User Guide

Everything you need to know about using OpenBird to take control of your X feed.

1. Getting Started

OpenBird is a Chrome extension that enhances Twitter/X with intelligent filtering, smart reactions, and organised bookmarks.

1.
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store, or load it in developer mode from the openbird-extension/ folder.
2.
Sign in with X -- OpenBird piggybacks on your existing X session. No extra account needed for the extension features.
3.
Bookmarks sync automatically when you sign into openbird.app. Your bookmarks are saved to folders you control.

After installation, reload any open twitter.com or x.com tabs. OpenBird activates automatically.

2. Quick Reactions

OpenBird replaces X's native action bar with a thumbs up / thumbs down system. Each click escalates the action level.

THUMBS UP
1x Like
2x + Bookmark
3x + Follow
4x + Retweet
THUMBS DOWN
1x Not interested
2x + Mute
3x + Block

Undo: Click past the maximum level to undo all actions at once. There is a 3-second commit timer -- actions only fire after the timer expires, so you can change your mind.

Dropdown: Open the dropdown on either thumb to toggle individual actions without the escalation mechanic.

3. AI Slop Filter

16 rule-based signals detect AI-generated content. No external API calls -- all detection runs locally in your browser.

Above 60% confidence: the tweet is collapsed and replaced with a subtle "AI slop filtered" bar. Click "show" to reveal the original tweet, or "why?" to see which signals triggered.

Above 35% confidence: an amber badge appears next to the username showing the score. The tweet remains visible.

Adjusting sensitivity: In the extension popup settings, you can adjust the collapse and badge thresholds. Lower thresholds catch more AI content but may increase false positives.

Signals include: buzzword density, numbered lists with vague items, engagement bait endings, hedge phrase density, heavy emoji use, "most people" openers, and more.

4. Region Blocking

Block tweets from specific countries. OpenBird extracts location signals from user profiles and displays flag badges next to usernames.

How it works: Location is detected from the user's bio, profile location field, and other metadata. Tweets from blocked regions are collapsed (same style as AI slop). You can click "show" to reveal them.

Free plan: Block up to 3 regions. Pro plan: Unlimited regions.

Configure blocked regions in the extension popup under Settings.

5. Bookmark Manager

When you bookmark a tweet via Quick Reactions (thumbs up 2x), it syncs to your OpenBird account at openbird.app/bookmarks.

Folders: Create folders to organise your bookmarks. Drag and drop to reorder. Each folder can have its own visibility setting (public, private, or unlisted).

Tags: Add tags to bookmarks for quick filtering. Tags are searchable and visible in the tag cloud on your Metrics page.

Search: Full-text search across author names, handles, tweet content, tags, and folder names.

Export: Export all bookmarks or a specific folder as JSON or CSV using the Export button in the nav bar.

6. Profile Notes

Add private notes to any X account you interact with. Notes are stored in your OpenBird account and are never visible to other users.

Go to openbird.app/notes to create, edit, search, and tag your notes. Useful for tracking interactions, flagging accounts, or keeping context about people you follow.

7. Metrics

The Metrics page shows analytics about your bookmark collection:

  • Total bookmarks, folders, and weekly activity
  • Most active day of the week
  • Top bookmarked authors
  • Folder breakdown with bar charts
  • Tag cloud with frequencies
  • 30-day activity timeline

8. Filter Presets

Filter presets let you quickly switch between different AI detection sensitivity levels:

Clean: Aggressive filtering. Collapses most AI content, high badge sensitivity.
Research: Lower thresholds. Useful when you want to see AI content but still want badges.
Less Slop: Balanced middle ground. Default for most users.

Filter presets are a Pro feature. Free users can still manually adjust thresholds.

9. Thread Saving

When you bookmark a tweet that is part of a thread, OpenBird can save the full thread as a single bookmark. The thread is stored as linked tweets with their order preserved.

Thread saving is a Pro feature. Free users save individual tweets only.

10. Notification Filter

OpenBird can prioritise your X notifications by filtering out low-signal notifications (random likes from accounts you don't follow) and surfacing meaningful interactions (replies, quote tweets from people you follow).

Configure notification filtering in the extension popup under Settings. You can adjust which notification types are prioritised.

11. Keyboard Shortcuts

Available keyboard shortcuts in the bookmark manager:

Cmd + ASelect all visible bookmarks
DeleteDelete selected bookmarks
EscapeClear selection / close dialogs

12. MCP / AI Agents

OpenBird has an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI agents like Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, and others search, organise, and manage your bookmarks.

Visit the Connect page for step-by-step setup instructions and your API key.

13. FAQ

Can I use OpenBird with multiple X accounts?

OpenBird uses your active X session, so it works with whichever account you are logged into. Your OpenBird bookmarks are tied to your openbird.app account, not your X account -- so you can switch X accounts freely.

Does OpenBird access my X password?

No. OpenBird never sees your X password. It uses your existing browser session (the same cookies X sets when you log in normally) to perform actions on your behalf.

Where is my data stored?

Extension data (activity log, settings) is stored locally in Chrome. Bookmarks synced to openbird.app are stored on our self-hosted servers in Germany (Hetzner). We do not use third-party cloud databases.

Can I export my data?

Yes. Go to Bookmarks and click Export in the top right, or go to Settings → Data & Privacy → Export all data.

Does the AI filter use external APIs?

No. All AI detection runs locally in your browser using rule-based signals. Nothing is sent to any server for analysis.

What happens if openbird.app goes down?

The extension continues to work. All filtering, reactions, and local features operate independently of the server. Only bookmark sync and profile features require the server.