See the loop. Break the loop.
A browser extension that counts short-form videos like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts in real time, then interrupts compulsive scrolling before it becomes a doom-scroll loop.
Short-form video feeds are addiction loops disguised as entertainment.
There is a reason this feels hard to stop.
Some of the smartest product, design, and machine-learning teams in the world are paid to remove every point of friction between you and the next video.
The feed does not end.
It does not pause.
It does not ask if you meant to keep going.
It does not care whether this was supposed to be a five-minute break.
It just serves the next reel.
You open Instagram or YouTube for a quick break.
You scroll once.
Then again.
Then again.
At some point, you are no longer choosing.
You are just inside the loop.
Before you notice it, the “quick break” has become:
30 reels watched in 46s.
This is not a break anymore.
Loopbreaker exists for that moment.
Most screen-time apps are post-mortems.
They tell you at night that you wasted three hours.
Loopbreaker is different.
It interrupts the addiction loop while it is happening.
It counts the reels.
It shows the time.
It measures loop pressure.
Then it forces friction before the next video can pull you deeper.
Research on short-video addiction points to the real risk signals: prolonged watch time, excessive video consumption, late-night usage, reduced content diversity, loss of time awareness, and repeated difficulty stopping. Loopbreaker turns those signals into real-time intervention.
It is built on one belief:
You do not beat infinite scroll with willpower alone.
You beat it by adding a stopping point where the platform removed one.
Loopbreaker is not just a counter.
It is an addiction-killer for Reels-style feeds.
The feed has no finish line.
Loopbreaker gives you one.
Loopbreaker runs on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts in the browser, showing a floating overlay while you scroll.
It tracks:
| Signal | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Reels watched | How many unique Reels-style videos you consumed |
| Active watch time | How long you were actually watching, not just leaving the tab open |
| Loop pressure | How deep you are in the scroll loop |
| Night scroll | Whether you are scrolling during high-risk late-night hours |
| Continue behavior | Whether you keep choosing to stay in the loop |
When the loop becomes strong enough, Loopbreaker creates friction:
- pauses the video
- blocks scrolling
- shows a countdown
- disables “continue” temporarily
- then gives you a choice
Continue intentionally
Break the loop
The goal is not to shame you.
The goal is to break autopilot.
Counts unique reels watched on Instagram Web.
Works on:
- Instagram Reels page
- Instagram feed section
- playable videos inside the feed
Shows how long the current scroll session has lasted.
12 reels watched in 2m 10s.
This makes the cost of scrolling visible immediately.
Instead of boring analytics, Loopbreaker turns behavior into a visual pressure state.
Loop Pressure: Extreme
█████████░
Loop pressure is based on:
- total reels watched
- recent scrolling intensity
- night usage
- repeated continue behavior
The longer you stay, the tighter the loop gets.
Loopbreaker escalates as the session gets heavier.
| Reels watched | State |
|---|---|
| 0–9 | Open Loop |
| 10–19 | Tightening |
| 20–34 | Autopilot |
| 35–59 | Spiral |
| 60+ | Captured |
It does not say:
You are addicted.
It says:
The loop is getting stronger.
Loopbreaker uses four layers.
The overlay constantly shows the number of reels watched and active session time.
24 reels watched in 5m 12s.
The invisible becomes visible.
Loopbreaker adds short lines that make the number feel real.
This is not a break anymore.
You are deep in the loop.
This stopped being casual.
The feed has fully captured the session.
The number creates accountability.
The line gives it weight.
At key reel-count and active-watch-time milestones, Loopbreaker pauses videos and blocks scrolling for a short countdown.
This is the core intervention.
The feed is designed to remove friction.
Loopbreaker puts friction back.
After the pause, you choose:
Continue intentionally
Break the loop
The product does not remove your choice.
It gives your choice back.
| Reels watched | Intervention |
|---|---|
| 12 | Soft warning |
| 20 | 7 second pause-lock |
| 35 | 15 second pause-lock |
| 50 | 30 second pause-lock |
| 75 | 45 second pause-lock |
| 100 | 60 second pause-lock |
Night scrolling is treated as higher risk, so Loopbreaker intervenes earlier.
| Reels watched | Intervention |
|---|---|
| 6 | Soft warning |
| 15 | 8 second pause-lock |
| 25 | 16 second pause-lock |
| 40 | 30 second pause-lock |
| 60 | 45 second pause-lock |
| 90 | 60 second pause-lock |
After the final checkpoint, Loopbreaker keeps applying pressure instead of going silent.
| Mode | Endgame behavior |
|---|---|
| Normal | After 100 reels, every +25 reels triggers another 60 second pause-lock |
| Night | After 90 reels, every +15 reels triggers another 60 second pause-lock |
Example night messages:
Sleep debt mode activated.
You are trading tomorrow’s energy for tonight’s scroll.
Night scroll detected. The loop is stronger now.
Loopbreaker does not only count reels. It also watches for long active sessions.
A user scrolling slowly for 30 minutes is still inside the loop, even if the reel count is not exploding.
Loopbreaker therefore triggers interventions based on active watch time too.
Active watch time only counts when:
- the supported tab is visible
- the browser window is focused
- the user is on a supported Reels/Shorts page
- a video is actually playing
- the user is not inside a pause-lock modal
This prevents unfair lockouts when Instagram or YouTube is simply open in the background.
| Active watch time | Intervention |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Soft interrupt |
| 10 min | 10 second pause-lock |
| 20 min | 30 second pause-lock |
| 30 min | 60 second pause-lock |
| Every +10 min after | 60 second pause-lock |
| Active watch time | Intervention |
|---|---|
| 3 min | Soft interrupt |
| 8 min | 10 second pause-lock |
| 15 min | 25 second pause-lock |
| 25 min | 45 second pause-lock |
| Every +5 min after | 60 second pause-lock |
Early versions counted the same reel again when scrolling up and down.
Fix: Loopbreaker now uses a seenReels set and stable reel keys.
Stable signals include:
/reel/<id>from the URL- nearby reel links
- video source fallback
- poster fallback
- text fallback
Once a reel is counted, it is not counted again in the same active session.
Fullscreen changed the video layout and caused false counts.
Fix: Loopbreaker ignores counting during fullscreen and for a short cooldown after fullscreen changes.
The first working version only ran properly on /reels/.
Fix: Loopbreaker now detects playable videos and works on the feed too.
Refreshing used to wipe the counter.
That was bad because refresh became a cheat code.
Fix: Active session state is stored in localStorage.
Loopbreaker restores:
- reel count
- session time
- seen reels
- triggered milestones
- pending lock state
- continue count
Refresh does not reset the loop.
Normal reminders are easy to ignore.
Fix: Loopbreaker uses pause-locks instead of weak popups.
When the loop gets strong enough, the app blocks interaction briefly and forces a real pause.
Early soft warnings only appeared as small text inside the floating overlay.
That was too weak. Users could easily ignore the first warning and keep scrolling.
Fix: Soft warnings now use a visible interrupt modal.
The first warning does not lock the user, but it pauses the video and forces a moment of awareness before the user continues.
This creates a lighter intervention before the stronger pause-locks begin.
Instagram Stories can also contain videos, and earlier detection treated them like Reels.
Fix: Loopbreaker now ignores Story contexts so watching a Story video does not unfairly increase the Reel counter.
Instagram can show the same Reel through different surfaces.
For example:
Feed preview → counted by video source/poster
Clicked Reel → counted by /reel/<id>
Back navigation → may expose a different DOM/video key
Earlier versions could accidentally count the same content twice when a user watched a video in the feed, clicked into it, or returned to it later.
Fix: Loopbreaker now uses both:
canonical Reel keys media fingerprints
This means the same video is recognized even if Instagram changes how it appears in the DOM.
A user should not be punished just because Instagram or YouTube was left open in another tab.
Earlier versions used wall-clock session time, which meant the timer could keep growing even if the user was not actively watching.
Fix: Loopbreaker now tracks active watch time instead of raw time.
Active watch time only increases when the page is visible, the browser window is focused, the user is on a supported Reels/Shorts context, and a video is actually playing.
This makes the timer fairer:
Good: 10 minutes actively watching Reels
Bad: 10 minutes with Instagram open in the background
Loopbreaker uses playful but uncomfortable copy.
The algorithm is getting comfortable.
The loop is tightening.
This is where quick breaks become scroll holes.
The feed has no finish line.
Your thumb is on autopilot.
Tiny videos. Huge time leak.
You can stop here and win.
This is the moment the loop usually wins.
Still choosing, or just scrolling?
The next reel is not the exit.
Loopbreaker does not send data anywhere.
All tracking stays locally in your browser.
Loopbreaker does not collect:
- usernames
- passwords
- messages
- likes
- comments
- account data
- browsing history outside Instagram
Stored locally:
- active session state
- counted reel keys
- triggered milestones
- continue count
- pending lock state
Loopbreaker currently runs as an unpacked browser extension.
git clone https://github.com/harshvardhanb11/reels-counter.gitFor Brave:
brave://extensions/
For Chrome:
chrome://extensions/
Turn on Developer Mode.
Click:
Load unpacked
Then select the project folder.
https://www.instagram.com/
or:
https://www.instagram.com/reels/
reels-counter/
├── manifest.json
├── content.js
├── overlay.css
├── README.md
└── loopbreaker-banner.jpg
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
manifest.json |
Defines the extension and injects scripts into Instagram |
content.js |
Reel detection, counting, persistence, locks, night mode |
overlay.css |
Floating overlay, modal UI, countdown ring |
loopbreaker-banner.jpg |
README hero banner |
Paste this in Instagram DevTools console:
localStorage.removeItem("loopbreaker:v3:active-session");
location.reload();CCurrent version includes:
- Instagram Reels support
- Instagram feed video support
- YouTube Shorts support
- unique video counting
- media fingerprinting
- per-platform sessions
- session persistence
- hard pause-locks
- visible soft interrupt modals
- loop pressure meter
- active watch-time tracking
- time-based interventions
- time endgame mode
- focused-tab detection
- background-tab protection
- night mode
- local-only tracking
Loopbreaker is still experimental.
- Works only on Instagram Web/Youtube web for now
- Native Instagram/Youtube mobile app tracking is not supported yet
- Active watch-time detection depends on browser focus and visible playback state
- Feed detection is heuristic and may still need tuning as Instagram changes its UI
- No settings page yet
- No daily dashboard yet
- No Chrome Web Store release yet
Track:
- watched reels
- skimmed reels
- skipped reels
This will make the counter more meaningful.
Add:
- total reels today
- total time today
- number of sessions
- longest loop of the day
- total night reels
Generate recap cards like:
I broke the loop after 37 reels.
Can you beat that?
Friend accountability mode.
Possible scoring:
- fewer reels watched
- earlier exit wins
- fewer night reels
- longer no-scroll streak
The goal is not shame.
The goal is social accountability.
A native Android version could use Accessibility APIs to track Reels inside the actual Instagram app.
Possible features:
- real app-level Reel tracking
- overlay bubble
- app blocking after limits
- friend duels
- daily stats
- lock-screen reminders
The feed has no finish line.
Loopbreaker gives you one.
The next reel is not the exit.