X Thread Reader (unpacked extension)

A tiny Chrome/Chromium extension that redirects public X/Twitter status URLs to the corresponding Twitter Thread reader — zero clicks. Visit an x.com/<user>/status/<id> link and it opens directly in twitter-thread.com/t/<id>.

Unsupported, provided as-is. This is a personal vibe-coded tool with no warranty and no guarantee of maintenance. It is not affiliated with X, Twitter, or twitter-thread.com. See LICENSE.

Install

1. In Chrome, open chrome://extensions.
2. Enable Developer mode (top-right).
3. Click Load unpacked and select this folder.
4. Visit any x.com/<user>/status/<id> link. It should open directly in Twitter Thread's reader.

Use the extension toolbar button to turn automatic opening on/off, or to manually open the current X post in the reader.

How it works

The extension watches for top-frame navigations to X/Twitter status URLs, extracts the numeric status ID, and redirects the tab to https://twitter-thread.com/t/<status-id>. Twitter Thread retrieves and formats the thread. Navigating back to the original post is preserved (the extension skips the redirect on back/forward navigation).

Privacy

The extension has no analytics, no account, and no backend of its own. It never signs in to X or reads an X cookie. The only thing it sends anywhere is the public status URL you visit, which is handed to twitter-thread.com — the same site you'd be opening by hand. Its single stored value is a local on/off preference for automatic opening.

Private, deleted, or otherwise inaccessible posts can still fail to render on twitter-thread.com.

Permissions

Permission	Why
storage	Remember the auto-open on/off toggle.
tabs	Read the active tab's URL and redirect it to the reader.
webNavigation	Detect when you land on an X/Twitter status page.
host access to x.com, twitter.com, twitter-thread.com	Match status URLs and perform the redirect.

License

MIT © 2026 Andrew Rich