Cat Catch 2.7.1 Enhances m3u8 Download Functionality
The browser extension "Cat Catch" has been updated to version 2.7.1, introducing improved m3u8 download capabilities and enhanced Firefox compatibility.
Cat Catch is a browser extension that detects videos playable in the browser and enables one-click downloads. It supports HLS streaming videos in m3u8 format, allowing seamless detection and saving. On July 18, 2026, version 2.7.1 was released, focusing on further enhancing m3u8 download capabilities, improving browser compatibility, and boosting overall stability.
Background of Development
The last significant update for Cat Catch was version 2.6.5 in November 2025. At that time, Cat Catch’s development team responded to a request from lawyers commissioned by TikTok to block crawling by introducing a blocklist page and adding TikTok to it. As a result, the store version of Cat Catch could no longer download TikTok videos. However, since the source code is managed by multiple contributors, block requests were declined, and the source code remained unaffected. More than six months and six versions later, version 2.7.1 has been released.
Enhanced m3u8 Download Functionality
From version 2.6.6 to 2.7.1, the most significant updates have revolved around improving the m3u8 download feature. Major improvements have been made in download success rates, compatibility, and usability.
Automatic Retry and Cache Support
An automatic retry feature has been added for failed downloads, increasing success rates even in unstable network environments. Furthermore, the extension now supports reading data from the cache, solving issues where one-time URLs could not be redownloaded. This is especially valuable for streaming services where URLs expire quickly.
Data Preprocessing Feature
A new data preprocessing feature has been introduced, allowing the exclusion of image slice data. By filtering out unnecessary image data embedded in video streams, download efficiency and accuracy have been improved.
Support for EXT-X-BYTERANGE
The extension now supports merged downloads of EXT-X-BYTERANGE segments, a specification used in HLS playlists for byte-range specified segments. This enhancement enables the download of certain streams that were previously inaccessible.
Selective Segment Download
Users can now select specific segments (slices) for download. This is useful for saving only desired portions or redownloading error-prone sections.
Online FFmpeg Nest Mode
Online FFmpeg now supports nest mode, reducing the need to switch between tabs. Previously, processing with FFmpeg required opening a new tab, but nest mode allows all processing to occur within the same tab, enhancing user experience.
Bug Fixes
Several issues have been resolved, including duplicate downloads, failures in downloading Blob URLs, and incorrect MP4 file extensions. Blob URLs, which are temporarily generated URLs in the browser’s memory, are now handled properly by Cat Catch.
Comprehensive Browser Compatibility Improvements
Enhancements have been made to optimize compatibility with Firefox, while also addressing compatibility issues with Chromium-based browsers.
Firefox-Specific Fixes
Issues related to video recording, Blob URL downloads, and Aria2 RPC HTTP transmission in Firefox have been addressed. Since Blob URL implementations vary between browsers, resolving Firefox-specific bugs is particularly significant.
Fixes for Edge and Brave
Issues where online FFmpeg files became empty in Edge and Brave have been resolved. Although both browsers are Chromium-based, differences in their security policies had caused some features to malfunction. Additionally, rare issues like the failure of default pop-up pages to open have been fixed.
Optimized Downloader Experience
Several practical features have been added to improve usability in everyday scenarios.
Right-Click Menu
A new right-click menu has been introduced, enabling direct download operations from the browser’s context menu, eliminating the need to click the extension icon.
Flexible Filter Sizes
Filter sizes now support formulas, ranges, and units. For example, users can specify conditions like “at least 5MB,” “10KB–50MB,” or “>100MB,” allowing precise control over the size of videos to be downloaded.
Aria2 RPC Integration
Support for specifying download directories via Aria2 RPC has been added. This is particularly useful for batch downloading large numbers of files with the external downloader, Aria2.
Rebuilt Replacement Tag System
The replacement tag system has been rebuilt to support nested tags. This allows for more complex patterns to be applied to file names automatically generated from video titles or URLs.
Expanded Preview Features
A “Clear Failed Items” button has been added to the preview page, allowing users to remove failed preview items in bulk and organize their lists more easily.
Continuous Stability Improvements
Numerous edge cases have been resolved, resulting in enhanced overall reliability.
Recording Scripts
Several abnormalities in recording scripts have been fixed, addressing issues encountered when obtaining videos in recording mode.
Deep Search
Errors in executing deep search and anomalies in key identification have been resolved. Deep search recursively explores video resources embedded in web pages, and its accuracy has been significantly improved.
File Name Issues
Problems caused by slashes (”/”) in titles, which resulted in download failures, have been fixed. Since slashes serve as path delimiters in file systems, including them in file names caused errors. This issue is now handled appropriately.
Other Fixes
Various issues, such as duplicate calls to custom protocols and blocklist invalidation, have been resolved. Bugs that caused custom protocols (e.g., aria2://) to be called twice had disrupted collaboration with external applications.
Continued Enhancement of Deep Search
Resource discovery capabilities have been improved. Issues such as web page anomalies, key parsing errors, and execution failures in certain scenarios have been resolved. The reliability of decrypting keys for encrypted videos has also been enhanced.
Internationalization Support
Multilingual support has been continuously enhanced. Vietnamese, Russian, and Korean languages have been newly added, with community translations being regularly improved. The extension’s UI can now be displayed in these languages.
Availability and Limitations
Cat Catch is available from the GitHub repository, Chrome Web Store, Edge Add-ons Store, and Firefox Add-ons Store. However, due to copyright restrictions, the app store versions are functionally limited. To access the full range of features, users need to install the source code version from GitHub. It is up to users to choose between ease of installation and full functionality.
About Cat Catch
Cat Catch is a purpose-built extension for downloading videos playable in browsers. As long as a video can be played, it is usually downloadable (though some encrypted videos may fail). According to the software site Appinn, Cat Catch is similar to tools like yt-dlp. However, while yt-dlp is command-line based, Cat Catch offers a visual interface as a browser extension.
Once installed, a button appears in the browser’s extension bar. When a web page contains videos, the button displays the number of detected videos. Users can download videos with a single click. The extension supports m3u8 videos, which are automatically merged and saved as MP4 files after download. The developers claim a success rate of over 95% for downloads.
Editorial Opinion
In the short term, the Cat Catch 2.7.1 update directly benefits Firefox and Edge users. The resolution of multiple compatibility issues with Firefox, in particular, may attract users who previously avoided the extension. The improved success rate of m3u8 downloads also enhances its reliability for practical applications such as creating video archives or saving educational content. However, the functional disparity between the store version and the source code version may confuse general users. The development team should clearly explain the limitations of the store version. From a long-term perspective, browser-based video download tools are likely to face challenges from strengthened encryption by streaming services and changes in copyright laws. As demonstrated by the TikTok block incident, legal pressure from platforms could increase. On the other hand, the decentralized development structure of the open-source community provides a unique advantage, as it lacks a single point of failure. Future developments might include leveraging WebAssembly for more advanced client-side processing and automating segment analysis with AI.
References
- “猫抓 2.7.1 更新，持续增强 m3u8 下载能力｜猫抓是什么？”, by 青小蛙 — 小众软件, 2026-07-18T08:31:33.000Z (ARR)
- Source URL: https://www.appinn.com/cat-catch-2-7-1/
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Cat Catch free to use?
- Yes, Cat Catch is a free browser extension available from the Chrome Web Store, Edge Add-ons Store, and Firefox Add-ons Store. While the store version has some feature limitations, the full-featured source code version can be downloaded from GitHub. No account registration or payment is required.
- Which browsers are supported?
- Cat Catch is compatible with Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Brave, among other major Chromium-based browsers. Version 2.7.1 has significantly improved compatibility with Firefox. It may also work with other Chromium-based browsers like Opera and Vivaldi, though official support is focused on the aforementioned four browsers.
- How can I download videos in m3u8 format?
- After installing Cat Catch, navigate to the webpage where the video is playing and click on the extension icon. A list of detected videos will appear, and you can select the one you wish to download. For m3u8 videos, the extension automatically downloads the segments and combines them into an MP4 file using FFmpeg. If the download fails, the automatic retry feature will attempt to download it again. ## References - [Appinn: Cat Catch 2.7.1 Update](https://www.appinn.com/cat-catch-2-7-1/) — Published on 2026-07-18
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