Browser extensions

What the toolbar icon tells you

The extension icon shows a small badge on the tab you’re watching:

• Amber … — it’s reading what you’re watching.
• Green ✓ — it found the title and is tracking it (it stays green once the episode or movie is marked).
• Red ! — it can’t see the title yet. On Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ the title only shows while the player controls are visible, so move your mouse over the player or pause and play once.
• Gray ? — add your Auto-Tracker token in the extension options.

You may also see a small note in the corner of the page with the same hints, or confirming that something was marked watched. You can turn those notes off in the extension options; the icon badge stays on.

Supported streaming services

The extension works on these sites, in Chrome, Edge, Brave and Firefox on a computer. Every service handles both TV episodes and movies.

• Netflix — the title and episode show while the player is paused or its controls are showing.
• Prime Video — move the mouse over the player once so the title and episode appear.
• Max
• Disney+ — move the mouse over the player once; this also covers Hulu titles that play on Disney+.
• Hulu
• Paramount+
• Fandango at Home — it only shows a title, so TV episodes are matched by episode name against shows already in your library.

Streaming apps on TVs, phones, game consoles and streaming boxes can’t be tracked by a browser extension. Services change their players from time to time, so a service can stop working until the extension is updated.

Security

• Uses a dedicated Auto-Tracker token (not your login session). Generate it on your Account page.
• The token is stored only in the extension’s local storage and sent as a Bearer header — never as a cookie.
• WatchNext stores only a hash of the token. You see the plaintext once when you create it.
• By default auto-tracking only marks episodes and movies already in your library. If you turn on auto-add, a finished episode of a show that isn’t in your library yet adds the show, and a movie that isn’t in your library yet is added as Watching after you’ve played about 3 minutes of it (it becomes Finished once you pass 80%) — only when WatchNext finds one clear match, and within your plan’s limits. With or without auto-add, a movie that is already in your library moves to Watching after about 3 minutes of playback.
• Optional mark earlier episodes setting (off by default): after you have played about 3 minutes of an episode, every earlier aired episode of that show (specials excluded) is marked watched, so you can start mid-series without catching up by hand.
• Revoke the token anytime from Account if a device is lost or shared.
• If auto-tracking breaks (for example a streaming site changes its player UI), the extension may send a small diagnostic report so we can detect and fix it — never your token or email. Details are in the Privacy Policy.

Extensions are best-effort and may stop working when a streaming site updates its player. See our Terms.

1. Create a Auto-Tracker token

1. Sign in and open Account → Auto-Tracker.
2. Click Generate token and copy it immediately (it won’t be shown again).

2. Install the extension

Download WatchNext Auto-Tracker (.zip)

Unsigned sideload build for personal use. Official Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons listings are planned — see the store publishing checklist.

Chrome / Edge / Brave

1. Unzip the download.
2. Open chrome://extensions (or edge://extensions).
3. Turn on Developer mode.
4. Click Load unpacked and select the unzipped watchnext folder.

Firefox

1. Unzip the download.
2. Open about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox.
3. Click Load Temporary Add-on… and choose manifest.json inside the watchnext folder.
4. Temporary add-ons are removed when Firefox restarts — reload after each restart until a signed listing is available.

3. Paste your token

1. Open the extension options (toolbar icon or right-click → Options).
2. Paste the Auto-Tracker token and save. There is nothing else you need to set.
3. Watch on any supported site (Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Fandango at Home) as usual. When an episode or movie finishes (or you reach ~80%), WatchNext marks it watched if that show is in your library.

Troubleshooting

• Show not in library — add the series in WatchNext first, then finish the episode again.
• Nothing happens — confirm the token is saved, you’re on a supported site’s player page, and the title/season/episode appeared in the player. On Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ the player labels only show when the controls are visible, so move the mouse over the player once. Fandango at Home only exposes a title, so TV episodes are matched by episode name against shows already in your library.
• Compromised token — revoke it on Account and generate a new one.

Need help? Email tv@watchnext.app or see the FAQ.

Publishing to official stores

Maintainers: Chrome Web Store and Firefox AMO requirements, reviewer expectations, and the pre-submit checklist live on a separate page.

Open the store publishing checklist