TrackToon
A reading companion born from one small question.
TrackToon started when I noticed that individual webtoon chapters felt short, but whole series quietly turned into hours. I wanted automatic reading stats, not manual tracking. That question became a browser companion, sync layer, and reading hub.
The reading-time question.
It started simply: I was reading webtoons and manhwa, chapter after chapter, and I kept wondering how much time do these actually add up to?
A single chapter took maybe seven or eight minutes. But a binge session across three series could quietly eat two hours. I wanted stats — automatic, not tracked by hand. Not in a spreadsheet. Not a manual log.
That question wouldn't leave. So instead of waiting for an existing tool to do it, I started building one.
From one question to a reading ecosystem.
What started as a curiosity about reading time grew into a multi-piece system. TrackToon is not just a tracker — it's a browser companion, a sync layer, a self-hosted backend, and a reading hub that connects everything.
System overview
Or simply: Capture → Sync → Remember. The browser detects reading sessions. The sync layer sends them to the backend. The hub turns the data into a history you can actually look through.
What it looks like.
Selected views of the system in action — from the browser to the hub.
Webtoon reader detection
The companion detects when you're in a webtoon reader, tracks chapter changes, scroll depth, and session time — all without manual logging.
Extension popup
A lightweight popup shows the current session: series, chapter, elapsed time, and average pace. Pause, resume, or open the hub directly.
Dashboard & history
The hub aggregates everything: reading time, chapters completed, active series, streaks, and a weekly reading rhythm chart. Recent sessions are listed with series names and timestamps. An AniList bridge connects media identity and progress across the ecosystem.
This project demonstrates how I build.
TrackToon is not just a feature list. It's the clearest example of my process: notice a friction, shape a system, build the interface, connect the pieces, host and iterate. Here is what the project proves:
Turning a habit into a tool
The whole project started from one personal annoyance. No roadmap, no planning — just a question that turned into something real.
Browser extension & product thinking
Designing a lightweight companion that lives in the browser, detects reading context, and presents useful data without being intrusive.
Reading analytics UX
Making stats feel personal instead of numerical: streaks, rhythm charts, session histories, and progress that tells a story about reading habits.
API & data modeling
Structuring reading sessions, chapter progress, time data, and media identity into a clean schema that feeds both the extension and the hub.
Sync & self-hosted backend
Building a pipeline that moves data from local browser to a personal server, with sync logic, storage, and a web interface — all self-hosted.
Building a system, not a script
TrackToon grew from a single idea into multiple connected components. It proves that starting small and iterating gradually creates better systems than over-planning upfront.
Still shaping before public release.
TrackToon is a real, evolving system — not a static repo. The extension, the sync layer, the stats, and the AniList-connected hub are all being shaped into one complete experience. Public release comes after the ecosystem feels coherent.
Want to see more or get in touch?
Or explore other projects in the archive records.