YouTube Bot Comments Filter

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

Script metadata

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.