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nook-browser/Nook

A fast, minimal macOS web browser with a sidebar-first, vertical-tab design, written in Swift.

Open-source alternative to:Arc

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What is it?

Nook is a web browser for macOS built around a sidebar that holds vertical tabs, with the goal of keeping the page content front and center. It is written in Swift and targets Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 15.5 or later.

The project is organized as a set of local Swift packages covering the tab tree model, settings, design tokens, a content blocker built on adblock-rust, site-specific tweaks, web session management, and shared SwiftUI components. A manager-based architecture coordinates these parts, and WKWebExtension support is included for browser extensions.

Some features depend on newer system capabilities: the on-device AI chat and tab organizer require macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence enabled, and the tab organizer uses MLX for local LLM-based tab grouping. Building from source requires Xcode 26 and a personal development team for signing.

Key features

  • 01Vertical, sidebar-based tab navigation
  • 02Content blocking with filter lists and cosmetic filtering
  • 03WKWebExtension support for browser extensions
  • 04On-device tab grouping and AI chat on macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence
  • 05Split-screen tab viewing and quick preview overlay
  • 06Command palette and local MCP server for coding agents

Use cases

  • Daily browsing for Mac users who prefer vertical tabs over a top tab bar
  • Developers who want to experiment with a Swift-based browser codebase
  • Users who want built-in content blocking and site-specific tweaks

Quick start

  1. 1

    Download the app from the releases page

  2. 2

    Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/nook-browser/Nook.git
  3. 3

    Enter the project folder

    cd Nook
  4. 4

    Open the project in Xcode and let it resolve packages

    open Nook.xcodeproj

Things to know

  • Runs only on macOS and builds only for Apple Silicon.
  • Building from source needs Xcode 26 and your own Development Team set in Signing.
  • On-device AI chat and Tab Organizer need macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence enabled.
  • Development restarted in September 2026 under a new maintainer, so the project may be in flux.

In collections

Open-source Mac apps

Topics

#browser#macos#swift#sidebar#webkit#adblock#vertical-tabs

FAQ

What is Nook?
A fast, minimal macOS web browser with a sidebar-first, vertical-tab design, written in Swift. Nook is a web browser for macOS built around a sidebar that holds vertical tabs, with the goal of keeping the page content front and center. It is written in Swift and targets Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 15.5 or later.
Is Nook free to use? What license does it have?
Nook is open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is Nook still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to Nook was on Nov 6, 2026.
What can I use Nook for?
Daily browsing for Mac users who prefer vertical tabs over a top tab bar Developers who want to experiment with a Swift-based browser codebase Users who want built-in content blocking and site-specific tweaks
How do I install Nook?
Download the app from the releases page Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/nook-browser/Nook.git Enter the project folder: cd Nook Open the project in Xcode and let it resolve packages: open Nook.xcodeproj
Where can I get Nook?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/nook-browser/Nook

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

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