tampermonkey

What this skill does

# Tampermonkey Userscript Development

Expert guidance for writing Tampermonkey userscripts - browser scripts that modify web pages, automate tasks, and enhance browsing experience.

## Quick Start Template

**JavaScript (simple scripts with no GM.* APIs)**

```javascript
// ==UserScript==
// @name         My Script Name                    // <- CUSTOMISE: Unique script name
// @namespace    https://example.com/scripts/      // <- CUSTOMISE: Your unique namespace
// @version      1.0.0                             // <- INCREMENT on updates
// @description  Brief description of the script   // <- CUSTOMISE: What it does
// @author       Your Name                         // <- CUSTOMISE: Your name
// @match        https://example.com/*             // <- CUSTOMISE: Target URL pattern
// @grant        none                              // <- ADD permissions as needed
// @run-at       document-idle                     // <- ADJUST timing if needed
// ==/UserScript==

(function() {
    'use strict';
    // Your code here
})();
```

**Modern (async/await - recommended when using GM.* APIs)**

```javascript
// ==UserScript==
// @name         My Script Name
// @namespace    https://example.com/scripts/
// @version      1.0.0
// @description  Brief description of the script
// @author       Your Name
// @match        https://example.com/*
// @grant        GM.getValue
// @grant        GM.setValue
// @run-at       document-idle
// ==/UserScript==

(async () => {
    'use strict';
    // Async entry point — use await with GM.* APIs
    const setting = await GM.getValue('myKey', 'default');
    console.log('Script loaded, setting:', setting);
})();
```

**TypeScript:** Add `@types/tampermonkey` for full type safety. See [typescript.md](references/typescript.md).

---

## Essential Header Tags

| Tag | Required | Purpose | Example |
|-----|----------|---------|---------|
| `@name` | Yes | Script name (supports i18n with `:locale`) | `@name My Script` |
| `@namespace` | Recommended | Unique identifier namespace | `@namespace https://yoursite.com/` |
| `@version` | Yes* | Version for updates (*required for auto-update) | `@version 1.2.3` |
| `@description` | Recommended | What the script does | `@description Enhances page layout` |
| `@match` | Yes** | URLs to run on (**or @include) | `@match https://example.com/*` |
| `@grant` | Situational | API permissions (use `none` for no GM_* APIs) | `@grant GM_setValue` |
| `@run-at` | Optional | When to inject (default: `document-idle`) | `@run-at document-start` |
| `@run-in` | Optional | Limit to normal or incognito tabs, or Firefox containers (v5.3+) | `@run-in normal-tabs` |

**For complete header documentation, see:** [header-reference.md](references/header-reference.md)

---

## URL Matching Quick Reference

```javascript
// Exact domain                  // @match https://example.com/*
// All subdomains                // @match https://*.example.com/*
// HTTP and HTTPS                // @match *://example.com/*
// Exclude paths (with @match)   // @exclude https://example.com/admin/*
```

**For advanced patterns (regex, @include, specific paths), see:** [url-matching.md](references/url-matching.md)

---

## @grant Permissions Quick Reference

| You Need To... | Grant This |
|----------------|------------|
| Store persistent data | `@grant GM_setValue` + `@grant GM_getValue` |
| Make cross-origin requests | `@grant GM_xmlhttpRequest` + `@connect domain` |
| Add custom CSS | `@grant GM_addStyle` |
| Access page's window | `@grant unsafeWindow` |
| Show notifications | `@grant GM_notification` |
| Add menu commands | `@grant GM_registerMenuCommand` |
| Detect URL changes (SPA) | `@grant window.onurlchange` |
| Batch read/write settings (v5.3+) | `@grant GM.getValues` + `@grant GM.setValues` |
| Mute/unmute tab audio | `@grant GM_audio` |

```javascript
// Disable sandbox (no GM_* except GM_info)
// @grant none

// Cross-origin requests require @connect
// @grant GM_xmlhttpRequest
// @connect api.example.com
// @connect *.googleapis.com
```

**For complete permissions guide, see:** [header-reference.md](references/header-reference.md)

---

## @run-at Injection Timing

| Value | When Script Runs | Use Case |
|-------|------------------|----------|
| `document-start` | Before DOM exists | Block resources, modify globals early |
| `document-body` | When body exists | Early DOM manipulation |
| `document-end` | At DOMContentLoaded | Most scripts - DOM ready |
| `document-idle` | After DOMContentLoaded (default) | Safe default |
| `context-menu` | On right-click menu | User-triggered actions |

---

## Common Patterns

These patterns are used frequently. Brief summaries are below - load [patterns.md](references/patterns.md) for full implementations with code examples.

- **Wait for Element** - Promise-based MutationObserver that resolves when a CSS selector appears in the DOM, with configurable timeout
- **SPA URL Change Detection** - Detect navigation in single-page apps using `window.onurlchange` grant or History API interception
- **Cross-Origin Request** - Fetch data from external APIs using `GM_xmlhttpRequest` with `@connect` domain whitelisting. See also [http-requests.md](references/http-requests.md)
- **Add Custom Styles** - Inject CSS with `GM_addStyle` to restyle pages or hide elements. See also [api-dom-ui.md](references/api-dom-ui.md)
- **Persistent Settings** - Store user preferences with `GM_setValue`/`GM_getValue` and expose toggle via `GM_registerMenuCommand`. See also [api-storage.md](references/api-storage.md)
- **DOM Mutation Observation** - Watch for dynamically added content with MutationObserver (debounced variant included)
- **Element Manipulation** - Inject HTML, remove/hide elements, replace text across the page
- **Keyboard Shortcuts** - Simple handlers and a shortcut manager with modifier key support
- **Data Extraction** - Extract table data to arrays/objects, collect and filter page links
- **Error Handling** - Safe wrapper for try/catch and async retry with exponential backoff
- **TypeScript Userscripts** - Type-safe scripts with `@types/tampermonkey`. See [typescript.md](references/typescript.md)

---

## External Resources

```javascript
// @require - Load external scripts
// @require https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js#sha256-/xUj+3OJU...
// @require tampermonkey://vendor/jquery.js         // Built-in library

// @resource - Preload and inject external CSS
// @resource myCSS https://example.com/style.css    // Then: GM_addStyle(GM_getResourceText('myCSS'))
// @grant GM_getResourceText
// @grant GM_addStyle
```

---

## TypeScript Support

Install the type definitions for full IDE autocompletion and type safety:

```bash
npm install --save-dev @types/tampermonkey
```

```typescript
// ==UserScript==
// @name         My TypeScript Script
// @match        https://example.com/*
// @grant        GM.getValue
// @grant        GM.xmlHttpRequest
// @connect      api.example.com
// ==/UserScript==

(async () => {
    'use strict';
    const value = await GM.getValue<string>('key', 'default');
    const info: Tampermonkey.ScriptInfo = GM_info;
    console.log(info.script.name, value);
})();
```

Build with a bundler (esbuild, Vite, webpack) to a single `.user.js` output file. For full project setup including tsconfig and bundler config, see [typescript.md](references/typescript.md).

---

## What Tampermonkey Cannot Do

Userscripts have limitations:

- **Access local files** - Cannot read/write files on your computer
- **Run before page scripts** - In isolated sandbox mode, page scripts run first
- **Access cross-origin iframes** - Browser security prevents this
- **Persist across machines** - GM storage is local to each browser
- **Bypass all CSP** - Some very strict CSP cannot be bypassed
- **Inject without permission** - Tampermonkey v5.4.1+ requires users to grant injection permission per-site or globally; scripts cannot bypass this requirement

Most limitations have **workarounds** - see [co