Totem

Totem is a Chrome extension designed to help users manage and engage with their saved X (formerly Twitter) threads. It transforms the often-neglected bookmark feature into a functional reading environment, making it easier for users to revisit and consume content they've previously saved. The problem Totem addresses is the common user behavior of bookmarking valuable X threads with the intention of reading them later, only for those bookmarks to become an unmanageable and unread collection. This leads to valuable information being lost or inaccessible, defeating the purpose of saving it in the first place. The extension aims to solve this by creating a pleasant and organized reading experience for these saved threads. One of Totem's key features is its ability to unroll threads into a clean, full-width article format. This eliminates the clutter of the typical X interface, allowing users to focus solely on the content. Users can also highlight and annotate specific parts of the threads, similar to how one might mark up a book, to emphasize key points or personal insights. The extension provides a robust search functionality, enabling users to find specific threads or information within them by keywords, even within their entire bookmark collection. Totem also offers export capabilities, allowing users to send their highlights and entire threads to note-taking applications like Obsidian or in Markdown format. This facilitates further organization and integration of saved content into personal knowledge management systems. The extension aims to transform the browser's new tab page into a calm space dedicated to reading saved content, rather than a gateway to endless scrolling or distractions. Another significant aspect of Totem is its approach to surfacing content. It presents a curated daily queue of approximately five threads, prioritizing those that are unread, recently saved, pinned, or flagged. This system helps users gradually engage with their saved content rather than being overwhelmed by a large backlog. The selection process considers factors like reading progress, recency, and user-defined importance. The product works by leveraging X's internal web GraphQL endpoint, reusing the user's existing login session to access bookmarks. This method avoids scraping the DOM or relying on paid APIs, making it a stable solution. It handles media within threads, including GIFs, videos, and images, rendering them inline and allowing for interaction such as playing videos or enlarging images. Code highlighting is also supported. The primary benefit for users is the ability to actually read and utilize the X threads they save, turning a passive bookmarking habit into an active learning or information gathering process. It enhances productivity by making saved content easily accessible and actionable, and reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed by digital clutter. Concrete use cases include community managers saving launch announcements and ecosystem updates for later reference, researchers organizing valuable threads for their projects, and individuals wanting to revisit insightful discussions or tutorials. The export feature is particularly useful for integrating X content into personal knowledge bases for long-term reference and analysis. Totem is a free Chrome extension. It is open-source and built using React. The primary target audience includes individuals who frequently bookmark X threads but struggle to revisit them, such as content creators, researchers, students, and professionals looking to organize and consume information more effectively. In summary, Totem provides a much-needed solution for managing X bookmarks by transforming them into an organized, distraction-free reading experience, encouraging users to engage with and benefit from the content they save.