browser-tab-bridge

Read and control browser tabs from outside the browser. macOS only for now.

Usage

import { openInBrowserTab, getActiveTabUrl } from "browser-tab-bridge";

// Focus an existing tab or open a new one
await openInBrowserTab("https://github.com");

// Get the URL of the active browser tab
const url = await getActiveTabUrl();

Browser support

| Browser | Method | Setup required | | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------- | | Chrome, Chrome-based | AppleScript | None | | Safari | AppleScript | None | | Firefox, Zen | Companion WebExtension + native messaging host | Yes (see below) |

For unsupported browsers, falls back to the system open command.

Firefox / Zen setup

1. Build the .xpi files and native messaging host:

   pnpm build

2. Install the browser extension via "Install Add-on From File" (about:addons):

   • Firefox: extension/firefox/firefox.xpi
   • Zen: extension/zen/zen.xpi

   Note: Regular Firefox requires signed extensions. Either use Firefox Developer Edition (set xpinstall.signatures.required to false in about:config) or sign the .xpi as unlisted on addons.mozilla.org.

3. Install the native messaging host:

   pnpm install:firefox
   # or
   pnpm install:zen

License

ISC