ctrlw is a free Chrome extension developed by Sam Lazarus. It falls under the category of Browsers and specifically belongs to the Add-ons & Tools subcategory. This extension is designed to address the frustration caused by accidentally closing tabs while intending to delete a word using the Ctrl-W hotkey.

The motivation behind ctrlw stems from the developer's personal experience of repeatedly closing tabs unintentionally. This extension offers two commands: one that does nothing and another that closes the current tab. By assigning the former to Ctrl-W and the latter to Alt-W, users can avoid mistakenly closing tabs.

While there is a possibility of future updates including the expected Ctrl-W functionality, it is uncertain when or if this feature will be added. Nevertheless, if you are tired of Chrome interfering with your muscle memory on ^W, ctrlw is a useful extension to prevent accidental tab closures.