Waystone Browser icon WAYSTONE BROWSER
HTTP · Gemini · Gopher · Spartan · Titan

Find your path with Waystone.

Waystone Browser is a graphical browser for Linux that lets you explore the modern web, Geminispace, Gopherspace, and Spartanspace in one place — with client certificate identity support so your Gemini account travels with you.

HTTP / HTTPS Gemini Gopher Spartan Titan
Waystone Browser logo
Waystone browsing the web

HTTP / HTTPS

Waystone browsing a Gemini capsule

Gemini

Waystone browsing Gopher

Gopher

Waystone browsing a Spartan site

Spartan

Portable Gemini Identities

Waystone fully supports Gemini client certificate authentication used by capsules like Station and Gemini-accessible BBS systems to identify users. Create a certificate inside Waystone or import one you already use in Lagrange, Kristall, or another browser via standard .p12 files. Export your identity the same way to take it anywhere.

When a capsule requires a certificate, Waystone prompts you once to pick or create an identity then remembers it for every future visit automatically.

About Waystone Browser

Waystone is a multi-protocol graphical browser for Linux that lets you navigate the modern web, Geminispace, Gopherspace, and Spartanspace from a single application. Built with Python, GTK 4, Libadwaita, and WebKitGTK — it feels at home on any GNOME or GTK desktop. Install with a single command or run directly from source.

Protocol Support

  • HTTP / HTTPS — Full web engine via WebKitGTK; JavaScript on by default with a global toggle in Settings.
  • Gemini — Native streaming gemtext renderer, TOFU certificate trust, redirect handling, input prompts, binary downloads, and full client certificate identity support (status 60/61/62).
  • Gopher — Menu and text rendering, type-7 search dialogs, and binary file download with Save As.
  • Spartan — Gemtext rendering, redirect handling, and data-input links (the = line type) rendered with a prompt dialog for text submission.
  • Titan — Upload text or files to Gemini capsules via titan:// links, with optional auth token support.

Features

  • Tabbed browsing — open, close, duplicate, and cycle tabs
  • Session restore — your tabs reopen on next launch
  • Streaming Gemini render — content appears as it arrives
  • Bookmarks with arbitrarily nested folders
  • Bookmarks Bar — pinned toolbar with folder dropdowns
  • Import / Export bookmarks as Netscape HTML or .gmi files
  • Searchable history, auto-recorded per navigation
  • Find in page — Ctrl+F with live match highlighting
  • Cross-protocol links — all five protocols interlink correctly
  • Open in new tab — middle-click or right-click any link
  • Dark / Light / System colour scheme, applied immediately
  • 7 built-in colour themes for Gemini / Gopher / Spartan pages
  • Text size and body font controls
  • Per-tab zoom and print for web tabs

Gemini Identities

  • Create named identities with self-signed RSA-2048 certificates
  • Import from any browser via standard .p12 files
  • Export to .p12 with optional password protection
  • Identities auto-sent to capsules that request them
  • Host-to-identity mapping stored locally — one prompt per capsule
  • Manage all identities via Menu → Identities…

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Alt+Left / Alt+Right — Back / Forward
  • F5 / Ctrl+R — Reload  |  Ctrl+Shift+R — Hard reload
  • Ctrl+L — Focus address bar
  • Ctrl+T — New tab  |  Ctrl+W — Close tab
  • Ctrl+D — Bookmark current page
  • Ctrl+B — Bookmarks manager  |  Ctrl+H — History
  • Ctrl+Shift+B — Toggle Bookmarks Bar
  • Ctrl+F — Find in page

Getting Started

On Debian / Ubuntu / Mint:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/njb1966/waystone-browser/main/install.sh | bash

Installs system dependencies, sets up Waystone via pipx, and registers the desktop entry automatically.

Or clone the repository and run ./run.sh to start without installing. Full documentation and source on GitHub.

Data & Settings

  • Bookmarks, history, TOFU certs, identities — ~/.local/share/waystone/waystone.db
  • Settings (homepage, JS, colour scheme, theme, font) — ~/.config/waystone/settings.json
  • TOFU fingerprints viewable and removable in Settings → Gemini
  • Identities manageable via Menu → Identities…

Tech Stack

Python 3 GTK 4 Libadwaita WebKitGTK 6 asyncio aiosqlite cryptography SQLite MIT licence