AO3, Now with a Fic Finder. Free Firefox Extension
We all know AO3 doesn't have a recommendation system. You either scroll endlessly, rely on rec lists, or hope someone on Tumblr posts something good. So I built one.
It's a free Firefox extension. Here's how it works:
- Install it from the Firefox Add-ons store. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ao3-reading-companion/
- Make sure you're logged into AO3
- Run through a quick setup where you pick your favorite tags, fandoms, and what you want to avoid
- Either let the system start by searching first or start browsing AO3 like normal the extension quietly learns what you're into
- Open your feed and let it show you fics you'd actually want to read.
That's it. No account to create, no sign-up, no data leaving your browser. Everything stays local on your device. It doesn't even run when you're logged out.
Once it gets going, you get a whole personalized feed with rows like "Similar to your tastes," "Hidden gems," "Fresh chapters on fics you're reading," and you can even build custom rows like "Complete werewolf fics over 50k words sorted by kudos."
It also gives you a reading dashboard where you can save fics for later, track what you're currently reading, and check for chapter updates on your WIPs.
Every recommendation has a "Why this?" button so you can see exactly why it suggested something. And if it recommends something you hate, tell it. It learns from that too.
The extension is free, open source under MIT license, and anyone's welcome to modify it or build on it. If you find bugs or have suggestions for features, feel free to message me here. I'm actively working on it and happy to hear feedback.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ao3-reading-companion/
Happy reading!
---
The full feature list, for the curious:
The feed:
Multiple recommendation rows. Similar to your tastes, Hidden Gems (under-loved fics with strong reader love), Popular in your fandoms, Completed long reads, Discover new (fics outside your usual lanes), Your Authors (works by people you're subscribed to), and Fresh Chapters (new updates on fics you're already reading)
Custom rows. AKA: build your own, like "Complete werewolf fics over 50k words sorted by kudos" or "Short coffee shop AUs, any rating," and the feed generates it for you
Drag-and-drop row reordering, plus show/hide any row you don't want
List view or grid view, with adjustable text size
Click any tag to instantly filter and re-sort your whole feed around it
Personalization:
Weight your favorite tags and fandoms (Light / Love / Must-have)
Block tags, authors, and content you never want to see
Set structural preferences such as word count range, ratings, complete-only
Lock preferences so the system never drifts them
"Why this?" on every recommendation showing exactly which of your tastes matched
Learning from you:
Several levels of dislike feedback: "Never again," "Less of it," or "Just not from this author", "Just not feeling it right now"
Pattern detection. If you keep flagging long fics as too long, it offers to adjust your preferences. Flag werewolves often, it offers to stop showing them.
Undo on every action, plus a full history of what changed and why
Reading management:
My Reading dashboard with Save for Later, currently Reading (in-progress + caught-up-on-WIPs), and Read sections
A Save for Later button injected right onto AO3 fic pages
Automatic progress tracking. It remembers what chapter you're on and how far you've read
"Continue reading" jumps you straight back to where you left off
Manual update checks for the WIPs you're following
Import your existing AO3 bookmarks to seed your reading list
Behind the scenes:
All data stored locally in your browser with nothing collected, transmitted, or shared
Polite to AO3's servers (10-second spacing between requests, automatic backoff on rate limits)
Auto-refreshes your feed in the background so it stays current
Full backup/restore, export everything to a file, import it back anytime
Completely disables when you're logged out of AO3