URL De-Tracker 🔗✂️

Paste a link → get a clean link.

Automatically removes tracking garbage (utm_*, fbclid, gclid, Amazon affiliate tags, etc.) from any URL you paste in Visual Studio Code. No external APIs - everything happens locally on your machine.

✨ What Makes This Different

❌ NOT a URL Shortener

• No TinyURL, Bitly, or external services - we don't create new short links
• No network calls - your URLs never leave your computer
• No third-party dependencies - pure local string processing
• No click tracking - unlike URL shorteners that track every click

✅ URL Cleaner & Tracker Remover

• Keeps original domain - amazon.com stays amazon.com
• Removes only junk parameters - preserves functional ones
• 100% offline operation - works without internet after installation
• Privacy-first approach - your links remain completely private

✨ Features

• 🚀 Automatic clean-paste – intercepts Ctrl/Cmd + V and strips 95%+ of tracker parameters
• 🔧 Smart preservation – keeps essential params (YouTube video IDs, Amazon variants, auth tokens)
• ⚡ One-click toggle – status bar shows 🔗 Clean ON/OFF
• 🔒 100% offline & private – no external API calls, URLs never transmitted anywhere
• 🎯 Heavy-duty rules – specialized cleaning for Amazon, eBay, social media links
• 🚫 No URL shortening – maintains original domain for transparency

Before & After Examples

| Before (tracking junk) | After (clean) | |------------------------|---------------| | https://amazon.com/product/dp/B123?th=1&psc=1%60 | https://amazon.com/product/dp/B123?th=1&psc=1| |https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc&t=42s%60 | https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc&t=42s | | https://news.com/article?id=42%60 | https://news.com/article?id=42` |

Notice: The domain stays the same - we clean, not shorten!

🔒 Privacy & Security

Why No External APIs?

• Corporate compliance - many companies ban external URL services
• Privacy protection - your browsing habits aren't tracked
• Reliability - works offline, no service downtime
• Speed - instant processing without network delays
• Transparency - you can see exactly where links point

What We DON'T Do

• ❌ Send URLs to TinyURL, Bitly, or any external service
• ❌ Create redirect links through third-party domains
• ❌ Track your usage or collect analytics
• ❌ Require internet connection after installation
• ❌ Store or log your URLs anywhere

What We DO

• ✅ Process URLs locally using JavaScript regex patterns
• ✅ Preserve the original destination domain
• ✅ Keep functional parameters needed for the link to work
• ✅ Work completely offline once installed

📦 Installation

Method 1: VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)

🔗 Direct Link: Install URL De-Tracker

Via Command Line:

code --install-extension rishitkar.url-detracker

This command works globally on any computer with VS Code installed!

Via VS Code Interface:

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X (Extensions view)
3. Search: URL De-Tracker or rishitkar
4. Click Install
5. Reload when prompted

🚀 Quick Start Guide

1. Verify Installation

After installation, check the status bar (bottom-right) shows: 🔗 Clean ON

2. Test with Real Links

Copy this messy Amazon URL:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Wireless-Charging/dp/B09G9F54DC?th=1&psc=1

Paste in VS Code (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V) → becomes:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Wireless-Charging/dp/B09G9F54DC?th=1&psc=1

3. See the Magic

• ✅ Brief toast: 🔗 tracking params removed
• ✅ Status bar shows activity
• ✅ Clean, readable URL - still points to Amazon, just without junk
• ✅ No external service calls made

💝 Love this extension? Star it on GitHub and share with your team!