Zen Auto Tab Closer — austinbjohnson

Zen Auto Tab Closer

A lightweight, privacy-focused Firefox extension that automatically closes Zoom and Slack tabs.

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
• Smart 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

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.

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 signing the extension 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
• Reduced Zoom delay from 5 seconds to 3 seconds
• 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