Complete user manual

Every panel, option, and supported site.

Social Feed Purifier hides supported feed clutter locally on Facebook, Reddit, and LinkedIn. This manual explains what every popup control does, what each site-specific filter targets, and how to correct mistakes without sending feed content anywhere.

Quick Start

Use this flow after installing or updating the extension.

Install and reload

  1. Install Social Feed Purifier from the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Open or reload facebook.com, reddit.com, or linkedin.com.
  3. Click the Social Feed Purifier toolbar icon while the supported tab is active.
  4. Choose Ads Only for conservative defaults or Clean Feed for broader cleanup.
  5. Use Scan now if the page was already open before installation or update.

Correct mistakes

  1. If an unwanted post stays visible, click Report missed post.
  2. Move over the missed post in the feed.
  3. Click the blue Select this post button shown by the extension overlay.
  4. If a real post was hidden, use the placeholder controls or Undo last hidden.
  5. Corrections stay in this browser and are stored in chrome.storage.local.

Default behavior is conservative

Sponsored or Promoted post filtering is enabled by default. Broader filters such as suggested posts, NSFW posts, LinkedIn jobs, videos, external links, and navigation cleanup are opt-in.

Supported Sites

The popup changes labels and panels based on the active tab.

Facebook

Supported on www.facebook.com, web.facebook.com, and m.facebook.com. Covers feed posts, sponsored modules, selected navigation clutter, and dedicated Reel pages.

Read Facebook options

Reddit

Supported on www.reddit.com, new.reddit.com, and old.reddit.com. Covers Promoted posts, feed recommendations, content tags, videos, and outbound links.

Read Reddit options

LinkedIn

Supported on www.linkedin.com. Covers Promoted posts, display/right-rail ads, recommended people, recommended jobs, network activity posts, videos, and outbound links.

Read LinkedIn options

Instagram is paused

Instagram support is not active in the current public build while its detector is redesigned. This manual still documents the paused Instagram controls so older development builds and stored settings are understandable.

Global Popup Panels

These controls appear for supported sites unless a panel is explicitly site-specific.

Header, status, and counters

Item What it means Notes
Status text Shows whether the active tab is Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, or unsupported. If it says to open a supported site, reload the supported tab and reopen the popup.
Version badge Shows the installed extension version. Current release line is 1.4.85.
Total hidden All-time hidden count stored in this browser. Reset with Reset counters.
On page Number of posts hidden on the active supported tab. This changes as the feed mutates or as you scroll.
Suspicious Posts detected as suspicious but not hidden automatically. Use Review suspicious to inspect one of them.
Recommend Social Feed Purifier Opens the public project website. This is a normal browser tab link; it does not send feed data.

Presets panel

Control Effect Site behavior
Ads Only Applies the safest cleanup profile for the active site. Facebook Sponsored posts, Reddit Promoted posts, or LinkedIn Promoted posts stay enabled. Broader clutter filters stay off.
Clean Feed Applies a stronger opt-in cleanup profile for the active site. Enables common site-specific clutter filters. It does not change privacy behavior.
Reset Returns the active site's settings to conservative defaults. Also clears text rules and allow rules for Reddit and LinkedIn resets.
Scan now Asks the active content script to rescan the current page. If needed, the popup injects the matching local content script into the active supported tab.

Ad Detection panel

Control What it does Use when
Hide automatically Hides posts that meet the current hide decision. Turn off if you want suspicious or matched posts to remain visible while tuning settings.
Show placeholders Replaces hidden posts with a compact placeholder instead of removing all visible trace. Use this while testing filters; turn it off when you want the cleanest feed.
Aggressive mode Hides borderline suspicious posts sooner. Useful if you prefer stronger cleanup and accept more false-positive risk.
Sponsored posts / Promoted posts Enables the main ad/promoted post filter for the active site. Shown as Sponsored posts on Facebook and as Promoted posts on Reddit and LinkedIn.
Right sponsored boxes (Facebook) Hides sponsored modules in Facebook's right rail. Facebook only.
Display/right rail ads (LinkedIn) Hides LinkedIn display ad iframes, sponsored modules, and right-rail ad placements. LinkedIn only.
Hide threshold Numeric cutoff from 0 to 1 for the local classifier. Default is 0.7. Lower values hide more. Higher values hide less.

Text Rules panel

Field What it does Syntax
Hide posts containing Hides posts whose text matches any line in this box. Use one plain phrase or one regex per line.
Always allow if containing Protects posts whose text matches any line in this box. Allow rules win over hide rules and classifier decisions.
Plain phrase Case-insensitive text match. Example: webinar
Regex JavaScript-style regex rule. Example: /limited\\s+offer/i

Corrections panel

Control What it does Result
Report missed post Starts the on-page picker for a visible post that should have been hidden. The clicked post is classified locally and the matching filter may be enabled locally.
Undo last hidden Restores the most recently hidden post in the active tab. Also saves feedback that the post should not have been hidden as an ad.
Review suspicious Scrolls to a post that the detector considered suspicious but left visible. If it should be hidden, use Report missed post.
Advanced corrections Expands manual type selection and local data controls. Useful when Auto-detect chooses the wrong missed-post type.
Force missed post type Overrides Auto-detect for the next picker action. Options change based on active site.
Export local data Downloads a JSON file with settings, counters, local weights, and local samples. For your own backup or debugging.
Reset learning Clears local training samples and local classifier weight adjustments. Does not uninstall the extension.
Reset counters Clears local hidden, suspicious, false-positive, and user-marked counts. Does not change filters.

Local Model panel

Item Meaning Notes
Training samples Number of local correction samples stored in this browser. Limited locally; export or reset from Advanced corrections.
Suspicious range Classifier score range for suspicious posts. Current display: 0.45-0.69.
Privacy Reminder that detection and feedback stay in chrome.storage.local. No server upload is used.
Friend/name alerts Reserved Facebook-only note for future opt-in local history features. Disabled by default.

Facebook Options

Facebook panels include feed filters, page cleanup, extras, and navigation cleanup.

Facebook Ad Detection

  • Sponsored posts hides Facebook feed posts that match local sponsored-post signals.
  • Right sponsored boxes (Facebook) hides sponsored modules in the right column.
  • On dedicated Facebook Reel pages, Sponsored Reels are skipped when a sponsored clip is detected.
  • Detection uses local DOM, content, media path, call-to-action, and post-structure signals. It does not click ads.

Facebook Feed Filters panel

Filter Targets
Suggested postsFacebook feed items labeled or structured as suggestions or recommendations.
ReelsShort-video or Reel posts and modules in the feed.
StoriesStory modules or story-style feed placements.
People You May KnowPeople recommendation modules.
Pages: Follow suggestionsPage recommendation posts and modules asking you to follow a page.
Groups: Join suggestionsGroup recommendation posts and modules asking you to join a group.
Marketplace postsMarketplace sale, listing, and marketplace-style feed placements.
Games and appsGame and app recommendation posts.
Events and birthdaysEvent reminders, birthday modules, and event-style feed placements.
MemoriesFacebook memories posts and reminders.
Friend activityPosts surfaced primarily because a friend liked, followed, joined, or interacted.
All photo postsBroad filter for photo posts. Use carefully because it can hide ordinary posts.
Videos and liveVideo posts, live posts, and watch/video-style feed placements.
External linksPosts with outbound links away from Facebook.
Public postsPosts detected as public. Use carefully if you follow many public pages.

Facebook Page Cleanup panel

Cleanup option Targets
Right rail modulesGeneral right-side modules outside the main feed.
Left nav clutterSelected low-priority left navigation items.
Marketplace linksMarketplace entries in navigation areas.
Watch/video linksWatch, video, and similar navigation entries.
Gaming linksGaming navigation entries and modules.
Events/memories linksEvent and memory navigation entries.
Your shortcutsThe shortcuts section when detected.
Create roomCreate Room modules and prompts.
Disable feed autoplayAttempts to pause and disable autoplay on feed videos when possible.

Facebook Extras panel

Extra Targets
Auto tag suggestionsAutomatic tagging suggestions shown around posts or comments.
Suggested commentsFacebook suggested comment chips and prompts.
Typing comment noticesNotices that someone is typing a comment.
Highlight public postsVisually marks posts detected as public instead of hiding them.
Home opens Most RecentAttempts to route Home navigation toward a more recent feed view.

Facebook Navigation panel

Navigation option Targets
AI linksAI-related navigation links.
Friends linksFriends navigation entries.
Saved linksSaved navigation entries.
Memories linksMemory navigation entries.
Dashboard linksDashboard navigation entries.
Groups linksGroups navigation entries.
Top MarketplaceMarketplace in the top navigation bar.
Top Watch/videoWatch or video in the top navigation bar.
Top GroupsGroups in the top navigation bar.
Top GamingGaming in the top navigation bar.

Facebook advanced correction types

When Force missed post type is open on Facebook, the picker can force these categories:

Sponsored/ad post Page: Follow suggestion Group: Join suggestion Suggested/recommended post People You May Know Reel / short video Story module/post Marketplace post Game/app post Event/birthday post Memory post Friend activity post Photo post Video/live post External link post Public post

Reddit Options

Reddit uses Promoted terminology and has Reddit-specific content filters.

Reddit Ad Detection

  • Promoted posts hides Reddit promoted posts in feeds and conversation pages.
  • Detection uses promoted markers, Reddit promoted-link structures, ad containers, and paid-link signals.
  • Ads Only enables Promoted posts and leaves optional content filters off.

Reddit Clean Feed preset

  • Enables Promoted posts.
  • Enables NSFW, Spoiler, Brand Affiliate, recommended posts, video posts, and external link posts.
  • Keeps right-rail sponsored boxes off because that control is Facebook/LinkedIn specific.

Reddit Filters panel

Filter Targets
NSFW postsPosts marked NSFW by Reddit signals.
Spoiler postsPosts marked as spoilers.
Brand Affiliate postsPosts with Reddit Brand Affiliate labeling.
Recommended postsPosts inserted as recommendations or suggested communities/content.
Video postsPosts containing Reddit video players or video-style post structures.
External link postsPosts linking away from Reddit.

Reddit advanced correction types

When Force missed post type is open on Reddit, the picker can force these categories:

Promoted post NSFW post Spoiler post Brand Affiliate post Recommended post Video post External link post

LinkedIn Options

LinkedIn filtering is conservative by default. Promoted posts are enabled; broader cleanup is opt-in.

LinkedIn Ad Detection

  • Promoted posts hides LinkedIn feed posts with Promoted/Sponsored labels, sponsored markers, paid campaign links, or commercial ad signals.
  • Display/right rail ads hides LinkedIn display ad iframes, right-rail ad modules, and sponsored side modules.
  • Ads Only enables only Promoted posts by default.

LinkedIn Clean Feed preset

  • Enables Promoted posts and display/right-rail ads.
  • Enables suggested posts, follow suggestions, network activity, promoted jobs, newsletter/event promos, video posts, and external link posts.
  • Preserves local privacy behavior and stores settings only in this browser.

LinkedIn Filters panel

Filter Targets
Suggested postsLinkedIn recommendation modules, including "Recommended for you" profile modules and "Jobs recommended for you" job carousels when detected as feed modules.
Follow suggestionsPosts or modules encouraging you to follow a person, page, or profile.
Network activity postsFeed posts surfaced because someone interacted with them, including headers such as "reposted this", "loves this", "celebrates this", "supports this", "commented on this", "reacted to this", "liked this", or "finds this insightful".
Promoted jobsLinkedIn job promotion modules and promoted job cards.
Newsletter/event promosNewsletter subscription promos, event promos, and similar LinkedIn promotional modules.
Video postsNative LinkedIn videos, Video.js players, video cover images, video player labels, and late-mounted video shells.
External link postsPosts with outbound links outside LinkedIn.

LinkedIn placeholder and gap behavior

  • When a LinkedIn post is hidden, the extension tries to hide the outer feed item shell, not only the inner post.
  • This prevents small fragments of the original post from staying visible after removal.
  • Empty LinkedIn replacement/comment-tool containers are also collapsed when they are left behind by the page.
  • If Show placeholders is on, the placeholder replaces the hidden item. If it is off, the item collapses.

LinkedIn advanced correction types

When Force missed post type is open on LinkedIn, the picker can force these categories:

Promoted post Promoted job Suggested post Follow suggestion Network activity post Newsletter/event promo Video post External link post

Paused Instagram Controls

Instagram support is paused in the current public build, but these option names can appear in stored settings or development builds.

Instagram Filters panel

Filter Intended target
Sponsored postsSponsored Instagram posts or Reels.
Product/promotional postsShopping, product, or promotional posts.
Suggested postsSuggested Instagram feed posts.
ReelsInstagram Reel posts.
Video postsInstagram video posts.
External link postsPosts linking away from Instagram.

Hidden Accounts panel

  • Hide Instagram account starts a local picker for hiding posts from a selected account.
  • Hidden Accounts lists locally hidden account handles.
  • Show again removes one account from the local hidden list.
  • Clear hidden accounts removes all locally hidden Instagram accounts.

Important pause note

The active-site detector currently treats Instagram as unsupported. The paused controls are documented for transparency, not as active public support.

Hidden Post Placeholders

Placeholders are the safest way to test filters because they let you recover hidden content.

Preview

Temporarily shows the hidden post with a frame so you can inspect why it was hidden.

Undo

Restores the hidden post without necessarily training the local model.

False positive

Restores the post and saves local feedback that it should not be treated as an ad.

Troubleshooting

Most issues are caused by a tab that was open before install/update, an inactive filter, or a page structure change.

Posts are not being hidden

  • Reload the supported site tab.
  • Open the popup and confirm the status says the active tab is supported.
  • Confirm Hide automatically is on.
  • Confirm the relevant filter is enabled for the active site.
  • Use Scan now.
  • Use Report missed post if the page has changed and the detector missed a new layout.

Too much is being hidden

  • Turn on Show placeholders while testing.
  • Disable broad filters such as videos, external links, photo posts, or public posts.
  • Turn off Aggressive mode.
  • Raise the Hide threshold toward 1.
  • Add trusted names or phrases to Always allow if containing.
  • Use placeholder false-positive controls or Undo last hidden.

LinkedIn blank gaps remain

  • Update to version 1.4.85 or later.
  • Turn off Show placeholders if you want full collapse.
  • Use Scan now after new posts load.
  • If a new LinkedIn wrapper leaves space behind, report the missed post type so the local detector can tag the outer shell.

Video posts are not detected

  • Confirm the active site's Video posts or Videos and live filter is enabled.
  • On LinkedIn, the detector looks for native video elements, Video.js containers, video player labels, and video cover images.
  • Some videos mount after scrolling; use Scan now once the video is visible.

Privacy and Data

The extension is designed to work without server-side feed analysis.

What stays local

  • Settings
  • Counters
  • Classifier weights
  • Correction samples
  • Text rules and allow rules

What is not used

  • No remote AI APIs
  • No extension analytics
  • No Facebook API
  • No Reddit API
  • No LinkedIn API

Your controls

  • Export local data
  • Reset learning
  • Reset counters
  • Disable any filter
  • Uninstall the extension