Product Introduction

1. Undash is a Chrome extension designed to automatically remove em dashes (—) from AI-generated text during user input activities. It operates seamlessly across websites, social platforms, email clients, and text editors without requiring configuration. The tool processes text in real time during typing, pasting, or right-click actions to produce cleaner output.
2. The core value lies in masking AI-generated content patterns by eliminating a key stylistic marker—excessive em dash usage—to create more natural-sounding text. It addresses the growing need for discreet AI-assisted writing in professional and academic contexts while maintaining workflow efficiency.

Main Features

1. The extension performs real-time text processing by scanning and replacing em dashes with spaces during typing or pasting events across all supported web platforms. This occurs at the browser level without requiring page reloads or manual text cleanup.
2. Context menu integration allows users to clean selected text via right-click, enabling targeted corrections in editable fields or document interfaces. This feature supports partial text modifications without affecting surrounding content.
3. A dual-state visual indicator (green/red badge) displays activation status, with persistent settings maintained across browser sessions. The extension maintains compatibility with complex web applications through DOM event interception and content script optimizations.

Problems Solved

1. The product specifically targets the overuse of em dashes in AI-generated text outputs from tools like ChatGPT, which often create unnatural punctuation patterns detectable by readers and automated systems.
2. Primary users include content creators, academic researchers, and professionals who utilize AI writing assistants but require outputs that mimic human writing styles for credibility purposes.
3. Typical scenarios involve preparing AI-assisted social media posts for platforms like LinkedIn, editing draft emails in Gmail, or refining article content in CMS editors where obvious AI markers could reduce perceived authenticity.

Unique Advantages

1. Unlike general punctuation cleaners, undash specializes exclusively in em dash removal through optimized regular expressions (/\s*—\s*/g) that preserve surrounding spacing. This focused approach prevents unintended text alterations common in broader formatting tools.
2. The extension implements a hybrid processing model combining MutationObserver API for dynamic content detection with clipboard event listeners for paste actions. This dual-layer architecture ensures compatibility with both static and JavaScript-rendered text inputs.
3. Competitive differentiation comes from zero-configuration operation, local text processing that avoids cloud dependencies, and sub-50ms execution latency that prevents perceptible input delay during user interactions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How does undash handle text in password fields or secure inputs? The extension excludes non-editable and password-type fields from processing through DOM attribute filtering. Security-sensitive inputs remain unaffected by design.
2. Can the extension process text in non-English languages? Yes, the em dash replacement operates at the character level without language analysis. It works with any Unicode-compliant text input containing U+2014 characters.
3. What happens if a website updates its UI after page load? The MutationObserver implementation detects DOM changes and reapplies event listeners to new text elements. Users may need to toggle the extension if complex SPAs bypass standard detection methods.