OpenElsewhere

Route links from specific macOS apps to the browser you actually want to use them in.

macOS lets you pick exactly one default browser. OpenElsewhere sits between that choice and the apps that open links, so you can say:

• "Links from Slack → open in Arc (Work space)"
• "Links from Mail → open in Chrome (Personal profile)"
• "Everything else → open in Safari"

It's a small menu-bar utility written in Swift + SwiftUI. No accounts, no background services, no telemetry — it just quietly forwards URLs to the right browser.

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Why this exists

I use Safari for personal browsing and Arc for work. I wanted the links from Slack to open in Arc without changing my system default — but macOS doesn't have a native way to do that. Tools like Finicky and Velja exist, but I wanted something simple, free, open-source, and native to the current macOS design language. So: OpenElsewhere.

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Features

• 🧭 Per-app routing rules — pick a source app, pick a target browser.
• 🪟 Opens in your existing browser window — new links appear as tabs, not new windows, even for Arc (which normally routes external links through its "Little Arc" popup).
• 🪪 Optional browser-profile selection — for Chromium (Chrome, Brave, Edge, Vivaldi, Opera) and Firefox. Useful for keeping work and personal contexts separated inside the same browser.
• 📎 Menu bar + settings window — no dock icon, quick toggle, full rule editor.
• 🎨 Native look — Liquid Glass design, adapts to light/dark mode with blue accents.
• 🔒 No network, no analytics — your rules live in UserDefaults on your Mac. Nothing leaves your machine.

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How it works

1. OpenElsewhere registers itself as the macOS default handler for http / https in its Info.plist (CFBundleURLTypes + CFBundleDocumentTypes with public.html, public.url).
2. When any app opens a URL, macOS delivers it to OpenElsewhere as an Apple Event (kAEGetURL).
3. The event carries the sender's PID in keySenderPIDAttr. We resolve that PID to a bundle identifier via NSRunningApplication.
4. That bundle ID is matched against your rules, and the URL is forwarded to the target browser — using the best launch strategy for that specific browser:

Browser family	Launch strategy	Why
Chrome / Brave / Edge / Vivaldi / Opera	Run the binary directly with --profile-directory=X	Their binaries implement an IPC singleton — a second invocation forwards its args to the existing instance over a Unix socket. Profile switching works even while the browser is running.
Arc / Dia	AppleScript: tell front window to make new tab	Strictly single-instance. The binary refuses to start a second time. AppleScript also bypasses Arc's "Little Arc" popup and reuses your existing window.
Firefox family	Run the binary with -P "ProfileName" --new-tab	Firefox handles multi-launch via its own remote protocol.
Safari / unknown	/usr/bin/open -b <bundle> via LaunchServices	Safari has no profile CLI; this reuses the window cleanly.
Any failure	Falls back to /usr/bin/open, then NSWorkspace.open	Links always open — worst case in the system default.

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Installation

There's no signed release yet — you build it from source with Xcode.

Requirements

• macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later
• Xcode 16 or later
• xcodegen (install with brew install xcodegen)

Build

git clone https://github.com/LubosBury/OpenElsewhere.git
cd OpenElsewhere
xcodegen generate            # regenerates OpenElsewhere.xcodeproj from project.yml
open OpenElsewhere.xcodeproj

Then in Xcode: Product → Archive (for a release build) or ⌘R to run the debug build.

Drag the resulting OpenElsewhere.app to /Applications.

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Usage

1. Launch OpenElsewhere. A compass icon appears in the menu bar.
2. Click the icon → Settings…
3. Click Make it Default to register OpenElsewhere as your default link handler. (macOS will confirm the switch. Your old default browser is remembered by macOS and can be restored any time in System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Default web browser.)
4. Pick a Default Browser — the fallback when no rule matches (usually Safari).
5. Click + Add Rule to create app-to-browser mappings.
6. Optionally pick a profile next to each rule (shown only for browsers that support them).

The first time a rule routes a link into Arc or Dia, macOS will ask:

"OpenElsewhere" wants access to control "Arc".

Click OK. This lets OpenElsewhere tell Arc to open the URL as a new tab in your existing window.

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Known limitations

• Profile switching on already-running Arc is not supported. Arc is strictly single-instance and ignores command-line arguments on subsequent invocations. The URL goes to whichever Arc space is currently active. If you need hard "Slack → Arc Work space" routing, keep the Work space active, or use Chrome for that rule.
• Some apps open URLs via helper processes. When that happens the sender PID resolves to the helper rather than the parent app. The fallback is to use NSWorkspace.shared.frontmostApplication, which is correct for most user-initiated clicks.
• macOS 26+ only — the UI uses Liquid Glass APIs that aren't backported.
• Not sandboxed, not in the App Store — by design. The app needs to send Apple Events to other browsers, which requires the com.apple.security.automation.apple-events entitlement and rules out sandboxing.

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Project layout

OpenElsewhere/
├── project.yml                         # XcodeGen spec — source of truth
├── OpenElsewhere.xcodeproj/            # Generated; safe to regenerate any time
└── OpenElsewhere/
    ├── Sources/
    │   ├── OpenElsewhereApp.swift       # @main + MenuBarExtra + Settings window
    │   ├── AppDelegate.swift            # Apple Event → sender PID → route
    │   ├── RoutingEngine.swift          # Rules + persistence
    │   ├── BrowserLauncher.swift        # Per-browser launch strategies
    │   ├── BrowserDiscovery.swift       # Enumerate installed browsers / apps
    │   ├── BrowserProfile.swift         # Discover Chromium + Firefox profiles
    │   ├── MenuBarView.swift            # Menu bar UI
    │   ├── SettingsView.swift           # Settings window UI (Liquid Glass)
    │   ├── CompassLogo.swift            # Vector compass logo
    │   └── Models.swift                 # RoutingRule + AppInfo
    └── Resources/
        ├── Info.plist                   # URL-scheme handler declarations
        ├── OpenElsewhere.entitlements   # Automation entitlement
        └── Assets.xcassets              # App icon (compass, split blue tones)

Anytime you edit project.yml (adding files, changing settings), run xcodegen generate to refresh OpenElsewhere.xcodeproj.

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Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome! A few ideas that would be useful:

• Signed release builds / Homebrew Cask
• URL-pattern rules (e.g. github.com links always in Chrome regardless of source)
• Launch-at-login toggle (via SMAppService)
• Proper handling of Electron-style helper processes (walk up the process tree to the parent app)
• Icon and design polish

If you're adding a new browser, look at BrowserCapabilities.forBundleID(_:) in BrowserProfile.swift and BrowserLauncher.swift — most browsers slot into one of the existing families.

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Acknowledgements

Inspired by Finicky and Velja. OpenElsewhere is narrower in scope (no config language, no URL patterns yet) but aims to feel more at home on modern macOS.

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License

MIT — do whatever you want, no warranty.