TL;DR
A developer and self-described tab hoarder built several tooling iterations to manage hundreds of open browser tabs driven by ADHD-related memory needs. After four redesigns he closed more than 800 tabs, saved 664 links into 121 tags and 18 projects, and shipped multiple apps and extensions during the process.
What happened
Thiago Monteiro, who says he kept hundreds of tabs open across devices because he’s a visual thinker with ADHD, set out to solve his own tab-hoarding problem by building software. He cycled through four major approaches: a Chrome extension sidebar that stored and summarized visited pages, an Electron app paired with a lightweight extension, a Tauri-based local app that handled site data, and a lightweight bookmarker system combining a Chrome extension, an iPhone app and a web dashboard. Along the way he found extensions can be killed when they consume too much memory, that Electron felt slow and resource-heavy, and that a simpler mobile+desktop bookmarker helped him review and close tabs. By the end he closed more than 800 tabs and saved 664 links organized into 121 tags and 18 projects. He also built two Mac apps, four Chrome extensions and one mobile app during the effort.
Why it matters
- Browser tab habits can create substantial memory pressure and degrade device performance.
- Standard bookmarking systems may not suit visual thinkers or people who use tabs as temporary memory.
- Local and lightweight app architectures (Tauri vs Electron vs extensions) have different trade-offs for performance and persistence.
- Externalizing memory into searchable tools can change personal workflows and reduce clutter.
- The web’s pace means saved technical links and short-lived products can become obsolete quickly.
Key facts
- The author typically had about 495 tabs open on an iPhone and 300+ tabs on a Mac.
- He built four major solution iterations: a Chrome extension, an Electron app + extension, a Tauri app + extension, and a Chrome extension + iPhone app + web dashboard.
- He closed more than 800 tabs and preserved 664 links.
- Saved links were organized into 121 tags and 18 projects.
- He created a total of two Mac apps, four Chrome extensions and one mobile app during the project.
- He observed that many 2024 technical blog posts about AI and some Hacker News-launched products are already outdated or gone.
- One practical tip he shared for avoiding the system memory warning dialog was to move it to the side of the screen instead of closing it.
What to watch next
- The author said he will share more details about the Tauri-based version in the future.
- not confirmed in the source: whether any of the tools will be released publicly as polished consumer products.
- not confirmed in the source: whether he plans to integrate local large language models into the final bookmarker or dashboard.
Quick glossary
- Browser extension: A small software module that adds specific features or functionality to a web browser.
- Electron: A framework for building cross-platform desktop apps using web technologies; known for ease of use but sometimes criticized for high resource consumption.
- Tauri: A toolkit for creating lightweight desktop applications that aims to use less memory and disk space than other web-based frameworks.
- Bookmarker: A tool or feature used to save and organize links or web pages for later retrieval.
Reader FAQ
Why did he keep so many tabs open?
He says ADHD and being a visual thinker lead him to keep tabs visible so he does not forget items.
How many links did he save and how were they organized?
He saved 664 links organized into 121 tags and 18 projects.
What technical approaches did he try?
He experimented with a Chrome extension, an Electron app plus extension, a Tauri app plus extension, and a lightweight Chrome extension paired with an iPhone app and web dashboard.
Will these tools be available to others?
not confirmed in the source
Thiago Monteiro @borisandcrispin 664 Tabs Later: A Tab Hoarder's Journey to Sanity 1 58 I'm a tab hoarder, and I'm not ashamed. I'm used to have 495 tabs open on…
Sources
- A tab hoarder's journey to sanity
- Integrating Sanity CMS into an Existing Next.js 15 …
- How to Integrate Sanity CMS with Angular
- Add Tabs to Document in Structure Builder
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