RefreshMate

Overview

RefreshMate is a Chrome extension I developed to solve a surprisingly common problem: automatically refreshing browser tabs on a schedule. Whether you're monitoring a live dashboard, watching a stock ticker, keeping an eye on auction countdowns, or waiting for exam results to update — RefreshMate handles the refreshing so you don't have to sit there clicking F5 repeatedly.

I designed it with simplicity and control at its core. Unlike other auto-refresh extensions that apply a blanket timer to everything, RefreshMate gives you per-tab granular control, so you can set different intervals for different tabs.

Key Features

• Per-Tab Controls — Set unique refresh intervals for each tab independently. Monitor a dashboard every 10 seconds while refreshing a news feed every 5 minutes.
• Badge Countdown — A live countdown timer displayed right on the extension icon so you always know exactly when the next refresh will fire.
• Quick Start/Stop — Toggle auto-refresh on or off for any tab with a single click from the popup interface.
• Customizable Intervals — Set refresh intervals from as low as 5 seconds to hours, with presets for common durations.
• Lightweight & Private — No data collection, no analytics, no external requests. Runs entirely within Chrome's extension sandbox.

Tech Stack

Built as a Chrome Extension using the Manifest V3 API with background service workers, content scripts, and Chrome's Alarms API for precise timer management. The popup UI is built with vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Problem it solves

Manually refreshing web pages to check for updates is tedious and error-prone. RefreshMate automates tab refreshing with precise, per-tab scheduling.

How it was built

Built as a Chrome Extension using Manifest V3, background service workers, and Chrome's Alarms API for reliable timer management.