #success. Similarly, Slack notification links often open tabs that you've already viewed in the Slack app. This extension automatically closes those unnecessary tabs for you.

Features

• Minimal Permissions: Only requires tabs permission - no access to page content or network requests
• Lightweight: Simple background script with no dependencies
• Configurable Delays:
  • 3-second delay for Zoom tabs (quickly removes success tabs)
  • 10-second delay for Slack threads (gives you time to check if you need the tab)
• Universal Slack Support: Works with any Slack workspace (not tied to specific domains)
• Privacy-First: No data collection, no external communication, completely local
• Open Source: Fully auditable code for your security

Installation

Option 1: Temporary Installation (For Testing)

1. Open Firefox and navigate to about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox
2. Click "Load Temporary Add-on..."
3. Navigate to the extension folder and select the manifest.json file
4. The extension will be active until you restart Firefox

Note: This is perfect for testing but will need to be reloaded after each Firefox restart.

Option 2: Permanent Installation (Unsigned)

For personal use without Mozilla signing:

1. Clone or download this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/austinbjohnson/zen_autoTabCloser.git
   cd zen_autoTabCloser

2. Build the extension package:

   Note: The .xpi file is not included in the repository to prevent corruption. Build it yourself:

   zip -r zen-auto-tab-closer.xpi manifest.json background.js icons/

3. Configure Firefox (for unsigned extensions):

   • Use Firefox Developer Edition or Firefox Nightly
   • Navigate to about:config
   • Search for xpinstall.signatures.required
   • Set it to false

4. Install the extension:

   • Open Firefox and go to about:addons
   • Click the gear icon ⚙️ and select "Install Add-on From File..."
   • Select your zen-auto-tab-closer.xpi file
   • Click "Add" when prompted

Option 3: Sign with Mozilla (For Distribution)

If you want to share this extension or use it permanently in regular Firefox:

1. Create an account at addons.mozilla.org
2. Go to Developer Hub
3. Submit the extension for signing (self-distribution)
4. Mozilla will sign it and you can install the signed version

How It Works

The extension monitors all tab URL changes in Firefox. When it detects:

Zoom tabs:

• URL containing zoom.us AND ending with #success
• Waits 3 seconds, then automatically closes the tab

Slack thread tabs:

• URL matching pattern *.slack.com/archives/[CHANNEL_ID]/p[MESSAGE_ID]
• Waits 10 seconds (longer delay since you might intentionally browse Slack), then closes the tab

Customization

Change the Close Delays

Edit background.js and modify the delay constants:

const ZOOM_CLOSE_DELAY = 3000; // Change to desired milliseconds (e.g., 10000 = 10 seconds)
const SLACK_CLOSE_DELAY = 10000; // Change to desired milliseconds (e.g., 30000 = 30 seconds)

Customize URL Patterns

For Zoom tabs, edit the condition in background.js:

if (tab.url.includes("zoom.us") && tab.url.endsWith("#success")) {

For example, to also close tabs with /launch/ in the URL:

if (tab.url.includes("zoom.us") && (tab.url.endsWith("#success") || tab.url.includes("/launch/"))) {

For Slack tabs, edit the isSlackThreadUrl function to change detection logic. The current pattern matches thread URLs like:

• https://workspace.slack.com/archives/C12345/p1234567890

Privacy & Security

This extension is built with privacy and security as top priorities:

• ✅ Minimal Permissions: Only tabs permission (required to monitor and close tabs)
• ✅ No Network Access: Cannot make network requests or send data anywhere
• ✅ No Content Access: Cannot read or modify page content
• ✅ No Data Collection: No analytics, tracking, or data storage
• ✅ Local Only: Everything runs locally in your browser
• ✅ Open Source: Full source code available for audit

Permissions Explained

• tabs: Required to monitor tab URLs and close tabs. This is the absolute minimum permission needed for this functionality.

Troubleshooting

Extension doesn't close tabs:

• For Zoom: Check that the tab URL ends exactly with #success
• For Slack: Check that the URL matches the pattern *.slack.com/archives/[CHANNEL]/p[MESSAGE_ID]
• Open the Browser Console (Ctrl+Shift+J or Cmd+Shift+J) to see debug logs
• Look for messages starting with [Zen Auto Tab Closer]

Tab closes too quickly/slowly:

• Adjust the ZOOM_CLOSE_DELAY or SLACK_CLOSE_DELAY constants in background.js
• Default is 3 seconds for Zoom and 10 seconds for Slack

Extension stops working after Firefox restart:

• If using temporary installation, you need to reload the extension via about:debugging after each restart
• Consider using Option 2 (Developer Edition) for permanent installation

License

MIT License - Feel free to modify and use as you wish!

Version History

• 1.1.0 - Slack thread support
  • Added automatic closing of Slack thread tabs after 10 seconds
  • Works with any Slack workspace domain
  • Refactored code for better extensibility
  • Updated documentation with customization options
• 1.0.0 - Initial release
  • Automatically closes Zoom #success tabs after 5 seconds
  • Minimal permissions (tabs only)
  • Console logging for debugging