Google Chrome assistant that flags sketchy posts for you

You've seen it a hundred times. Some Reddit post claims a miracle cure. A LinkedIn thought leader cites a "study" that doesn't exist. A forum commenter makes bold assertions backed by... nothing.

TLDRly is a Google Chrome extension that catches this stuff before you waste time on it. It runs in the background while you browse Reddit, LinkedIn, and forums, flagging posts with weak logic, questionable sources, or clickbait tactics. You get a trust score and a quick summary so you can decide in seconds whether something's worth your attention.

Here's what it actually does:

• Trust Scores: A number that tells you how reliable a post looks based on its sourcing and logical structure
• Context Analysis: Checks whether a post's claims actually fit the discussion or contradict what came before
• Profile Insights: Looks at who's posting—their history, credentials, consistency
• Custom Settings: Dial up the sensitivity for Reddit's wild west, tone it down for LinkedIn

Installation takes about 30 seconds through the Chrome Web Store. And no, it won't replace your own judgment. But it will save you from falling for the obvious stuff.

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What AI Assistants Actually Do in Google Chrome

Chrome dominates browser market share, which makes it the obvious target for extension developers. But the real reason AI tools thrive here is Chrome's extension architecture—it gives developers deep access to page content without breaking the browsing experience.

How Chrome Extensions Actually Work

Here's what happens under the hood. When you install TLDRly, it injects a content script into every page you visit. That script reads the page's HTML in real time—extracting text, author info, timestamps, embedded links, the whole structure.

This data gets sent to TLDRly's AI layer, which does the actual analysis. It looks for logical inconsistencies, patterns common in unreliable content, and whether cited sources actually say what the post claims they say. The results show up as overlays right on the page—trust scores next to posts, flags on suspicious claims.

The permission system matters here. When you install TLDRly, Chrome asks you to approve access to read and modify content on specific sites. This isn't the extension being greedy—it's the only way for it to actually analyze what you're reading. Unlike standalone fact-checking apps where you'd have to copy-paste content manually, extensions like TLDRly work automatically across every site you've granted access to.

Why This Matters for Daily Browsing

The volume problem is real. You can't manually verify every claim in every Reddit thread or LinkedIn post. Even if you wanted to, you'd spend more time fact-checking than actually reading.

AI assistants handle the pattern recognition that humans struggle with at scale. They can catch when a "cited statistic" doesn't match its source, when an argument contradicts itself three paragraphs later, or when a post follows the exact template of known misinformation campaigns.

There's also the bias problem. We all gravitate toward information that confirms what we already believe. TLDRly doesn't care what you believe—it applies the same analytical standards to every post, regardless of whether the conclusion matches your worldview. That's uncomfortable sometimes. But that's the point.

How TLDRly Actually Spots Bad Content

TLDRly's analysis isn't magic. It's pattern recognition applied systematically to three specific problem areas.

Finding Logical Holes

Arguments fall apart in predictable ways. A post might claim X causes Y, then later admit Y happened before X. Or it'll present two mutually exclusive conclusions as if they're both true. TLDRly catches these structural problems—the kind of inconsistencies that are easy to miss when you're scrolling fast but obvious once someone points them out.

This doesn't mean every flagged post is wrong. It means the argument has gaps that should make you pause before accepting it.

Calling Out Weak Sources

Some posts cite sources that don't exist. Others link to studies that say the opposite of what's claimed. Still others rely entirely on "everyone knows" or "studies show" without any actual citation.

TLDRly flags these patterns. When a post makes factual claims without backing them up, or when the cited source doesn't actually support the claim, you'll see it highlighted. Sensational headlines and emotional manipulation tactics get flagged too—they're not proof of falsehood, but they're correlated with unreliable content.

Trust Scores and Summaries

After analysis, TLDRly gives you two things: a trust score and a summary.

The trust score is a quick reliability indicator. It's not a truth meter—it's a "this post has issues" meter. Low scores mean multiple red flags. High scores mean the argument structure is sound and claims are properly sourced.

The summary distills the key points and flags, so you can make a call in seconds instead of reading every word and checking every link yourself.

The Core Features

Here's what TLDRly actually gives you:

Trust Scores and Context Awareness

The trust score is the headline number—your at-a-glance reliability indicator. But context awareness is where things get interesting. TLDRly doesn't just analyze posts in isolation. It looks at how a post fits into the broader discussion. Does it contradict earlier comments from the same user? Does it cherry-pick from a thread while ignoring contrary evidence? These patterns matter.

Profile Analysis

Who's posting matters as much as what they're posting. TLDRly examines account history, claimed credentials, and posting patterns. A brand new account making authoritative claims deserves more scrutiny than an established user with a consistent track record. On LinkedIn specifically, TLDRly can cross-reference profile claims with stated expertise—useful when someone's giving advice in a field that doesn't match their actual background.

Feature Breakdown

None of these features replace actual fact-checking for claims that matter. They're filters—ways to catch the obvious problems so you can spend your verification energy on things that actually warrant it.

Installing TLDRly

Takes about a minute.

Getting It From the Chrome Web Store

Go to chrome.google.com/webstore. Search "TLDRly." Click Add to Chrome. Accept the permissions popup. Done.

The TLDRly icon appears next to your address bar. Pin it for easy access—click the puzzle piece icon in the extensions menu, find TLDRly, hit the pin icon.

Setting Permissions

TLDRly needs permission to read page content. That's non-negotiable—it can't analyze posts it can't see. By default, it works on all sites. If you want to restrict it to specific domains (maybe you only want it active on Reddit and LinkedIn), right-click the icon, select Manage extension, and configure site access there.

Configuring for Your Use

Click the TLDRly icon to access settings. The options that actually matter:

Sensitivity: Crank it up for platforms where misinformation runs rampant (most subreddits). Dial it back for professional contexts where false positives would be more annoying than helpful.

Scanning mode: Automatic scans everything as you scroll. Manual waits for you to click. Automatic is better unless you're on a slow connection.

Summary length: "Brief" gives you trust score plus major flags. "Detailed" breaks down every issue found. Start with brief, switch to detailed when you hit something that needs deeper analysis.

Platform profiles: Different settings for different sites. Aggressive filtering on Reddit, moderate on LinkedIn, light on niche forums you trust. Access this through Advanced Settings.

Notifications: Color-coded highlights are less intrusive than pop-ups. Most people prefer the visual indicators—they flag issues without interrupting your scroll.

Using TLDRly Across Platforms

The tool works differently depending on where you are.

Reddit Analysis

Reddit's comment structure makes it perfect for this kind of analysis. TLDRly scans posts and top-level comments for logical gaps and unsourced claims. It also tracks whether users contradict themselves across different comments in the same thread. The result: you can spot which parts of a discussion are worth engaging with and which are noise.

LinkedIn Evaluation

LinkedIn has its own flavor of misinformation—mostly exaggerated credentials and vague expertise claims. TLDRly checks posts against profile information. When someone claims industry authority that doesn't match their work history, or cites achievements that seem inconsistent with their background, you'll see flags. Useful for filtering connection requests and evaluating whether that viral post from your network is worth sharing.

Forum Coverage

General forums are hit-or-miss. TLDRly catches coordinated messaging patterns (multiple accounts pushing the same talking points), deviations from established facts in technical discussions, and citation problems. The tool is particularly good at spotting when a confident-sounding post is actually just repeating common misconceptions.

Conclusion

TLDRly won't turn you into a human lie detector. It won't catch sophisticated misinformation crafted by people who know how to cover their tracks. But that's not what it's for.

What it does: catches the lazy stuff. The unsourced claims. The logical contradictions. The authority-claiming posters with empty profiles. The posts that follow misinformation templates that AI can spot but humans scrolling at speed miss.

Install it, configure your sensitivity settings per platform, and let it run. When something gets flagged, give it a second look. When trust scores are high, you can scroll faster with more confidence.

The goal isn't outsourcing your critical thinking. It's spending that critical thinking where it actually matters instead of wasting it on obviously flawed content that should have been caught at the first filter.

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