Remove Paywall Plugin

August 16, 2026 · View on GitHub

Remove paywalls from URLs using various bypass services like 12ft.io, archive.is, and more.

Features

  • Multiple Services: Support for 12ft.io, archive.is, RemovePaywall.com, Freedium, and Google Cache
  • Clipboard Integration: Automatically read URLs from your clipboard
  • Auto-open Browser: Optionally open bypassed URLs directly in your browser
  • History Tracking: Keep track of URLs you've processed
  • Service Selection: Choose the best service for each article type

Supported Services

ServiceBest For
12ft.ioNews sites (NYT, WaPo, WSJ, etc.)
archive.isGeneral articles, creating permanent archives
RemovePaywall.comNews articles, subscription sites
FreediumMedium articles only
Google CacheRecently indexed pages

Installation

lla install
# Then enable the plugin
lla use  # Select remove_paywall

Usage

Remove Paywall from URL

lla plugin run remove_paywall remove -- https://example.com/paywalled-article

Remove Paywall from Clipboard URL

# Copy a URL first, then:
lla plugin run remove_paywall clipboard

Choose Service Interactively

lla plugin run remove_paywall choose
lla plugin run remove_paywall choose -- https://example.com/article

lla plugin run remove_paywall try-all
lla plugin run remove_paywall try-all -- https://example.com/article

Use Specific Services

lla plugin run remove_paywall 12ft -- https://nytimes.com/article
lla plugin run remove_paywall archive -- https://wsj.com/article
lla plugin run remove_paywall freedium -- https://medium.com/article

List Available Services

lla plugin run remove_paywall services

View History

lla plugin run remove_paywall history

Configure Preferences

lla plugin run remove_paywall preferences

Interactive Menu

lla plugin run remove_paywall menu

Show Help

lla plugin run remove_paywall help

Configuration

The plugin stores its configuration in ~/.config/lla/remove_paywall/config.toml:

default_service = "TwelveFt"    # Default bypass service
auto_open_browser = true        # Open URL in browser automatically
copy_to_clipboard = true        # Copy bypass URL to clipboard
remember_history = true         # Save usage history
max_history_size = 50           # Maximum history entries

[colors]
success = "bright_green"
info = "bright_cyan"
warning = "bright_yellow"
error = "bright_red"
url = "bright_blue"
service = "bright_magenta"

Output Example

🔓 Removing Paywall
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

   Original URL:  https://nytimes.com/2024/01/article.html
   Service:       12ft.io
   Bypass URL:    https://12ft.io/https://nytimes.com/2024/01/article.html

   📋 Bypass URL copied to clipboard!
   🌐 Opened in browser!

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Tips

  1. For News Sites: Use 12ft.io or RemovePaywall.com
  2. For Medium Articles: Use Freedium (designed specifically for Medium)
  3. For Creating Archives: Use archive.is to create a permanent snapshot
  4. When Others Fail: Try Google Cache for recently indexed pages

Disclaimer

This plugin is provided for educational purposes. Please respect content creators and consider subscribing to publications you regularly read.