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Dumber, fully unfeatured unbloated browser for tiling WMs

Dumber Logo

dumber-demo.mp4

A dumb browser that works like your favorite terminal multiplexer.

Features

  • Wayland native: No X11/XWayland dependency, works with Sway, Hyprland, River, Niri, etc.
  • Tabs and workspaces: Each tab holds a workspace with split or stacked panes.
  • Keyboard-driven: Keyboard workflow inspired by Zellij.
  • Smart popup handling: OAuth flows, window.open(), and popup deduplication for tiling WMs.
  • GPU rendering: Hardware video acceleration with automatic VA-API/VDPAU detection.
  • Built-in ad blocking: UBlock-based network + cosmetic filtering.
  • Launcher integration: dmenu-style with rofi/fuzzel support, shows favicons and history.
  • Search shortcuts: Quick search via bangs (e.g., !g golang for Google, !gi cats for Google Images).
  • Customizable themes: Light and dark palettes with semantic color tokens.
  • Persistent storage: SQLite for history, favorites, per-domain zoom levels, and sessions.
  • Live configuration: Single config file with hot reload when possible.
  • Session management: Zellij-style session save/restore with automatic snapshots and resurrection.

Status

Dumber is almost feature-complete. Next steps will focus on stability, performance, and bug fixing.

Core features work well for daily use but expect some rough edges. Some features are still alpha/experimental (notably consume-or-expel panes) and may change behavior between releases.

Quick Start

# Download and install
wget https://github.com/bnema/dumber/releases/latest/download/dumber_linux_x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xzf dumber_linux_x86_64.tar.gz
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin && install -m 755 dumber_*/dumber ~/.local/bin/

# Run
dumber browse https://example.com

See Install for AUR, Flatpak, building from source, and runtime dependencies.

Controls & Shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts

Browser Controls

Shortcut Action Notes
F12 Open Developer Tools WebKit inspector
Ctrl+L Open Omnibox URL/search input with history
Ctrl+F Find in Page Search text within current page
Ctrl+= Zoom In Firefox-compatible zoom levels
Ctrl++ Zoom In Alternative plus key
Ctrl+- Zoom Out Works across keyboard layouts
Ctrl+0 Reset Zoom Return to 100% zoom
Ctrl+Shift+C Copy URL Copy current URL to clipboard with toast
Ctrl+Shift+P Print Page Open native print dialog
Ctrl+R / F5 Reload Page Refresh current page
Ctrl+Shift+R Hard Reload Refresh ignoring cache
Ctrl+← / Ctrl+→ Navigate Back/Forward Browser history navigation

Tab Management

Shortcut Action Notes
Ctrl+T Enter Tab Mode Modal mode for tab operations
Ctrl+Tab Next Tab Quick tab switching
Ctrl+Shift+Tab Previous Tab Quick tab switching
Ctrl+W Close Tab Close current tab
N / C (in tab mode) New Tab Create new tab
X (in tab mode) Close Tab Close current tab
L / Tab (in tab mode) Next Tab Navigate to next tab
H / Shift+Tab (in tab mode) Previous Tab Navigate to previous tab
Escape (in tab mode) Exit Tab Mode Return to normal navigation

Pane Management

Shortcut Action Notes
Ctrl+P Enter Pane Mode Modal mode for pane operations
→ / R (in pane mode) Split Right Create new pane to the right
← / L (in pane mode) Split Left Create new pane to the left
↑ / U (in pane mode) Split Up Create new pane above
↓ / D (in pane mode) Split Down Create new pane below
S (in pane mode) Stack Pane Create stacked pane (Zellij-style)
X (in pane mode) Close Pane Close current pane
m (in pane mode) Move Pane To Tab Opens a tab picker modal
M (in pane mode) Move Pane To Next Tab Moves to the next tab, creates new tab if needed
Enter (in pane mode) Confirm Action Confirm pane operation
Escape (in pane mode) Exit Pane Mode Return to normal navigation
Alt+Arrow Keys Navigate Panes Move focus between panes
Alt+Up/Down Navigate Stack Navigate between stacked panes
Alt+[ / Alt+] Consume / Expel Pane Experimental (alpha): merge into sibling stack, or expel out of stack
Alt+Shift+[ / Alt+Shift+] Consume / Expel Pane (Vertical) Experimental (alpha): up/down variants

Resize Mode

Shortcut Action Notes
Ctrl+N Enter Resize Mode Modal mode for pane resizing
←/↓/↑/→ / h/j/k/l (in resize mode) Move Divider Resizes the nearest split by moving the divider
H/J/K/L (in resize mode) Move Divider (Inverse) Inverts the direction
+ / - (in resize mode) Smart Resize Grow/shrink the active pane (best-effort)
Enter (in resize mode) Confirm Exit resize mode
Escape (in resize mode) Cancel Exit resize mode

Session Management

Shortcut Action Notes
Ctrl+O Enter Session Mode Modal mode for session operations
Ctrl+Shift+S Open Session Manager Direct access to session browser
S / W (in session mode) Open Session Manager Browse and restore sessions
Escape (in session mode) Exit Session Mode Return to normal navigation

Mouse Controls

Action Result Notes
Drag pane divider Resize panes Updates split ratio and persists in session snapshots
Ctrl+Scroll Up Zoom In Smooth zoom control
Ctrl+Scroll Down Zoom Out Smooth zoom control
Mouse Button 8 Navigate Back Side button (back)
Mouse Button 9 Navigate Forward Side button (forward)
Two-finger Swipe Back/Forward When supported by touchpad

Omnibox/Find Mode (when active)

Shortcut Action Notes
Escape Close/Clear Clear input if text present, close if empty
Enter Execute/Navigate Navigate to URL or jump to match
Shift+Enter Previous Match Find mode: go to previous match
Alt+Enter Center Match Find mode: center on match, keep open
Tab Toggle View Omnibox mode: switch between history and favorites
Space Toggle Favorite Omnibox mode: favorite/unfavorite selected item
Ctrl+1-9, 0 Quick Navigate Jump to result by number (1-10)
↑/↓ Arrow Navigate Results Browse suggestions/matches
Hold key 400ms Accent Picker Shows accented variants in any text input (e.g., hold 'e' for è, é, ê, ë)

All zoom changes are automatically persisted per-domain and restored on next visit.

Install

Pre-built Binaries (Recommended)

Pre-built binaries are available for Linux (x86_64/amd64) in the releases page. See Quick Start for installation instructions.

Arch Linux (AUR)

Dumber is available on the Arch User Repository (AUR):

# Binary package (pre-built, recommended - fastest install)
yay -S dumber-browser-bin

# Or build from source (latest git - bleeding edge)
yay -S dumber-browser-git

Both packages install to /usr/bin/dumber and include desktop integration. The binary package downloads pre-built releases from GitHub, while the git package builds from the latest source code.

Note: When installed via AUR, the self-updater is automatically disabled. Use yay -Syu or your preferred AUR helper to update.

Flatpak

A Flatpak bundle is available in each release. This is the easiest way to install Dumber with all dependencies included:

# Download the Flatpak bundle from the latest release
wget https://github.com/bnema/dumber/releases/latest/download/dumber.flatpak

# Install it (user-level, no root required)
flatpak install --user dumber.flatpak

# Run it
flatpak run dev.bnema.Dumber browse

To uninstall:

flatpak uninstall --user dev.bnema.Dumber

Dependencies

Required for both pre-built binaries and source builds:

Arch Linux:

# Core WebKitGTK 6.0 and GTK4
sudo pacman -S webkitgtk-6.0 gtk4

# GStreamer for media playback
sudo pacman -S gst-plugins-base gst-plugins-good gst-plugins-bad gst-plugins-ugly gst-libav gst-plugin-pipewire pipewire pipewire-pulse

# Hardware video decoding (required for YouTube, Twitch, etc.)
sudo pacman -S gst-plugin-va

# VA-API drivers (choose based on your GPU)
# AMD: sudo pacman -S mesa
# NVIDIA: sudo pacman -S libva-nvidia-driver
# Intel: sudo pacman -S libva-intel-driver intel-media-driver

Debian/Ubuntu:

⚠️ Note: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ships with GLib 2.80, but this project requires GLib 2.84+ due to newer GTK/WebKitGTK runtime requirements. Use Arch Linux, Fedora 41+, or another distribution with recent GLib packages.

# Core WebKitGTK and GTK4
sudo apt install libwebkitgtk-6.0-4 libgtk-4-1

# GStreamer for media playback
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

# Hardware video decoding (gst-plugins-bad includes VA stateless decoders)
# VA-API drivers
sudo apt install va-driver-all

Build From Source

Note: go install will not work for this project because the frontend assets must be built first and embedded into the binary.

Prerequisites:

  • Go 1.25+
  • Node.js 20+ and npm (for building the embedded TypeScript frontend)
  • WebKitGTK 6 and GTK4 dev packages:
    • Minimum runtime versions: WebKitGTK 6.0 >= 2.50, GTK4 >= 4.20, GLib >= 2.84
    • Debian/Ubuntu: libwebkitgtk-6.0-dev libgtk-4-dev build-essential
    • Arch: webkitgtk-6.0 gtk4 base-devel
    • Verify your system with: dumber doctor (or configure runtime.prefix for /opt installs)

Build options:

  • GUI build (default, recommended):
    • Clone the repo and run make build (builds frontend first, then Go with GUI support)
    • The resulting ./dist/dumber binary includes the native GUI window
  • CLI‑only (no native window):
    • Clone the repo and run make build-no-gui
    • The resulting ./dist/dumber-no-gui binary runs CLI flows with GUI code stubbed

Usage

  • Open a URL, local file, or search:
    • dumber browse https://example.com
    • dumber browse example.com # scheme auto‑added
    • dumber browse ./test.html # local file path (converted to file://)
    • dumber browse dumb://home # built-in home page (stats, shortcuts, etc.)
    • dumber browse "!g golang" # search via bang shortcut
  • Show version information:
    • dumber about # version, commit, and build date
  • Check for and install updates:
    • dumber update # check and install if available
    • dumber update --force # force reinstall (skips version check)
  • Launcher integration (dmenu‑style examples with favicon support):
    • rofi: dumber dmenu | rofi -dmenu -show-icons -p "🔍 " | dumber dmenu --select
    • fuzzel: dumber dmenu | fuzzel --dmenu -p "🔍 " | dumber dmenu --select
    • dumber dmenu --interactive # built-in TUI fuzzy finder
    • dumber dmenu --days 7 # show history from last 7 days (default: 30)
    • dumber dmenu --most-visited # sort by visit count instead of recency
  • Manage browsing history:
    • dumber history # interactive history browser (timeline tabs + fuzzy search)
    • dumber history --json # output recent entries as JSON
    • dumber history --json --max 50 # limit JSON output to N entries
    • dumber history stats # show history statistics
    • dumber history clear # interactive time-range cleanup
  • Clean up data:
    • dumber purge # interactive selection (TUI)
    • dumber purge --force # remove everything (no prompts)
  • Manage configuration:
    • dumber config status # show config path and migration availability
    • dumber config migrate # add missing default settings to config
    • dumber config migrate --yes # skip confirmation prompt
  • Manage sessions:
    • dumber sessions # interactive session browser (TUI)
    • dumber sessions list # list saved sessions
    • dumber sessions list --json # output sessions as JSON
    • dumber sessions list --limit 50 # limit number of sessions shown
    • dumber sessions restore <id> # restore a session in a new window
    • dumber sessions delete <id> # delete a saved session
  • Manage logs:
    • dumber logs # list sessions with log files
    • dumber logs <session> # show logs for a session (full ID or unique suffix)
    • dumber logs -f <session> # follow logs in real time
    • dumber logs -n 200 <session> # show last N lines
    • dumber logs clear # clean up old log files
    • dumber logs clear --all # remove all log files
  • Generate documentation:
    • dumber gen-docs # install man pages to ~/.local/share/man/man1/
    • dumber gen-docs --format markdown # generate markdown docs to ./docs/
    • dumber gen-docs --output ./man # generate to custom directory

Dmenu mode invocation

You can invoke dmenu mode in two ways:

  • Piped launcher (generate options): dumber dmenu
  • Receive selection from stdin: dumber dmenu --select

For a built-in fuzzy finder UI, use: dumber dmenu --interactive

In GUI mode the app serves an embedded home page via dumb://home, and frontend assets under dumb://app/....

There is also a WIP config UI at dumb://config for viewing/applying settings with live reload.

Tab Management

Each tab holds its own workspace. Each workspace can contain multiple panes (split or stacked). Switch between tabs to switch between independent workspaces.

How it Works

  1. Enter Tab Mode: Press Ctrl+T to enter tab mode (modal interface with timeout)
  2. Create/Close Tabs: Use keyboard shortcuts:
    • N or C - New tab
    • X - Close current tab
  3. Navigate: Use Ctrl+Tab / Ctrl+Shift+Tab for quick tab switching, or L/H in tab mode
  4. Exit: Press Escape to exit tab mode or wait for timeout

Pane Management

Split your browser window into multiple panes, each running independent web sessions.

How it Works

  1. Enter Pane Mode: Press Ctrl+P to enter pane mode (modal interface with timeout)
  2. Split or Stack Panes: Use arrow keys or letter shortcuts:
    • → or R - Split right
    • ← or L - Split left
    • ↑ or U - Split up
    • ↓ or D - Split down
    • S - Stack panes (Zellij-style, shows title bars for collapsed panes)
  3. Navigate: Use Alt+Arrow Keys to move focus between split panes, or Alt+Up/Down to navigate within stacked panes
  4. Close: Press X in pane mode to close the current pane

Session Management

Dumber automatically saves your browser session (tabs, panes, split ratios, URLs) and allows you to restore previous sessions.

How it Works

  1. Automatic Snapshots: Session state is saved automatically (debounced, every 5s by default) and on graceful shutdown
  2. Session Manager: Press Ctrl+O → s or Ctrl+Shift+S to open the session manager modal
  3. Browse Sessions: View active and exited sessions with tab/pane previews
  4. Restore: Select an exited session to restore it in a new browser window
  5. CLI Access: Use dumber sessions for an interactive TUI, or dumber sessions list/restore/delete for scripting

Configuration

Configuration file: ~/.config/dumber/config.toml (supports TOML, JSON, YAML)

A default config is created on first run. Changes are applied automatically (hot reload). Override any setting with DUMB_BROWSER_* or DUMBER_* environment variables.

Full documentation: docs/CONFIG.md - Complete reference for all settings, workspace controls, shortcuts, styling, and more.

Development

Dumber uses pure-Go bindings (no CGO) but requires GTK4/WebKitGTK runtime libraries for the GUI.

Environment

Set ENV=dev to use a local .dev/dumber/ directory for config, data, state, and cache instead of XDG paths. Useful for testing without affecting your real browser data.

Make Targets

Target Description
make build Build frontend + binary (recommended)
make build-quick Build binary only (faster for backend work)
make build-frontend Build webui pages (homepage, error, config)
make dev Run with go run
make test Run tests
make test-race Run tests with race detection
make test-cover Run tests with coverage report
make lint Run golangci-lint
make lint-fix Run golangci-lint with auto-fix
make fmt Format Go code
make generate Generate SQLC code
make mocks Generate mock implementations
make install-tools Install dev tools (sqlc, golangci-lint)
make check Verify tools, build, and tests work
make clean Remove build artifacts

Flatpak

Target Description
make flatpak-deps Install Flatpak build dependencies
make flatpak-build Build Flatpak bundle
make flatpak-install Install Flatpak locally for testing
make flatpak-run Run the installed Flatpak
make flatpak-clean Clean Flatpak build artifacts

Release

Target Description
make release-snapshot Build snapshot with goreleaser
make release Create full release with goreleaser

Media (GStreamer) & Hardware Acceleration

WebKitGTK uses GStreamer for media playback. Dumber includes automatic hardware video acceleration support that detects your GPU and configures the appropriate drivers.

Hardware Acceleration Features:

  • Automatic GPU detection (AMD, NVIDIA, Intel)
  • VA-API and VDPAU driver configuration
  • Support for H.264, HEVC, VP9, and AV1 codecs
  • Significantly reduced CPU usage during video streaming

Required packages:

  • Arch Linux:
    • sudo pacman -S gst-plugins-base gst-plugins-good gst-plugins-bad gst-plugins-ugly gst-libav gst-plugin-pipewire pipewire pipewire-pulse
    • Hardware decoding: gst-plugin-va (stateless VA decoders - required for WebKitGTK)
    • VA-API drivers: mesa (AMD), libva-nvidia-driver (NVIDIA), libva-intel-driver intel-media-driver (Intel)
  • Debian/Ubuntu:
    • 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
    • Hardware decoding: gstreamer1.0-plugins-bad includes VA stateless decoders
    • VA-API drivers: va-driver-all (covers most GPUs)

References

Contribute

I will gladly accept contributions, especially related to UI/UX enhancements. Feel free to open an issue and let's discuss it!

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

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A pure Go browser for tiling WMs

Topics

golang gtk browser dmenu rofi sway wayland webkitgtk zellij fuzzel hyprland niri

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Releases 26

v0.25.0 Latest
Jan 8, 2026
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