The Litter Tray

Feature

Timed probation

Set an end date and the probation lifts itself.

Choose 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60, or 90 days, or keep probation indefinite. New video comments can be held automatically after probation starts, subject to Pause, YouTube quota and recovery checks. When its deadline passes, a dated probation lifts itself; an indefinite probation stays until you lift it. Old comments are left alone if you clear the 30-day reach-back tick; it is on by default.

An illustration of a Viewer card. The probation standing, elapsed time and time remaining stay together.

Outcomes

What you can do with it

Create a cooling-off window

Choose 1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60, or 90 days without deleting past comments.

Hold what they already posted, too

Put someone on probation and, with the reach-back tick left on, the tray holds what they posted in the last 30 days as well, subject to its usual limits.

Review each new attempt

New video comments can be held automatically without an AI judgement, within the tray's safety limits.

The path

How it works

  1. Open the viewer

    Read the available comments, channel details, and action history first.

  2. Choose Probation

    Add a reason and select a duration or indefinite probation.

  3. Let new comments arrive

    Each new video comment can be held automatically, subject to Pause, YouTube quota and recovery checks.

  4. Lift or let it expire

    End probation early, or let the tray clear a dated probation after its deadline.

Mike, the founder, in his own uncropped photo

Built by a creator, for his own channel first

I built the moderator my own channel needed.

Hey friends, I'm Mike. My channel grew to 50,000 subscribers, and the comments grew well past 50,000 with it. No one creator can read every comment at that size. I really valued the community that built up around my channel, but the volume and intensity of comments was overwhelming.

When the trolls started taking over the time I wanted to spend with the lovely community around my channel, I dusted off the toolkit and built The Litter Tray around the rules and restraint I wanted near my own audience. I want creators to be able to get set up in seconds, spend a few minutes setting the rules that matter to them, and make persistent trolls much harder to miss, so they can get back to making videos.

Mike