diff --git a/src/invidious/yt_backend/url_sanitizer.cr b/src/invidious/yt_backend/url_sanitizer.cr
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..02bf77bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/invidious/yt_backend/url_sanitizer.cr
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+require "uri"
+
+module UrlSanitizer
+  extend self
+
+  ALLOWED_QUERY_PARAMS = {
+    channel:  ["u", "user", "lb"],
+    playlist: ["list"],
+    search:   ["q", "search_query", "sp"],
+    watch:    [
+      "v",                                  # Video ID
+      "list", "index",                      # Playlist-related
+      "playlist",                           # Unnamed playlist (id,id,id,...) (embed-only?)
+      "t", "time_continue", "start", "end", # Timestamp
+      "lc",                                 # Highlighted comment (watch page only)
+    ],
+  }
+
+  # Returns wether the given string is an ASCII word. This is the same as
+  # running the following regex in US-ASCII locale: /^[\w-]+$/
+  private def ascii_word?(str : String) : Bool
+    if str.bytesize == str.size
+      str.each_byte do |byte|
+        next if 'a'.ord <= byte <= 'z'.ord
+        next if 'A'.ord <= byte <= 'Z'.ord
+        next if '0'.ord <= byte <= '9'.ord
+        next if byte == '-'.ord || byte == '_'.ord
+
+        return false
+      end
+
+      return true
+    else
+      return false
+    end
+  end
+
+  # Return which kind of parameters are allowed based on the
+  # first path component (breadcrumb 0).
+  private def determine_allowed(path_root : String)
+    case path_root
+    when "watch", "w", "v", "embed", "e", "shorts", "clip"
+      return :watch
+    when .starts_with?("@"), "c", "channel", "user", "profile", "attribution_link"
+      return :channel
+    when "playlist", "mix"
+      return :playlist
+    when "results", "search"
+      return :search
+    else # hashtag, post, trending, brand URLs, etc..
+      return nil
+    end
+  end
+
+  # Create a new URI::Param containing only the allowed parameters
+  private def copy_params(unsafe_params : URI::Params, allowed_type) : URI::Params
+    new_params = URI::Params.new
+
+    ALLOWED_QUERY_PARAMS[allowed_type].each do |name|
+      if unsafe_params[name]?
+        # Only copy the last parameter, in case there is more than one
+        new_params[name] = unsafe_params.fetch_all(name)[-1]
+      end
+    end
+
+    return new_params
+  end
+
+  # Transform any user-supplied youtube URL into something we can trust
+  # and use across the code.
+  def process(str : String) : URI
+    # Because URI follows RFC3986 specifications, URL without a scheme
+    # will be parsed as a relative path. So we have to add a scheme ourselves.
+    str = "https://#{str}" if !str.starts_with?(/https?:\/\//)
+
+    unsafe_uri = URI.parse(str)
+    new_uri = URI.new(path: "/")
+
+    # Redirect to homepage for bogus URLs
+    return new_uri if (unsafe_uri.host.nil? || unsafe_uri.path.nil?)
+
+    breadcrumbs = unsafe_uri.path
+      .split('/', remove_empty: true)
+      .compact_map do |bc|
+        # Exclude attempts at path trasversal
+        next if bc == "." || bc == ".."
+
+        # Non-alnum characters are unlikely in a genuine URL
+        next if !ascii_word?(bc)
+
+        bc
+      end
+
+    # If nothing remains, it's either a legit URL to the homepage
+    # (who does that!?) or because we filtered some junk earlier.
+    return new_uri if breadcrumbs.empty?
+
+    # Replace the original query parameters with the sanitized ones
+    case unsafe_uri.host.not_nil!
+    when .ends_with?("youtube.com")
+      # Use our sanitized path (not forgetting the leading '/')
+      new_uri.path = "/#{breadcrumbs.join('/')}"
+
+      # Then determine which params are allowed, and copy them over
+      if allowed = determine_allowed(breadcrumbs[0])
+        new_uri.query_params = copy_params(unsafe_uri.query_params, allowed)
+      end
+    when "youtu.be"
+      # Always redirect to the watch page
+      new_uri.path = "/watch"
+
+      new_params = copy_params(unsafe_uri.query_params, :watch)
+      new_params["id"] = breadcrumbs[0]
+
+      new_uri.query_params = new_params
+    end
+
+    new_uri.host = nil # Safety measure
+    return new_uri
+  end
+end