Spot SponsorBlock:FAQ

What are the most frequent mistakes when submitting segments?

• Not including the segue (smooth verbal transition to the sponsor)
• Submitting sponsor segments on episodes that are either solely about the sponsor or could show bias towards it (e.g. when using the sponsored product is an essential part of the episode's content and the creator voices their opinion, viewers need to be aware of the sponsor disclosure)
• Mistaking self promotion for a sponsorship
• Segments at the very beginning not starting precisely at 0:00, but rather something like 0.0314159 seconds into the episode. Similarly, segments not sticking to the exact end of the episode when they should.
• Misunderstanding of the intermission category. More often than not, it should not contain any spoken words, and it's not meant for just about anything that users find insignificant, like the creator saying "hello."

Please check out this page for more tips.

I noticed an incorrect submission. What should I do?

The first thing you can do is simply downvote it in the pop-up. If it's just the wrong category but correctly timed, you can select "Wrong Category" after clicking the pencil icon. Additionally, when the timing of an existing segment could be better, submitting your own correct segment in its place may reduce the amount of times the faulty one appears.

If you're on SponsorBlock Discord server, feel free to report it in the #incorrect-submissions channel, where a VIP can take a look at it. Even if the episode is not in English, you can still give it a shot. Especially if you believe it’s a purposefully malicious spam, we would really like to be notified.

Why am I getting an error when trying to submit a segment?

400: Bad Request (Your inputs are wrong/impossible)

• Your segment is maybe 0 seconds long
• There is a minimum length for Sponsor segments
• If the message says "no valid userID", you might not have a valid private userID set - sometimes it might fail to generate on installation. See issue #1606 for more information.

403: Rejected by auto moderator:

• A human moderator has locked the category or the complete episode, all the segments that are needed are there and timed perfectly. If there isn't already a segment where you want to add one, try reloading the episode. Make sure that you have activated all categories, as the segment you want to add is maybe in the wrong category. The episode is locked to prevent spamming of bad segments that need to be removed later.

409: Duplicate: You already submitted this segment, delete the one you can still add and all should be good

What are advanced tips for submitting?

You can find many tips in this article.

How to browse the database and view all my submissions with details?

• You can view the database and all submissions on this website: https://sb.ltn.fi/ (this should update every 5 minutes)
• You can download the entire database here.

Note: Your public userID in the database is different than your private one in the Spot SponsorBlock options tab.

Can I edit/remove the segment that I uploaded?

Once your segment is uploaded, you can still easily remove it or change its category by clicking thumbs down on the skip notice and choosing "Incorrect/Wrong Timing" or "Wrong Category" respectively. In case of your own submissions, your votes will have an immediate effect.

Editing timestamps of submitted segments is not possible, so in order to correct a segment downvote it and submit a new one.

I think my segment might have been deleted. Why?

One possibility is that other users downvoted it. If it was removed by a moderator however, possible reasons include:

• Some other submission in that place was a bit better (even if it’s just a fraction of a second, it does make a difference)
• It was against the Guidelines
• Any mistake mentioned in answer #1

How does voting work and what do certain amounts of votes mean?

Overlapping segments of the same category don't get shown all at once, but instead compete with each other, appearing to users one at a time. The amount of votes determines how likely your submission is to be shown over the other ones. You can read more about the algorithm and grouping similar segments here.

When a submission reaches the score of -2 or lower, it gets removed and will not appear anymore for users, but can still be found in the database. It also takes two votes to change the category of someone else's segment. If you downvote your own segment, it will be immediately removed and you won't lose any reputation.

If a segment has a padlock next to it, it means it has been locked and will be prioritized over any other segment. VIPs' segments are always locked, due to them being trusted.

Are there any moderators?

People with the VIP permission can moderate submissions. You can recognize them in Discord by their VIP tag. Learn more here.

Can I use Spot SponsorBlock on platforms other than PC?

Soon. A fix for Firefox on Android is in development.

Can I create skip segments just for myself?

Yes. If you wish to have skip segments for your personal use, not caring about the rules, just select the timestamps and close the editing box. Make sure not to click "submit". They will be stored locally in your browser and skipped automatically. You can also export them with your options.

What is considered content?

Content is any part of the episode which someone could find valuable to hear. Finding something a waste of time personally does not mean that someone else wants to skip it.

Is there any AI involved?

Every Spot SponsorBlock segment you see on Spotify has been made by a human (as far as we know).

Can you add a segment category for X?

If you have a suggestion for a new category, please review the considerations and common suggestions in the FAQ article on new categories.