Repository navigation
New tabs are automatically closed after opening a URL with no-popups: true #3945
Description
Prerequisites
- I verified that this is not a filter list issue. Report any issues with filter lists or broken website functionality in the uAssets issue tracker.
- This is NOT a YouTube, Facebook or Twitch report. These sites MUST be reported by clicking their respective links.
- I performed a cursory search of the issue tracker to avoid opening a duplicate issue.
- The issue is not present after disabling uBO in the browser.
- I checked the documentation to understand that the issue I am reporting is not normal behavior.
I tried to reproduce the issue when...
- uBO is the only extension.
- using a new, unmodified browser profile.
Description
Hi!
New tabs opened from a site that allows popups open correctly. However, they are immediately closed after navigating to a site that blocks popups (no-popups: true) in the same tab that originally opened them.
The reproduction steps are intentionally simplified to trigger the issue quickly. In real-world scenarios, this behavior may lead to important tabs being closed unexpectedly, potentially resulting in data loss or user confusion.
There are existing reports about tabs being closed automatically when using no-popups: true, however, none of them describe this specific scenario, where tabs open correctly but are closed only after the original tab navigates to another site.
A specific URL where the issue occurs.
https://www.bbc.com/Steps to Reproduce
- Add the following rule to My Rules:
no-popups: cnn.com true - Go to BBC.
- Middle-click
Sign Inbutton to open it in a new tab (Right-click -> opening in new tab works as well) -> The new tab is opened correctly. - In the original tab (where BBC is open), navigate to CNN (do not use the newly opened tab).
Expected behavior
Opened tab should remain open because is was created from BBC, a site that allows popups.
Actual behavior
The opened tab is immediately closed.
Note: If a few seconds pass before navigating to CNN, the tabs remain open, as expected.
Configuration
Details
uBlock Origin: 1.69.0
Chromium: 145
filterset (summary):
network: 467978
cosmetic: 121195
scriptlet: 40864
html: 0
listset (total-discarded, last-updated):
added:
https://filters.adtidy.org/extension/ublock/filters/3.txt: 136738-219, 4d.22h.20m
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DandelionSprout/adfilt/master/LegitimateURLShortener.txt: 2944-6, 14m
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Spam404/lists/master/adblock-list.txt: 7251-0, 16h.54m
https://secure.fanboy.co.nz/fanboy-annoyance_ubo.txt: 92131-57929, 6d.13h.19m
adguard-spyware-url: 2437-235, 2d.6m
curben-phishing: 160551-1, 14m
dpollock-0: 12110-575, 2d.13h.5m
fanboy-cookiemonster: 45430-97, 2d.21h.18m
fanboy-social: 17356-17346, 2d.20h.5m
fanboy-thirdparty_social: 69-0, 6d.13h.19m
ublock-cookies-easylist: 5496-40, 6d.23h.23m
default:
user-filters: 488-0, never
easylist: 94419-529, 14m Δ
easyprivacy: 55403-25054, 14m Δ
plowe-0: 3504-696, 2d.13h.5m
spa-0: 3755-17, 20h.52m
spa-1: 6661-250, 4d.22h.20m
ublock-badware: 10608-104, 14m Δ
ublock-filters: 44140-305, 14m Δ
ublock-privacy: 3633-625, 14m Δ
ublock-quick-fixes: 446-0, 14m Δ
ublock-unbreak: 2731-100, 14m Δ
urlhaus-1: 26010-7, 14m
filterset (user): [array of 482 redacted]
trustedset:
added: [array of 6 redacted]
switchRuleset:
added: [array of 158 redacted]
hostRuleset:
added: [array of 269 redacted]
userSettings:
advancedUserEnabled: true
showIconBadge: false
suspendUntilListsAreLoaded: true
userFiltersTrusted: true
hiddenSettings:
trustedListPrefixes: ublock- user-
supportStats:
allReadyAfter: 449 ms (selfie)
maxAssetCacheWait: 120 ms
cacheBackend: indexedDB
Activity
Vanerio commentedon Feb 20, 2026
I think this is not a duplicate of #the no-pop.
Why:
no-popups: * truescenario.no-popups: truenot opening tabs.To simplify: A opens B correctly. C closes B.
So in my example: CNN closes BBC new tabs.
So the case is not the same.
freezer2022 commentedon Feb 20, 2026
Then it's a duplicate of:
given that
#2277was supposed to be fixed in the past:not quite sure.
Vanerio commentedon Feb 21, 2026
I can see some similarities, yes.
However, this example is using
no-popups: * true, and since some pages open tabs as popups, I can see why that may create a conflict in some cases.But in my case, the conflict should be nonexistent (in theory), since the page opening the tabs allows popups.
However, I can see why that might be related to the issue you mention, including some time tolerance (10 s).
Thank you very much for commenting!
freezer2022 commentedon Feb 21, 2026
It doesn't seem to depend on pages at all, as all new tabs opened manually by an user on any page, including the case you reported, and including the older thread I provided, are listed as
popupsin uBO logger, in both Chrome and Firerox. That would mean that the both reported issues might be the same issue, just that the case reported in the past (with*) has been fixed, while your case (with a plainhostname) still not.justinpbarnett commentedon Apr 28, 2026
I reproduced this and made a minimal patch: justinpbarnett/uBlock@492c487fd
It prevents trusted clicked-link popup candidates from being re-tested as popunders when the opener tab navigates within the candidate timeout.
Not a prior contributor so creating PR is restricted.
Vanerio commentedon Apr 28, 2026
Thank you for your help justinpbarnett!