Whitelist-only mode: bypass Browserino unless a rule matches (domains / app origin)

[livrasand]

First of all, thank you for Browserino — it’s an excellent tool and the Rules tab already solves many workflows 👍

I’d like to suggest a “whitelist-only” mode, where Browserino only intercepts links when an explicit rule matches, and otherwise fully defers to the system’s default browser.

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Problem / Motivation

Currently, Browserino acts as a global interceptor:

• Links are always routed through Browserino
• Rules decide how to open them (browser, no prompt, etc.)

While this works well, some users may want a more minimal and privacy-first behavior:

• Only intervene for explicitly whitelisted domains or originating apps

• For all other links, behave as if Browserino wasn’t installed:

  • No picker
  • No delay
  • Let macOS open the link in the user’s default browser

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Proposed Behavior

Add an optional Whitelist-only mode, for example:

• When enabled:

  • If a rule matches (domain / URL / originating app) → Browserino applies the rule
  • If no rule matches → Browserino bypasses itself entirely

• When disabled:

  • Current behavior remains unchanged

This could be implemented as:

• A global toggle (e.g. “Only intercept when a rule matches”)
• Or a per-rule / per-profile option

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Why this fits well with existing features

This proposal builds directly on existing work:

• Rules tab (domain-based rules, issue Configure domain top open link without promt #28)
• Application origin rules (issue Feature Request : custom folder/file path to store settings #19, v2)

It doesn’t replace current behavior — it just adds a stricter, opt-in mode for users who prefer:

• Fewer interceptions
• Maximum respect for the system default browser
• Clear, explicit control over when Browserino is involved

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Use cases

• Open work-related domains in a specific browser
• Let all personal / unknown links open normally
• Avoid Browserino appearing in workflows where it’s not needed

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Thanks for considering this idea! I believe it would nicely complement the existing Rules system without adding complexity for users who don’t need it.

[livrasand]

Well... For now, I've solved it this way, in case it's useful to anyone in the future.

[AlexStrNik]

Hello! If you meant bypassing the prompt and not Browserino itself, then I’m planning to do this in a major rework. In the current version, I didn’t come up with a proper solution.

Bypassing Browserino completely is not possible, as far as I know, because you need to set it as the default browser so it can handle URL opens

[livrasand]

That would be great 👍

If Browserino could work this way — silently passing through to the system default browser when no rule matches — it would already feel like a whitelist-only mode from the user’s perspective.

Even if the app still has to receive the URL internally (due to macOS limitations), making it completely invisible in those cases (no prompt, no delay, no UI) would be an excellent improvement and very privacy-friendly.

A future “silent pass-through” or similar option would already solve most of this use case. Thanks for considering it!