Privacy Policy
Core Commitment: TabStack does not collect, track, store remotely, or transmit any user data, web browsing history, or personal information. Everything operates 100% locally on your computer.
1. Overview and Single Purpose
TabStack is an open-source browser extension designed for Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Brave, Arc, Edge). Its single purpose is to organize and cluster open tabs by domain into native collapsible tab groups and hibernate dormant background tabs to reclaim memory. To protect that organization, it can also keep a local snapshot of your open windows so they can be reopened after being closed by mistake.
2. Data Collection and Usage
TabStack adheres to a strict zero-telemetry policy:
- No Personal Information: We do not ask for or collect names, email addresses, usernames, IP addresses, or device identifiers.
- No Web History Collection: TabStack inspects open tab URLs to group tabs by domain name (e.g.
github.com). It does not read your browsing history and never sends tab data to any server. - Local Session Snapshots: When Session Snapshots are enabled (the default), TabStack saves the URL, title, pinned state and tab group of the tabs in your open windows to your browser's local extension storage, so you can restore a window after closing it. Snapshots stay on your device, are trimmed automatically to the limits you choose, and can be turned off, exported or deleted at any time in Settings.
- No Telemetry or Analytics: TabStack contains zero analytics libraries, zero tracking pixels, and zero background network requests. It operates completely offline.
- No Remote Code: TabStack does not load or execute external scripts, remote CDNs, or dynamic code. All extension logic is fully contained within the installed package.
3. Chromium Permissions Justification
To perform its tab-management functions, TabStack requests the minimum necessary permissions:
| Permission | Technical Purpose |
|---|---|
tabs |
Allows reading tab URLs and active states to group matching domains and detect when background tabs should be discarded/hibernated. |
tabGroups |
Allows creating, naming, color-coding, expanding, and collapsing native browser tab groups. |
storage |
Allows persisting your local extension preferences (such as accordion mode toggles, hibernation timers, and custom group colors) and your session snapshots inside your browser's local storage. |
unlimitedStorage |
Lets session snapshots of large windows be stored locally without hitting the default extension storage cap. Nothing is stored outside your device. |
alarms |
Allows scheduling lightweight periodic background timers to evaluate idle tab inactivity, trigger hibernation, and take periodic session snapshots. |
4. Data Storage and Retention
All user configurations, preferences and session snapshots are stored exclusively on your local machine using Chromium's chrome.storage.local API. Session snapshots are kept only up to the retention limits set in Settings and can be deleted at any time. If you uninstall TabStack or clear your browser extension data, all local preferences and snapshots are permanently removed.
5. Third-Party Sharing and Commercialization
TabStack does not sell, rent, monetize, or transfer any user data to third parties, advertising networks, data brokers, or search engines under any circumstances.
6. Open Source Transparency
TabStack is completely free, transparent, and open source under the MIT License. Anyone can audit the complete source code to independently verify our privacy guarantees on GitHub.
7. Contact & Changes
If you have any questions or feedback regarding this Privacy Policy, please open an issue on the official GitHub Repository.