# Feedback wanted: userscript to theme component/plugin, or possible core sidebar browsing idea?

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/feedback-wanted-userscript-to-theme-component-plugin-or-possible-core-sidebar-browsing-idea/405683
**Category:** Extras
**Tags:** chat, ux
**Created:** [June 19, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/feedback-wanted-userscript-to-theme-component-plugin-or-possible-core-sidebar-browsing-idea/405683 "2026-06-19T14:04:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 1

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### Author: ![YsLtr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/ysltr/32/568055_2.png) [@YsLtr](https://meta.discourse.org/u/YsLtr)
#### Post date: [June 19, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/feedback-wanted-userscript-to-theme-component-plugin-or-possible-core-sidebar-browsing-idea/405683/1 "2026-06-19T14:04:51Z")

</div>

I built a userscript called **Discourse Sidebar Feed Panel** :

> **[GitHub - YsLtr/discourse-sidebar-feed-panel](https://github.com/YsLtr/discourse-sidebar-feed-panel)**
>
> 通过在 GitHub 上创建帐户来为 YsLtr/discourse-sidebar-feed-panel 开发做出贡献。

It turns the native Discourse sidebar into a compact topic feed, so I can browse more discussions without opening many separate tabs.

The main motivation is practical rather than cosmetic:

- reduce the number of open topic tabs
- reduce browser memory / CPU pressure
- make Discourse browsing more usable on lower-performance devices

For me, this has been especially helpful on weaker hardware where keeping many Discourse tabs open has a noticeable cost.

Right now this is only a userscript, so it is good for experimentation but not a great long-term integration model.

I would like feedback on what direction makes the most sense if I continue this project:

1. **Theme component**

2. **Plugin**

3. **Core feature discussion**

What I want to ask the Meta community is:

- Which route would be most acceptable for something like this: **theme component** , **plugin** , or keeping it external?
- Does this problem sound worth solving in a more official way?
- Are there clean extension points for this kind of sidebar/header integration, or would it still be too fragile?
- If this should never be core, what would make it acceptable as a community extension?

I am not assuming this belongs in core. I mainly want honest feedback on whether the problem is real enough, and which implementation path fits Discourse best.

If useful, I can also design a more concrete migration plan from userscript → theme component/plugin.

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_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/feedback-wanted-userscript-to-theme-component-plugin-or-possible-core-sidebar-browsing-idea/405683)._