1# Getting Started
2
3## Launch the Browser
4
5```bash
6dumber browse
7```
8
9Or use the desktop entry after running `dumber setup`.
10
11## Basic Navigation
12
13Dumber uses modal keybindings inspired by Zellij. If you prefer tmux, set `keymap = "tmux"` under `[workspace]` to use one prefix key (`Ctrl+Space`) followed by a single action key; see [Keymap presets](./reference/keybindings.md#keymap-presets).
14
15| Mode | Activation | Purpose |
16|------|------------|---------|
17| Pane Mode | `Ctrl+P` | Split, close, focus panes |
18| Tab Mode | `Ctrl+T` | Create, close, switch tabs |
19| Vim Mode | `Ctrl+Y` | Scroll, navigate headings, and focus page inputs with Vim-style commands; arrow keys stay native and page focus stays inside the page while other app shortcuts wait until exit |
20| Resize Mode | `Ctrl+N` | Resize pane splits |
21| Session Mode | `Ctrl+O` | Session management |
22
23Press `Escape` or `Enter` to exit any mode.
24Vim Mode stays local to the active pane and automatically leaves the mode when focus moves into the omnibox, find bar, overlays, or a page editable.
25
26## Pane Mode Quick Reference
27
281. Press `Ctrl+P` to enter pane mode
292. Use arrow keys or `hjkl` to split in that direction
303. `Shift+arrows` to focus adjacent panes
314. `X` to close current pane
32
33## Vim Mode Quick Reference
34
351. Press `Ctrl+Y` to enter Vim Mode
362. Use `h`, `j`, `k`, `l` to scroll left, down, up, or right
373. Use `Shift+J` / `Shift+K` for faster vertical jumps
384. Arrow keys continue to use the browser engine's native page navigation while Vim Mode is active
395. Use `gi` to cycle through visible page inputs; use `]]` and `[[` to move through headings
406. With CEF, press `Enter` to open a link in the selected heading and leave Vim Mode; if the heading has no link, it only leaves the mode
417. `Tab` and `Shift+Tab` traverse focusable page controls while a page input is focused
428. Other app-level shortcuts stay suspended until you leave Vim Mode
439. Press `Escape` to leave the mode without activating the selected heading
4410. `Ctrl+Y` can activate Vim Mode even when a page input or editor is already focused
45
46> **Engine behavior**: CEF and WebKit execute Vim Mode scroll steps with the
47> shared `BuildPageScrollByJS` resolver (viewport-center start, nested-scroller
48> handoff, document fallback). The application repeater owns held-key cadence;
49> each engine runs one immediate step per tick. Cross-origin frames are
50> best-effort. CEF may use native precision-wheel input only before the browser
51> frame is ready.
52
53## Omnibox
54
55Press `Ctrl+L` to open the omnibox for:
56- URL navigation
57- Search (uses default search engine)
58- Bang shortcuts (`!g query` for Google, `!gh query` for GitHub)
59
60## Floating Pane
61
62- Press `Alt+F` to toggle the floating pane.
63- Press `Ctrl+W` to close the active pane; if the floating pane is active, this fully releases it so the next open starts fresh.
64- Some `Alt+<key>` bindings can conflict with browser-engine shortcuts or desktop-level handlers.
65
66See [Floating Pane](./reference/floating-pane.md) for profile shortcuts and configuration.
67
68## Configuration
69
70Edit `~/.config/dumber/config.toml` or use:
71
72```bash
73dumber config open
74```
75
76See [Configuration](./config/index.md) for all options.
77
78## Launcher Integration
79
80Use with rofi or fuzzel:
81
82```bash
83dumber dmenu | rofi -dmenu -show-icons | dumber dmenu --select
84```
85
86## Website Permissions
87
88Dumber includes a built-in permissions system for camera, microphone, and screen sharing:
89
90- **Custom dialog** - Clean permission prompts replace native GTK dialogs
91- **Persistent choices** - "Always Allow" and "Always Deny" are saved per-origin
92- **Privacy-focused** - All permissions stored locally
93- **Camera & Microphone** - Fully working on Wayland/PipeWire
94
95> ⚠️ **WebKit fallback note**: Screen sharing does not currently work on Wayland with WebKitGTK 6.0. This is a known WebKitGTK limitation and does not describe the default CEF backend.
96
97When a website requests camera or microphone access, you'll see a permission dialog with options to allow once, always allow, deny, or always deny.
98
99See [Website Permissions](./reference/permissions.md) for details.
100
101## Crash Reporting
102
103If Dumber exits unexpectedly, crash reports are automatically generated:
104
105```bash
106# List all crash reports
107dumber crashes
108
109# View the latest crash report
110dumber crashes show latest
111
112# Generate GitHub issue payload
113dumber crashes issue latest
114```
115
116See [Session Exit Classification](./reference/session-exit-classification-runbook.md) for troubleshooting.
117
118## Next Steps
119
120- [Configuration Reference](./reference/configuration.md) - All settings
121- [Keybindings](./reference/keybindings.md) - Full keyboard shortcuts
122- [CLI Commands](./cli/index.md) - Command-line tools