FAQ

Zap — Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting — common issues & fixes

Step-by-step fixes for the most frequent problems users encounter.

Issue: Zap button not showing on YouTube pages.
Fix:

1. Open your extensions page (chrome://extensions) and ensure Zap is enabled.
2. Check that the content script has permission for youtube.com in the manifest.
3. Reload YouTube pages or click the extension options "Refresh" button.
4. If still not visible, open DevTools on a YouTube tab and check console for errors from "Zap".

Issue: Blocked videos reappear or YouTube reloads frequently.
Fix:

1. Ensure you have the latest extension build installed.
2. Check storage capacity (shown in Blocked Videos tab). If full, clear older entries.
3. Disable any other extensions that alter YouTube DOM (adblockers, script managers) to test conflicts.

Issue: Keywords not blocking properly.
Fix:

1. Confirm keywords are saved (click "Save Keywords").
2. Use exact phrases or multiple variations; keywords are matched against titles only.
3. Test by adding a very specific phrase like "clickbait phrase example".

Issue: Contact form not sending (offline error).
Fix:

1. The extension tries to send via Telegram; if network is blocked it stores locally. Reconnect and click "Send Test Notification" in Settings.
2. Open the extension console to view the stored message payload (search for "contactSubmissions").

Advanced: Check the background script logs
Open chrome://extensions → Details for Zap → Service Worker (or background page) and view console.

console.log('Zap v5.3.0: ...')

If none of the above works

1. Export your blocked list (for backup) from the Blocked Videos tab.
2. Remove and re-install the extension.
3. Open an issue with logs and steps to reproduce (include console errors and a short screencap) via the Support tab or GitHub.