CookieVault Guardian

TL;DR: CookieVault Guardian is a free, MIT-licensed Manifest V3 extension that automatically deletes cookies, localStorage, sessionStorage, IndexedDB, Cache Storage, and Service Worker registrations when you close the last tab on a domain — except for whitelisted sites. Built as the modern replacement for Cookie AutoDelete after Chrome’s MV2 sunset disabled the original in late 2024.

CookieVault Guardian is a Manifest V3 browser extension that automatically cleans browser storage for a domain the moment its last tab closes. It is the modern, Manifest V3-native successor to Cookie AutoDelete¹, the privacy extension Chrome disabled in late 2024 as the Manifest V2 sunset reached its final phase². Guardian rebuilds the per-tab cleanup workflow on the current Chrome extension APIs and extends the cleanup target list from “cookies only” to every browser-storage surface that can hold cross-session tracking state.

What Guardian does

In short: Guardian listens for chrome.tabs.onRemoved, checks if any tab is still open on the closing tab’s domain, and if not, deletes every storage API entry for that domain — unless the domain is whitelisted. Six storage targets, each individually toggleable. The whitelist supports per-domain rules, subdomain inheritance, and wildcard patterns.

Six storage surfaces Guardian cleans:

1. Cookies — every cookie for the domain, including HttpOnly cookies the page itself cannot reach
2. localStorage — long-term key-value storage that survives across sessions and is invisible to cookie-only cleaners
3. sessionStorage — per-tab storage; cleaned defensively even though it normally clears with the tab
4. IndexedDB — structured per-origin database; often where trackers stash fingerprint state
5. Cache Storage — Service Worker cache API; can be used as a tracking side channel
6. Service Worker registrations — long-lived background scripts that can wake up to re-set cookies

Each surface has its own on/off toggle in settings. Defaults are sensible — all six on except in cases where a critical site breaks (rare).

A 2024 Mozilla blog on Total Cookie Protection³ frames the rationale: “Cookies are no longer the only mechanism for cross-site tracking, and a privacy tool that only cleans cookies misses the modern threat model.” Guardian’s six-surface scope is the operational response.

The whitelist (the most important feature)

In short: The whitelist is the difference between Guardian being useful and Guardian being annoying. Add every site you want to stay logged in to; everything else cleans on tab close. Subdomain inheritance and wildcards make the whitelist short and stable.

The whitelist UX is the modern reimplementation of Cookie AutoDelete’s classic flow:

• Click the toolbar icon while on a site → “Add to whitelist” — adds the current domain with subdomain inheritance on
• Wildcards — *.googleapis.com whitelists every Google APIs subdomain
• Greylist — a middle ground: “keep for this session, clean on next close” (or “auto-promote to whitelist on next visit”)
• Containers (Firefox) — per-container whitelist rules, matching Firefox’s Multi-Account Containers extension

A starter whitelist that covers most users in the first five minutes:

• Your primary email (Gmail / Outlook / Proton)
• Your code host (GitHub / GitLab)
• Your work tools (Linear, Notion, Slack, Figma — whichever you use)
• Your bank
• Your password manager’s web UI (1Password / Bitwarden)

Everything else cleans on tab close by default.

Browser support

In short: Every modern Chromium browser uses the Chrome Web Store build. Firefox uses a separate Manifest V3 build. Safari is not supported (Safari Web Extensions have a different cleanup model).

If you only use Firefox and Cookie AutoDelete works for you, the urgent migration argument is weaker — Guardian’s Firefox draw is the cross-browser whitelist sync, not “your current setup is broken.”

How Guardian compares

Detailed page: CookieVault Guardian vs Cookie AutoDelete.

Pricing

In short: Free forever for local cleanup. $4/month or $36/year Pro for cross-device whitelist sync. Same pricing line as CookieVault Editor — they share an account when you have both.

• Free — all cleanup, all storage types, unlimited whitelist, greylist, wildcards. Permanent.
• Pro $4/mo or $36/yr — E2E encrypted cross-device whitelist sync, 30-day cookie history with undo (cookies only).
• Team $9/seat/mo — centralized rules across team members, audit log, SSO.

Pro is only worth the money if you use Guardian on more than one device.

How to install

1. Chrome Web Store — search “CookieVault Guardian” → “Add to Chrome”
2. Edge Add-ons — same Chromium build, Microsoft store
3. Firefox Add-ons — separate Manifest V3 build
4. Direct CRX for Opera / Vivaldi / Arc / Brave — GitHub release page, drag into extensions page
5. Build from source — clone the repo, npm install && npm run build, load unpacked

After installing:

1. Pin the toolbar icon for one-click whitelist access
2. Visit each site you want to stay logged in to
3. Click the Guardian icon → “Add to whitelist”
4. Verify the whitelist in Settings → Whitelist
5. Browse normally — non-whitelisted tab closes trigger cleanup

See the auto-delete tab close how-to for the full setup walkthrough with edge cases.

See also

• CookieVault Editor — the companion cookie editor (EditThisCookie successor)
• Cookie AutoDelete alternative — full migration guide with side-by-side feature matrix
• Auto-delete cookies on tab close — setup walkthrough
• Cookie whitelist — whitelist deep dive
• Pricing — Free / Pro / Team breakdown
• Security — E2E encryption design