Firefox MeTube addon

Browser extension for queueing videos to your MeTube instance.

Context Menu Integration

Popup Interface

Features

• One-Click Sending - Send current page to MeTube with a single click or keyboard shortcut
• Context Menu Integration - Right-click on links to send them directly to MeTube
• Keyboard Shortcuts - Customizable keyboard shortcut (default: Ctrl+Shift+M)
• SSO Authentication Support - Works with SSO systems like Authentik, Authelia, and Keycloak
• Custom Headers - Add custom HTTP headers for authentication or other purposes
• Playlist Control - Strict Playlist Mode prevents unwanted full playlist downloads
• Flexible Configuration - Control quality, format, folder, auto-start, and more

Installation

Install from Firefox Add-ons

See the CHANGELOG for version history and release notes.

Usage

Note: This extension requires a running MeTube instance. MeTube is a self-hosted YouTube downloader with a web interface. If you don't have MeTube set up yet, visit the MeTube project for installation instructions.

Basic Usage

1. Configure your MeTube instance URL in addon preferences (about:addons → MeTube Downloader → Options)
2. Navigate to any video page (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
3. Send to MeTube using one of these methods:
   • Click the extension icon in the toolbar
   • Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+M (or Cmd+Shift+M on Mac)
   • Right-click on a video link and select "Send to MeTube" (if context menu is enabled)

Keyboard Shortcuts

The extension supports the following keyboard shortcut:

• Ctrl+Shift+M (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+M (Mac) - Send current page to MeTube

You can customize this shortcut in Firefox:

1. Navigate to about:addons
2. Click the gear icon ⚙️ at the top
3. Select "Manage Extension Shortcuts"
4. Find "MeTube Downloader" and customize the "Send current page to MeTube" shortcut

Enabling SSO Support

If your MeTube instance is behind SSO authentication (e.g., Authentik, Authelia, Keycloak):

1. Open extension settings (about:addons → MeTube Downloader → Options)
2. Enter your MeTube instance URL
3. Check the "Send cookies for authentication (SSO)" checkbox
4. Read the privacy notice that appears explaining why <all_urls> permission is needed
5. Click "Save Settings" - Firefox will prompt you to allow access to all websites
6. Open your MeTube instance in a browser tab and log in through your SSO provider
7. The extension will now use your existing session cookies to authenticate requests

Options

Option	Description	Default
MeTube Instance URL	URL of your MeTube instance (e.g., https://metube.example.com)	"" (empty)
Default Quality	Quality setting for downloads	best
Default Format	Format for downloads	any
Default Folder	Folder where downloaded files will be saved	"" (empty)
Custom Name Prefix	Prefix added to downloaded file names	"" (empty)
Open in New Tab	Open MeTube instance in new tab after adding to queue	false
Show Context Menu	Display context menu on supported sites	true
Auto Start	Automatically start downloads when ready	true
One-Click Mode	Send current page to MeTube with one click	false
Strict Playlist Mode	Only download playlists when URL explicitly points to one (prevents downloading YouTube Mixes when you only want the current video)	false
Send Custom Headers	Enable inclusion of custom headers when queueing	false
Custom Headers	Specify custom header names and values for authentication or other purposes	[] (empty)

Permissions

This extension requires the following permissions:

• Access browser tabs (activeTab) - To get the current tab's URL when you want to send it to MeTube.
• Display context menu (menus) - To show the right-click context menu option.
• Store data (storage) - To save your MeTube instance URL and preferences.

Optional permissions (requested at runtime when SSO is enabled):

• Access all websites (<all_urls>) - Only requested if you enable "Send cookies for authentication (SSO)" in settings. This permission is necessary because SSO authentication systems redirect to different domains (e.g., Authentik, Authelia, Keycloak) for login. The extension only uses this to follow authentication redirects and will only actually access your MeTube instance and authentication provider. If your MeTube instance doesn't require SSO authentication, you can leave this option disabled and no permission will be requested.
• Access cookies - Required for SSO mode to send authentication cookies to your MeTube instance.

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Error: "MeTube instance url not configured"

• Go to about:addons → MeTube Downloader → Options and enter your MeTube URL

Error: "Connection failed" with HTTP URLs (e.g., http://server:5510)

• Firefox HTTPS-Only Mode blocks HTTP requests from extensions (Firefox bug #1685862)
• Important: Site exceptions do NOT work for extension requests - this is a known Firefox limitation
• Workaround: Use direct IP address instead of hostname (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:5510 instead of http://server.local:5510)
  • Firefox has built-in HTTPS-Only Mode exemptions for local IP addresses
• Solution 1: Disable HTTPS-Only Mode entirely (Settings → Privacy & Security → HTTPS-Only Mode → "Don't enable")
• Solution 2: Use HTTPS with a reverse proxy

Error: "Connection failed" with HTTPS URLs

• Self-signed certificate: Visit your MeTube URL in a browser tab first and accept the security warning/certificate
• CORS not configured: MeTube needs proper CORS headers (usually configured via reverse proxy)
• SSO/Authentication: Enable "Send cookies for authentication (SSO)" in extension settings (see Enabling SSO Support)

Error: "Authentication failed. Your MeTube instance is redirecting to authentication"

• You need to log in to your MeTube instance first
• Open your MeTube URL in a regular browser tab and log in through your SSO provider
• Then try using the extension again from that same tab

Debugging and Viewing Logs

To view detailed error messages and logs:

1. Navigate to about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox
2. Find "MeTube Downloader" and click "Inspect"
3. Go to the Console tab
4. Try sending a video to MeTube and check the console for error details

Other Issues

Context menu not appearing

• Go to extension settings and enable "Show Context Menu"

One-click mode not working

• Verify "One-Click Mode" is enabled in settings
• The extension popup will be disabled when one-click mode is active

For other issues, please create an issue on GitHub.

Roadmap

• keyboard shortcuts
• new tab in popup with download history
• option to customize the list of sites where the context menu will appear
• enhance the user interface for settings (maybe in separate tab)
• dark/light mode theme support for popup and options pages
• Chrome/Edge browser port (cross-browser compatibility)
• mobile Firefox support (optimize UI for Firefox on Android)
• upgrade to Manifest V3
• Github Actions for creating releases (maybe publish to Mozilla too?)

Development

Loading for Development

1. Navigate to about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox
2. Click "Load Temporary Add-on"
3. Select src/manifest.json from this repository

Support

Having issues? Check the Troubleshooting section above or create an issue on GitHub.

Contributing

If you would like to contribute, please create an issue or make a pull request.

Thanks to the following contributors for their work on this project:

• Whale Mo
• Elwyn
• Ayush Chaurasia
• gmpbigsun

License

This project is licensed under the Mozilla Public License Version 2.0.