See where links go
before you click.
Hover any link and instantly see a live page screenshot, safety score, and real destination URL — no click needed. Works on every website.
Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.
Live Page Screenshot
Every hover shows an actual screenshot of the destination page — rendered in real time via Microlink. See the full page before you open a single tab.
Safety Score
Every link gets a 🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴 badge. Checks against phishing databases, suspicious domain patterns, and brand-new domains under 90 days old.
Link Unshortener
bit.ly, t.co, ow.ly and 20+ other shorteners are instantly expanded. You always see the real final destination — not the shortened alias.
24-Hour Smart Cache
Results are cached locally for 24 hours. Hover the same link twice and the preview is instant — zero network calls, zero delay.
Works on Every Site
Injects on all URLs — Reddit, Twitter/X, Gmail, GitHub, news sites, YouTube, anything. If it has a link, Lookahead works on it.
Zero Data Collected
Everything runs locally. No browsing history is sent to our servers. Google Safe Browsing checks use the same API Chrome already uses natively.
Up and running
in 60 seconds.
Install the extension
One click from the GitHub repo or Chrome Web Store. No account, no sign-up, no permissions beyond what's needed.
→ chrome://extensions → Load unpacked → Select folder
Hover any link
Move your cursor over any link on any website. After 400ms a preview card slides in — no click, no new tab.
→ Hover for 400ms → Card appears → Esc to dismiss
Know before you click
See the live screenshot, page title, real destination URL, and safety score. Click only when you're confident.
🟢 Safe domain 🟡 New domain (< 90d) 🔴 Phishing flagged
Three links.
Three very different outcomes.
We collect nothing.
Literally nothing.
A security tool that sells your data defeats the point. Lookahead is open source and local-first by design.
Everything stays on your device
All preview data is cached in chrome.storage.local — local to your browser. Nothing is stored on any server we control.
No browsing history collected
We do not log, store, or transmit the URLs you hover over. Your browsing activity is yours alone.
Safe Browsing uses Google's own API
Threat checks use the Google Safe Browsing API — the same service Chrome already uses natively. Google's standard privacy policy applies.
Only two external calls
Microlink (page screenshot) and Google Favicons. Both are optional — disable screenshots and the extension works fully offline.
Open source — verify everything
Every line of code is on GitHub. There's nothing to trust blindly — read it, audit it, fork it.
No analytics, no telemetry
Zero tracking code. No crash reports, no usage analytics, no feature flags phoning home.
Common questions
Browse smarter.
Click safer.
Free, open source, and privacy-first. Install Lookahead in 30 seconds and never click a blind link again.
MIT License · Open Source · No account required · Works on all websites