A userscript for YouTube that detects spam bot comments by nickname pattern and hides or blurs them. Settings live in the YouTube account (avatar) menu — open Bot filter and choose hide or blur.
Compatible with Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey, Greasemonkey, ScriptCat, and other managers that support the // ==UserScript== metadata block.
Quick install
- Install a userscript manager (Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey recommended).
- Click the install link below — your manager should open an installation prompt.
Install URL:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NemoKing1210/youtube-bot-comments-filter/main/youtube-bot-comments-filter.user.js
Install from URL (dashboard)
| Manager |
Path |
| Tampermonkey |
Dashboard → Utilities → Install from URL |
| Violentmonkey |
Dashboard → + → Install from URL |
| Greasemonkey |
Add-on menu → New User Script → paste the raw URL |
| ScriptCat |
Install the extension and use the GitHub raw URL |
| Paste the install URL above. |
|
Manual install
- Open the built
youtube-bot-comments-filter.user.js in this repository (or run npm run build after cloning).
- Copy the entire file contents.
- In your userscript manager, create a new script and paste the code.
- Save and enable the script.
Updates
The script includes @updateURL and @downloadURL metadata pointing to the raw GitHub file. Supported managers check for updates automatically.
To release a new version:
- Bump
version in package.json.
- Run
npm run build (regenerates root youtube-bot-comments-filter.user.js / .meta.js).
- Add an entry to
CHANGELOG.md.
- Push to
main (or create a GitHub Release).
Features
- Bot detection by nickname — weighted rule engine scores commenter display names (e.g.
@SAWS.PW__TyT_Ha_CauT_05)
- Hide mode — bot comment body is replaced by a localized placeholder notice
- Blur mode — bot comments stay in place but are blurred and dimmed; hover to reveal
- Account-menu settings — entry in the avatar menu with hide/blur options and a toggle for the bot % badge
- Confidence badge — estimated bot probability when above 50% (amber / orange / red); can be turned off in settings
- Persistent preference — selected mode is saved between sessions
- YouTube-like styling — uses YouTube CSS variables for light/dark theme compatibility
- 10 UI languages — English, Russian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Hindi (detected from browser locale)
Supported pages
| Site |
URL pattern |
| YouTube |
https://www.youtube.com/* |
Works on watch pages, Shorts with comments, and any YouTube view that renders the standard comments section (ytd-comment-view-model / ytd-comment-renderer). |
|
Display modes
| Mode |
Behavior |
| Hide (default) |
Comment body is replaced by a short notice; layout stays stable |
| Blur |
Bot comments appear blurred, grayscale, and semi-transparent; full content shows on hover |
| Open your avatar menu → Bot filter → choose a mode. The subtitle under the menu entry shows the current mode. |
|
How it works
YouTube page loads
│
▼
MutationObserver + periodic rescan (SPA-safe)
│
▼
Ensure account-menu settings entry when the avatar menu opens
│
▼
For each new comment (ytd-comment-view-model / ytd-comment-renderer)
│
▼
Read author display name (#author-text)
│
▼
Run BotDetector rules → sum weights
│
├── score < threshold ──► leave comment unchanged
│
└── score ≥ threshold ──► apply hide notice or blur
Bot detection
Detection is based on the commenter's display name, not comment text. Each rule has a name, weight, and test(name) function. The total score is the sum of matched rule weights. If the total is ≥ 4 (default threshold), the comment is flagged as a bot.
Built-in signals include:
| Signal |
Weight |
Example |
| Domain-like prefix with spam TLD |
3 |
@SAWS.PW__..., @TLES.TOP-... |
| Separator right after TLD |
2 |
.PW__, .TOP- |
| Transliterated spam keywords |
3 |
tyt_ha, na_caut, smotri, 4ki_na |
| Many underscores |
1 |
three or more _ in the name |
| Leetspeak digit in word |
1 |
Sy4ki, CauT0 |
| ALLCAPS prefix with dot |
1 |
@SAWS.PW |
| Exact match list |
100 |
SAWS.PW, TLES.TOP |
Spam TLDs checked: PW, TOP, XYZ, ONLINE, SITE, CLUB, WIN, CC, ICU, VIP, and others commonly abused in bot nicknames. |
|
|
To extend detection, edit EXACT_MATCHES / SPAM_TLDS in src/constants.js or push new objects into RULES in src/detection/bot-detector.js. |
|
|
Dynamic content
YouTube loads comments asynchronously (infinite scroll, replies, navigation without full reload). A MutationObserver on document.documentElement schedules debounced passes via requestAnimationFrame. A 2-second safety interval catches any missed mutations.
Repository layout
youtube-bot-comments-filter/
├── src/ # Source (edit here)
│ ├── main.js
│ ├── constants.js
│ ├── settings.js
│ ├── i18n/
│ ├── detection/
│ ├── styles/
│ └── features/
├── scripts/ # Build helpers
├── youtube-bot-comments-filter.user.js # Built installable userscript
├── youtube-bot-comments-filter.meta.js # Built metadata-only mirror
├── package.json
├── vite.config.js
├── README.md
├── CHANGELOG.md
└── LICENSE
| File |
Purpose |
src/ |
Editable source modules |
youtube-bot-comments-filter.user.js |
Built script served at @downloadURL / @updateURL |
youtube-bot-comments-filter.meta.js |
Lightweight metadata mirror for update checks |
vite.config.js |
Userscript metadata + Vite / monkey config |
Key // ==UserScript== fields (generated from vite.config.js + package.json):
| Field |
Value |
@namespace |
https://github.com/NemoKing1210/youtube-bot-comments-filter |
@version |
From package.json |
@updateURL / @downloadURL |
Raw GitHub URL of youtube-bot-comments-filter.user.js |
@homepageURL |
This repository |
@supportURL |
GitHub Issues |
@license |
MIT |
@grant |
GM_getValue, GM_setValue |
@match |
https://www.youtube.com/* |
Localized @name and @description tags are provided for en, ru, es, fr, de, pt-BR, zh-CN, ja, ar, and hi. |
|
Required permissions
| Grant |
Purpose |
GM_getValue / GM_setValue |
Persist hide/blur mode preference between sessions |
GM_addStyle |
Inject filter / menu CSS (auto-granted by the Vite build) |
| No network requests are made. The script only reads the DOM and applies CSS classes. |
|
Development
Requires Node.js 20+ (npm).
npm install
npm run dev # Vite serve — open/install the generated "dev:" userscript
npm run build # Production → dist/ + copy to repo root
npm run ci # Same checks as GitHub Actions (build + verify artifacts)
Edit files under src/ (entry: src/main.js). Userscript metadata (@match, localized names, …) lives in vite.config.js. Version is package.json → header @version and in-script SCRIPT_VERSION.
After changes that should ship, run npm run build and commit the regenerated root .user.js / .meta.js. Pull requests run CI, which fails if those files are out of date.
Local workflow notes
npm run dev: vite-plugin-monkey serves an installable userscript (name prefixed with dev:). Install it once in Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey, or ScriptCat; HMR applies while the server runs.- Built file: after
npm run build, you can also install the root youtube-bot-comments-filter.user.js (Violentmonkey Track local file still works on that artifact).
- Do not commit localhost
@updateURL / @downloadURL values.
Configuration
| Constant |
Default |
Location |
Description |
STORAGE_KEY_MODE |
ytbf_mode |
src/constants.js |
Storage key for display mode |
DEFAULT_MODE |
hide |
src/constants.js |
Initial mode when no preference is saved |
STORAGE_KEY_SHOW_SCORE |
ytbf_show_score |
src/constants.js |
Storage key for bot % badge visibility |
DEFAULT_SHOW_SCORE |
false |
src/constants.js |
Show confidence badges by default |
THRESHOLD |
4 |
src/constants.js |
Minimum bot score to flag a comment |
EXACT_MATCHES |
SAWS.PW, … |
src/constants.js |
Substrings that instantly flag a nickname |
SAFETY_RESCAN_MS |
2000 |
src/constants.js |
Fallback timer if a mutation is missed |
Disclaimer
This project is not affiliated with Google or YouTube. Bot detection is heuristic — some legitimate usernames may be flagged, and some bots may slip through. Use it as a convenience filter, not a guarantee of comment quality.
License
MIT — Copyright (c) 2026 NemoKing
