1# Dumber, fully unfeatured unbloated browser for tiling WMs
2
3<p align="center">
4  <img src="assets/logo.svg" alt="Dumber Logo" width="256" height="256" />
5</p>
6
7A dumb browser that works like your favorite terminal multiplexer.
8
9## Features
10- **Wayland native**: No X11/XWayland dependency, works with Sway, Hyprland, River, Niri, etc.
11- **Tabs and workspaces**: Each tab holds a workspace with split or stacked panes.
12- **Keyboard-driven**: Complete keyboard workflow inspired by Zellij.
13- **Smart popup handling**: OAuth flows, window.open(), and popup deduplication for tiling WMs.
14- **GPU rendering**: Hardware video acceleration with automatic VA-API/VDPAU detection.
15- **Built-in ad blocking**: UBlock-based network filtering (cosmetic filtering in progress).
16- **Launcher integration**: dmenu-style with rofi/fuzzel support, shows favicons and history.
17- **Search shortcuts**: Quick search via aliases (e.g., `g:golang` for Google).
18- **Customizable themes**: Light and dark palettes with semantic color tokens.
19- **Persistent storage**: SQLite for history, zoom levels, and settings.
20- **Live configuration**: Single config file with hot reload when possible.
21
22## Status
23Early development with regular releases. Core features work well for daily use but expect some rough edges.
24
25## Controls & Shortcuts
26
27### Keyboard Shortcuts
28
29#### Browser Controls
30| Shortcut | Action | Notes |
31|----------|--------|-------|
32| **F12** | Open Developer Tools | WebKit inspector |
33| **Ctrl+L** | Open Omnibox | URL/search input with history |
34| **Ctrl+F** | Find in Page | Search text within current page |
35| **Ctrl+=** | Zoom In | Firefox-compatible zoom levels |
36| **Ctrl++** | Zoom In | Alternative plus key |
37| **Ctrl+-** | Zoom Out | Works across keyboard layouts |
38| **Ctrl+0** | Reset Zoom | Return to 100% zoom |
39| **Ctrl+Shift+C** | Copy URL | Copy current URL to clipboard with toast |
40| **Ctrl+Shift+P** | Print Page | Open native print dialog |
41| **Ctrl+R** / **F5** | Reload Page | Refresh current page |
42| **Ctrl+Shift+R** | Hard Reload | Refresh ignoring cache |
43| **Ctrl+←** / **Ctrl+→** | Navigate Back/Forward | Browser history navigation |
44
45#### Tab Management
46| Shortcut | Action | Notes |
47|----------|--------|-------|
48| **Ctrl+T** | Enter Tab Mode | Modal mode for tab operations |
49| **Ctrl+Tab** | Next Tab | Quick tab switching |
50| **Ctrl+Shift+Tab** | Previous Tab | Quick tab switching |
51| **Ctrl+W** | Close Tab | Close current tab |
52| **N** / **C** (in tab mode) | New Tab | Create new tab |
53| **X** (in tab mode) | Close Tab | Close current tab |
54| **L** / **Tab** (in tab mode) | Next Tab | Navigate to next tab |
55| **H** / **Shift+Tab** (in tab mode) | Previous Tab | Navigate to previous tab |
56| **R** (in tab mode) | Rename Tab | Rename current tab |
57| **Escape** (in tab mode) | Exit Tab Mode | Return to normal navigation |
58
59#### Pane Management
60| Shortcut | Action | Notes |
61|----------|--------|-------|
62| **Ctrl+P** | Enter Pane Mode | Modal mode for pane operations |
63| **→** / **R** (in pane mode) | Split Right | Create new pane to the right |
64| **←** / **L** (in pane mode) | Split Left | Create new pane to the left |
65| **↑** / **U** (in pane mode) | Split Up | Create new pane above |
66| **↓** / **D** (in pane mode) | Split Down | Create new pane below |
67| **S** (in pane mode) | Stack Pane | Create stacked pane (Zellij-style) |
68| **X** (in pane mode) | Close Pane | Close current pane |
69| **Enter** (in pane mode) | Confirm Action | Confirm pane operation |
70| **Escape** (in pane mode) | Exit Pane Mode | Return to normal navigation |
71| **Alt+Arrow Keys** | Navigate Panes | Move focus between panes |
72| **Alt+Up/Down** | Navigate Stack | Navigate between stacked panes |
73
74### Mouse Controls
75| Action | Result | Notes |
76|--------|---------|-------|
77| **Ctrl+Scroll Up** | Zoom In | Smooth zoom control |
78| **Ctrl+Scroll Down** | Zoom Out | Smooth zoom control |
79| **Mouse Button 8** | Navigate Back | Side button (back) |
80| **Mouse Button 9** | Navigate Forward | Side button (forward) |
81| **Two-finger Swipe** | Back/Forward | When supported by touchpad |
82
83### Omnibox/Find Mode (when active)
84| Shortcut | Action | Notes |
85|----------|--------|-------|
86| **Escape** | Close/Clear | Clear input if text present, close if empty |
87| **Enter** | Execute/Navigate | Navigate to URL or jump to match |
88| **Shift+Enter** | Previous Match | Find mode: go to previous match |
89| **Alt+Enter** | Center Match | Find mode: center on match, keep open |
90| **Tab** | Toggle View | Omnibox mode: switch between history and favorites |
91| **Space** | Toggle Favorite | Omnibox mode: favorite/unfavorite selected item |
92| **Ctrl+1-9, 0** | Quick Navigate | Jump to result by number (1-10) |
93| **↑/↓ Arrow** | Navigate Results | Browse suggestions/matches |
94
95All zoom changes are automatically persisted per-domain and restored on next visit.
96
97## Quick Start
98Prerequisites:
99- Go 1.25+
100- Node.js 20+ and npm (for building the embedded TypeScript frontend)
101- For GUI build: WebKitGTK 6 and GTK4 dev packages (examples)
102  - Debian/Ubuntu: `libwebkitgtk-6.0-dev libgtk-4-dev build-essential`
103  - Arch: `webkitgtk-6.0 gtk4 base-devel`
104
105Build options:
106- GUI (default, recommended):
107  - `make build`          # builds frontend + Go with `-tags=webkit_cgo`
108  - Run: `./dist/dumber`  # to see all available commands.
109- CLI‑only (no GUI, CGO disabled):
110  - `make build-no-gui`
111  - Run: `./dist/dumber-no-gui version`
112
113Development:
114- `make dev` runs `go run .` (non‑CGO; GUI stubs log to console)
115- `make test` runs tests; `make lint` runs golangci‑lint
116
117## Install
118**Note**: `go install` will not work for this project because the frontend assets must be built first and embedded into the binary. Use the build commands instead:
119
120- GUI build (default, recommended):
121  - Clone the repo and run `make build` (builds frontend first, then Go with GUI support)
122  - The resulting `./dist/dumber` binary includes the native GUI window
123- CLI‑only (no native window):
124  - Clone the repo and run `make build-no-gui`
125  - The resulting `./dist/dumber-no-gui` binary runs CLI flows with GUI code stubbed
126
127## Usage
128- Open a URL or search:
129  - `dumber browse https://example.com`
130  - `dumber browse example.com`        # scheme auto‑added
131  - `dumber browse dumb://home`        # built-in homepage with stats
132  - `dumber browse g:golang`           # Google search via shortcut
133- Show version information:
134  - `dumber version`                   # display version, commit, and build date
135- Launcher integration (dmenu‑style examples):
136  - rofi:   `dumber dmenu | rofi -dmenu -p "🔍 " | dumber dmenu --select`
137  - fuzzel: `dumber dmenu | fuzzel --dmenu -p "🔍 " | dumber dmenu --select`
138- Manage browsing history:
139  - `dumber history`                  # list recent history (default: 20 entries)
140  - `dumber history list -n 50`       # list 50 recent entries
141  - `dumber history search golang`    # search history for "golang"
142  - `dumber history stats`            # show history statistics
143  - `dumber history clear`            # clear all history (with confirmation)
144  - `dumber history clear --force`    # clear all history (no confirmation)
145- Clean up data and cache:
146  - `dumber purge`                        # purge all data (with confirmation)
147  - `dumber purge --force`                # purge all data (no confirmation)
148  - `dumber purge -d -H -c`               # purge database and both caches
149  - `dumber purge --browser-data`         # purge WebKit data (cookies, etc.)
150- Manage logs:
151  - `dumber logs list`                    # list available log files
152  - `dumber logs tail`                    # tail current log file
153  - `dumber logs clean`                   # clean up old log files
154
155### Dmenu mode invocation
156You can invoke dmenu mode in two ways:
157- Subcommand (recommended): `dumber dmenu` … and `dumber dmenu --select`
158- Root flag (generate options only): `dumber --dmenu`
159
160Note: The root flag path only generates options; for processing a selection (`--select`), use the `dmenu` subcommand as the receiving command.
161
162In GUI mode the app serves an embedded homepage via `dumb://homepage`, and frontend assets under `dumb://app/...`.
163
164## Tab Management
165
166Each tab holds its own workspace. Each workspace can contain multiple panes (split or stacked). Switch between tabs to switch between independent workspaces.
167
168### How it Works
1691. **Enter Tab Mode**: Press `Ctrl+T` to enter tab mode (modal interface with timeout)
1702. **Create/Close Tabs**: Use keyboard shortcuts:
171   - `N` or `C` - New tab
172   - `X` - Close current tab
173   - `R` - Rename tab
1743. **Navigate**: Use `Ctrl+Tab` / `Ctrl+Shift+Tab` for quick tab switching, or `L`/`H` in tab mode
1754. **Exit**: Press `Escape` to exit tab mode or wait for timeout
176
177Tab mode provides visual feedback with an orange border indicator.
178
179## Pane Management
180
181Split your browser window into multiple panes, each running independent web sessions.
182
183### How it Works
1841. **Enter Pane Mode**: Press `Ctrl+P` to enter pane mode (modal interface with timeout)
1852. **Split or Stack Panes**: Use arrow keys or letter shortcuts:
186   - `→` or `R` - Split right
187   - `←` or `L` - Split left
188   - `↑` or `U` - Split up
189   - `↓` or `D` - Split down
190   - `S` - Stack panes (Zellij-style, shows title bars for collapsed panes)
1913. **Navigate**: Use `Alt+Arrow Keys` to move focus between split panes, or `Alt+Up/Down` to navigate within stacked panes
1924. **Close**: Press `X` in pane mode to close the current pane
193
194## Configuration
195
196Configuration file: `~/.config/dumber/config.toml` (supports TOML, JSON, YAML)
197
198A default config is created on first run. Changes are applied automatically (hot reload). Override any setting with `DUMB_BROWSER_*` or `DUMBER_*` environment variables.
199
200**Full documentation**: [docs/CONFIG.md](docs/CONFIG.md) - Complete reference for all settings, workspace controls, shortcuts, styling, and more.
201
202
203## Building With WebKitGTK 6 (GTK4)
204- The GUI requires building with `-tags=webkit_cgo` and CGO enabled.
205- Ensure WebKitGTK 6 and GTK4 dev headers are installed (see prerequisites).
206- Make targets handle both frontend and Go build steps:
207  - `make build-gui` (CGO enabled)
208  - `make build` (CGO enabled by default in the Makefile’s main build)
209
210Without the native tag, a stub backend is used: you can still run CLI flows and see logs, but no native window is displayed.
211
212## Media (GStreamer) & Hardware Acceleration
213
214WebKitGTK uses GStreamer for media playback. Dumber includes automatic hardware video acceleration support that detects your GPU and configures the appropriate drivers.
215
216**Hardware Acceleration Features:**
217- Automatic GPU detection (AMD, NVIDIA, Intel)
218- VA-API and VDPAU driver configuration
219- Support for H.264, HEVC, VP9, and AV1 codecs
220- Significantly reduced CPU usage during video streaming
221
222**Required packages:**
223- Arch Linux:
224  - `sudo pacman -S gst-plugins-base gst-plugins-good gst-plugins-bad gst-plugins-ugly gst-libav gst-plugin-pipewire pipewire pipewire-pulse`
225  - Hardware accel: `gstreamer-vaapi mesa` (AMD), `libva-nvidia-driver` (NVIDIA), `libva-intel-driver intel-media-driver` (Intel)
226- Debian/Ubuntu:
227  - `sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-tools gstreamer1.0-plugins-base gstreamer1.0-plugins-good gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly gstreamer1.0-libav gstreamer1.0-pipewire`
228  - Hardware accel: `gstreamer1.0-vaapi va-driver-all` (covers most GPUs)
229
230## Contribute
231I will gladly accept contributions, especially related to UI/UX enhancements. Feel free to open an issue and let's discuss it!
232
233## Security & Privacy
234- History and zoom settings are stored locally in SQLite under XDG state.
235- The `tmp/` directory is ignored by Git and kept out of history.
236
237## Roadmap
238- ✅ WebKitGTK 6 (GTK4) migration (GPU/Vulkan path complete)
239- ✅ GPU rendering (Vulkan via GTK4 renderer) with graceful CPU fallback
240- ✅ Modal pane management with binary tree layout and keyboard-driven workflow
241- ✅ Tab management system with modal controls
242- 🚧 UBlock-based content filtering (early stage - network blocking works, cosmetic filtering needs work)
243- Full Vim-style motion and keyboard navigation across pages and UI
244- Performance work: faster startup, lower memory, snappier UI
245- Other shiny things I'm not yet aware of
246
247## License
248This project is licensed under the MIT License. See `LICENSE` for details.