Via

A Flutter desktop browser for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Features include tabbed browsing, bookmarks, history, encrypted local storage, and profile-based settings.

Design principles

Via favors small, focused components with BrowserPage acting as the coordinator. New functionality should extend existing services or widgets before adding responsibilities to the coordinator.

Quick start

Clone the repo, install dependencies, and launch the macOS bundle.

git clone https://github.com/palmshed/via.git
cd via
flutter pub get
cp .env.example .env
flutterfire configure --platforms macos
git checkout -- lib/firebase_options.dart
flutter run -d macos

Do not commit .env; it contains private Firebase keys.

Firebase

Via reads Firebase configuration from .env.

cp .env.example .env
flutterfire configure --platforms macos
git checkout -- lib/firebase_options.dart

If you change Firebase projects later, rerun flutterfire configure.

Development

Requirements:

• Flutter 3.44.4+
• Desktop toolchains

Useful commands:

./check.sh
flutter analyze
flutter test
flutter build macos

Keyboard shortcuts

Keys are defined in lib/utils/keyboard_utils.dart.

macOS	Windows/Linux	Action
Cmd + [	Alt + Left	Navigate backwards in history
Cmd + ]	Alt + Right	Navigate forwards in history
Cmd + R	Ctrl + R	Reload the current tab
Cmd + T	Ctrl + T	Open a new tab
Cmd + W	Ctrl + W	Close the current tab
Cmd + F	Ctrl + F	Focus the address bar
Cmd + Shift + F	Ctrl + Shift + F	Open the page font picker
Cmd + Option + Left	Ctrl + Shift + Tab	Move to the previous tab
Cmd + Option + Right	Ctrl + Tab	Move to the next tab
Cmd + Enter	F11	Toggle fullscreen
Cmd + M	Meta + Down	Minimize the window
Escape	Escape	Close dialogs or stop loading

macOS unsigned installs (no paid Developer ID)

Unsigned builds can show Gatekeeper warnings. The first launch can stay in Finder:

1. Drag Via.app to Applications.
2. Right-click Via.app, choose Open, and confirm the dialog.
3. Alternatively, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway for Via.app.

For Terminal installs, clear the quarantine flag with:

xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Via.app

Only run the command if you trust the build source.

Documentation

• docs/ contains focused project notes, including Releasing and Repository Layout.
• .codex/README.md documents toolchains, skills, and local workflows.
• Report bugs or feature requests via GitHub Issues.

Contribute

Fork, create a branch, run the checks, then open a pull request with a short conventional commit-style summary.

Please discuss larger architectural changes before opening a pull request.

License

This project is proprietary. See LICENSE for the full terms.

Copyright (c) 2026 Palmshed. All Rights Reserved.