JSK Shield documentation

Installation

JSK Shield is a Google Chrome extension. Once it is published, install it from the Chrome Web Store and pin it to your toolbar for easy access. It is a Manifest V3 extension, so support for other Chromium-based browsers is planned.

On first run, JSK Shield asks how much access you want to give it:

Basic protection blocks ads and trackers on the network and requires no access to any website. This alone removes the large majority of ads and trackers.
Full protection also hides leftover ad elements, which requires permission to read the pages you visit. You can enable this for all sites or per site, and change your mind at any time.

Blocking begins immediately either way. No account is required.

Setup and account

JSK Shield works fully without an account. All ad and tracker blocking, the request log, breakage recovery and URL cleaning are available with no sign-in. A free account additionally turns on scam & ransomware domain blocking, custom filter lists, custom rules, the element picker and local blocking statistics; the paid Family plan adds content categories, per-child profiles and scheduled blocking. Backing up and restoring your settings needs no account at all.

JSK Shield also supports connecting an optional JSKAPPS account by pasting an API key in Settings. No account is required for any ad or tracker blocking. A paid Family plan unlocks scheduled site blocking; connecting its key activates those features, and they switch off (but are preserved) if the subscription lapses. When you connect an account, JSK Shield asks JSKAPPS only whether your subscription is active — it never sends anything about your browsing. You can disconnect at any time from Settings, which removes the stored key.

Core concepts

Network blocking vs. element hiding. Two different things. Network blocking stops ad and tracker requests from loading and needs no access to your pages. Element hiding removes leftover empty boxes on the page and needs per-site access. You can have the first without the second.
Basic vs. Full protection. “Basic” is network blocking only (no site access). “Full” adds element hiding on sites you allow.
Pausing vs. disabling a list. Pausing a site (or everything) temporarily stops blocking without changing your configuration. Disabling a filter list changes what JSK Shield blocks everywhere. Pausing never deletes anything.

Feature guide

Blocking ads and trackers

JSK Shield blocks ads, tracking scripts and cookie-notice clutter using community filter lists (EasyList, EasyPrivacy and cookie-notice filters). It is on by default and free. You can turn individual lists on or off in Settings.

The request log — “Why was this blocked?”

Open the toolbar popup and choose What we blocked to see the requests JSK Shield blocked on the current page. Click any entry to see the exact filter rule that matched and the list it came from. This turns “something was blocked” into a specific, checkable answer.

One-click, per-site exceptions

From an expanded log entry, choose Allow this on this site to let that single request through — on the current site only. Everything else stays blocked, and other sites are unaffected. This is the surgical alternative to switching the blocker off.

Guided breakage recovery

If a page misbehaves, open Page broken?. JSK Shield offers fixes from least to most disruptive: allow a single request, then turn off element hiding (ads and trackers stay blocked), and only as a last resort pause the whole site. Working top-down means you keep the most protection that still fixes the page.

URL tracking-parameter cleaning

JSK Shield removes known tracking parameters (such as utm_source, fbclid and gclid) from page addresses, while leaving parameters a page needs to function. This is on by default.

Per-site and global pause

Use the popup’s per-site toggle to stop blocking on one site, or the main toggle to pause everywhere. Paused sites are listed in Settings with a one-click resume.

Statistics (free account)

Settings → Statistics shows how much JSK Shield has blocked — today and all-time — a per-day history, and the domains it blocked most. All of it is kept on your device: it counts the requests blocked and the ad and tracker domains they came from, never the sites you visit and never a full address, and none of it is ever sent anywhere. You can clear it at any time.

Element picker (free account)

When something on a page bothers you that the filters missed, open the popup and choose Pick, then point at it. JSK Shield highlights the element under your cursor and shows the rule it would use; click to select, then choose Hide on this site to remove it for good, or Zap once to remove it just this time. Hidden elements are remembered per site and listed under Settings → Hidden elements, where you can restore any of them. This needs access to the page, which JSK Shield asks for when you start the picker.

Custom rules (free account)

Settings → Custom rules gives you a box to write your own blocking rules, one per line, in Adblock Plus syntax (||domain^ to block, @@||domain^ to allow) or hosts format. Your own rules take priority — an allow rule you write by hand overrides everything else. Only domain rules are applied here; lines JSK Shield cannot express exactly as browser rules are skipped and counted, so you always know what took effect. To hide a page element instead, use “Page broken?”.

Backup & restore (no account needed)

Settings → Backup & restore exports your configuration — lists, custom rules, schedules and profiles — to a JSON file you can import on another computer. The file contains no account key and nothing about your browsing, and an imported file is validated before it is applied, so a corrupt or tampered file can’t break your setup.

Scam & ransomware blocking (free account)

Creating a free account turns on an extra safety layer: JSK Shield blocks a curated list of known scam, fraud and ransomware domains, built into the extension and applied entirely on your device. It is an addition to the phishing and malware protection your browser already provides (such as Google Safe Browsing), not a replacement for it — think of it as a second lock, not the only one. It covers scam and ransomware domains specifically; it is not a complete anti-virus. You can turn it off in Settings like any other list.

Custom filter lists (free account)

Open Settings → Custom filter lists, paste the URL of a filter list and choose Add. Your browser fetches the list straight from whoever maintains it — JSK Shield never hosts or redistributes it — converts it locally, and applies it alongside the built-in lists. You can turn a list off, update it on demand (it also refreshes daily), or remove it.

Two honest limits. First, we support domain-style rules (Adblock Plus syntax and hosts files); any line we cannot express exactly as a browser rule is skipped and counted rather than guessed at, and the count is shown on the list. Second, Chrome caps how many rules an extension may add at runtime, so JSK Shield reserves a fixed allowance for your lists. If a list is too large to fit, it is refused with the exact numbers rather than half-applied — a partly-applied blocklist would tell you that you are protected when you are not. Very large community lists can exceed this allowance; that is a limit of Manifest V3, which every extension of this kind shares.

Content categories (Family plan)

Settings → Content categories lets you block Adult, Gambling or Social media sites outright. Each category is a curated list of domains that ships inside the extension — nothing is fetched or looked up while you browse, so category blocking works offline and reveals nothing about what you visit. Categories are off until you turn them on, and turning one on never changes how ads and trackers are blocked: the Family plan adds control, not better blocking.

Per-child profiles (Family plan)

Settings → Profiles lets you save a setup per child — which categories to block, plus any extra sites to keep out — and switch between them in one click. Switching applies everything at once. Profiles change only those settings: your ad, tracker and cookie blocking is never altered by a switch, and the Content categories panel always shows exactly what the active profile has applied, so there is one answer to “what is in force right now?”. Choose Turn off to return to the unrestricted default.

Scheduled blocking (Family plan)

On the paid Family plan, open Settings → Scheduled blocking to create a schedule: give it a name, list the sites to block, pick the days, and set a start and end time. During each active window those sites are blocked automatically; outside it they load normally. An end time earlier than the start means an overnight window (for example 22:00 → 06:00). Schedules are evaluated against your device’s local clock, keep working offline, and are preserved — not deleted — if your subscription lapses. Ad and tracker blocking is unaffected either way.

Settings and options

Blocking on/off — the master toggle in the popup. Default: on.
Filter lists — enable or disable individual lists (ads, privacy, cookie notices). Default: the core lists on. With a free account, the scam & ransomware safety lists appear here too, on by default.
Full protection / site access — grant or revoke per-site access for element hiding. Default: not granted (Basic protection).
Paused sites — the list of sites where blocking is paused, each with a resume button.
Custom filter lists (free account) — add, update, enable/disable or remove list subscriptions. Default: none.
Statistics (free account) — local totals, daily history and most-blocked domains, with a “Clear statistics” button. Default: recording on, view needs an account.
Element picker (free account) — hide page elements by pointing at them. Managed under “Hidden elements”. Default: none.
Custom rules (free account) — write your own domain block/allow rules. Default: none.
Backup & restore — export or import your settings. Available on every plan.
Content categories (Family plan) — Adult, Gambling, Social media. Default: all off.
Profiles (Family plan) — create, edit, switch between or delete per-child profiles. Default: none active.
Scheduled blocking (Family plan) — create, edit, enable/disable or delete schedules. Default: none.
Account — connect or disconnect an optional JSKAPPS account. Default: not connected.

Keyboard shortcuts

JSK Shield is operated from its toolbar popup and Settings page; it does not currently define global keyboard shortcuts. You can open the popup by clicking the toolbar button.

Limitations and known issues

Chrome only, for now. Other Chromium browsers are planned; Firefox is not yet supported.
Some page-specific hiding appears just after load. Rules that must match elements by their class or id can only be applied once the page has started building, so a small number of ad slots may appear briefly before being hidden. This is a limitation of how Manifest V3 extensions work, and it affects blockers generally.
Streaming and some sites change quickly. Ad blocking on fast-changing sites is an ongoing effort; signed filter updates help JSK Shield keep up between releases.
No account is needed for blocking. The optional Family plan adds content categories, per-child profiles and scheduled blocking.
Profiles and categories apply to this browser only. There is no cross-device sync yet, so a profile set up here does not follow a child to another device or browser.

Troubleshooting

A page element is missing → element hiding is probably too aggressive on that site → open Page broken? and turn off element hiding for the site (ads stay blocked).
A widget or player won’t load → a needed request may be blocked → open What we blocked, find it, and choose Allow this on this site.
Blocking seems off everywhere → the master toggle may be paused → open the popup and check the main switch.

Uninstalling

Remove JSK Shield from Chrome’s extensions page (chrome://extensions). Uninstalling deletes all of JSK Shield’s local data, including your settings and any connected account key. Nothing needs to be deleted from a server, because JSK Shield stores nothing about you on one.

If you had an account connected, Chrome opens a short optional feedback page when you remove the extension; its address includes only the version, your plan, and roughly how long it was installed — never anything about your browsing. With no account connected, nothing opens.

Release notes

0.1.0 — Initial release.
Free, no account: ad, tracker and cookie-notice blocking; the “why was this blocked?” request log with per-site exceptions; guided breakage recovery; URL tracking-parameter cleaning; signed between-release filter updates; settings backup and restore; no data collection and no paid allowlist.
Free with an account: scam & ransomware domain blocking, custom filter-list subscriptions, custom rules, the element picker, and local statistics.
Family plan: content-category blocking, per-child profiles, and scheduled blocking.