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WebTrace.

A privacy-firstbrowser history manager for Chrome & Firefox — search pages, manage favorites, restore closed tabs, review search queries, downloads, clipboard history, bookmarks, and extension activity. Everything stays on your device.

RoleDesign · Engineering · Ship
Year2026 — Present
PlatformChrome · Firefox
Status Live

Browser history is there, but inaccessible.

The browser keeps everything — every page visited, every search made, every file downloaded. But the built-in history tools are basic: a flat chronological list with a search bar. Finding something from weeks ago, understanding patterns, or recovering accidentally closed tabs requires workarounds.

Existing solutions range from full telemetry-heavy analytics tools to bare-bones bookmark managers. Nothing gave users real control over their own browsing data without shipping it somewhere else first. The opportunity: a local-first history manager that actually uses the data the browser already collects.

Turn raw history into a searchable workspace.

WebTrace treats browser history as a personal resource, not an afterthought. Rather than just listing visited pages, it surfaces context — sessions, patterns, relationships — that the default history view buries.

  1. Core History Search & Filter

    Full-text search across titles and URLs, optional content indexing for deeper discovery. Filter by date range, domain, and visit duration. Chronological view or smart session grouping.

  2. Recovery Closed Tabs & Sessions

    Restore individual tabs or entire sessions when multiple tabs were closed together. One-click recovery without digging through raw history.

  3. Intelligence Search & Download History

    Captures and organizes search queries from Google, YouTube, Reddit, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Amazon, Wikipedia, and more. Review top queries, platform breakdowns, and time ranges. Downloads archive with filtering by source, type, size, and date.

  4. Workspace Favorites & Bookmarks

    Star important pages directly from history. Sort by recency, usage, alphabetically, or domain. Dedicated views for bookmarks with activity tracking.

The choices that define the product.

Local storage onlyover Cloud sync

All data lives in browser storage and IndexedDB. No accounts, no telemetry, no external servers. The trade is no cross-device sync — a deliberate constraint that keeps the privacy promise.

Popup + Full-page viewsover Single interface

Quick lookups through the popup, advanced filtering and bulk actions in the full-page view. Both access the same data; the context determines which one fits better.

Supported search sitesover Universal capture

Search query capture targets known patterns on Google, YouTube, Reddit, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Amazon, Wikipedia, and similar. This focused approach captures the majority of searches while avoiding false positives from other sites.

Chrome + Firefox parityover Platform-specific features

Both browsers get the same feature set. The WebExtensions API differences are real but manageable; maintaining feature parity means users can switch browsers without losing functionality.

Everything you need, nothing you don't.

Clipboard History

Store copied text, links, and snippets locally when enabled. Search and filter entries later. Control where capture is allowed through settings.

Extension Activity

Track extension lifecycle in one timeline. Review installs, updates, enables, disables, and removals.

Analytics Dashboard

See browsing patterns in a focused view. Average session length, focus score, peak activity times, daily activity, and hourly distribution.

Bulk Actions

Select multiple entries for cleanup or remove individual visits and full days. Fine-grained control over what stays and what goes.

Privacy isn't a feature. It's the foundation.

Every design decision in WebTrace flows from a single constraint: the user's data belongs to the user.

  • — All data stored locally using browser storage and IndexedDB
  • — No accounts required
  • — No cloud sync
  • — No telemetry
  • — No external analytics
  • — No remote server required
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