Routing Rules
Create and edit rules
Use the rules editor to name a rule, choose a browser and profile, build conditions, and turn rules on or off.
The rules editor is where you build every rule, one at a time. This page walks through the whole editor: opening it, reading a rule as a sentence, naming it, choosing the browser, editing conditions, turning rules on or off, and putting them in the right order. If you have not made a rule yet, start with Create your first rule and come back here for the details.
Open the rules editor
- Click the BrowserFairy icon in the menu bar (the status area at the top right of your screen).
- Choose Rules Editor… from the menu.
The editor opens with a sidebar of your rules on the left and the selected rule's details on the right. Click any rule in the sidebar to open it. The very first time BrowserFairy launches, it opens this editor for you automatically.
How a rule reads
Every rule is a plain sentence at the top of the detail panel. It reads:
Open link with [browser] (optionally in profile [name]) when [Any / All / None] of the following are true: followed by one or more condition rows.
So a rule that sends GitHub links to Chrome in a Work profile reads as one sentence, with its conditions listed underneath.
Google Chromein profileGlobex | alex.riverawhenName the rule
At the top of the detail panel is a text field with the placeholder Rule title. Type a name that describes the outcome, like "Work email", "Localhost in Firefox", or "Banking in Safari". The name is just a label for you. It does not affect matching, and you can leave it blank, though a clear name makes a long list much easier to scan.
Choose the target browser
In the sentence, click the browser picker after Open link with and choose where matching links should open.
- The list is the browsers BrowserFairy found installed on your Mac. BrowserFairy discovers them automatically, so there is no "add a custom application" step.
- You can also point a rule at the Browser Launcher itself. That turns the rule into an "ask every time" rule: when it matches, BrowserFairy opens the launcher so you pick the browser by hand instead of opening one automatically. See Browser Launcher for how that pop-up works.
If a rule's target browser is not installed when a link comes in, BrowserFairy skips that rule and moves on to the next one, so a missing browser never breaks your routing.
Send a rule to a profile (Pro)
If you have BrowserFairy Pro and have finished the one-time profile setup, the sentence also shows in profile. Pick a saved profile (such as Work or Personal) so the rule opens links in that exact profile. Safari does not support profiles. If your subscription lapses, or the saved profile is missing or turned off, the rule still opens the browser, just without that specific profile. Full setup steps are in Browser profiles.
Build the conditions
The conditions decide when the rule matches. They sit below the sentence, starting with a row that reads [Any / All / None] of the following are true:.
- Set the combiner. Any matches if any one condition is true, All matches only when every condition is true, and None matches when none of them are true.
- In each condition row, pick the attribute on the left: Link address (the full link) or Link clicked (the app the link came from).
- For Link address, choose an operator (contains, begins with, ends with, is, or is not) and type the text to match. These comparisons ignore capitalization.
- For Link clicked, the operator is in. Press the Select… button to open an app picker, then choose the app (like Slack or Mail) whose links this rule should catch.
To add another condition, click the + control at the end of a row. To remove one, click the - control on that row. You can also nest groups, mixing an All group inside an Any group for more precise matching. For the complete list of attributes, operators, and worked examples, see Conditions and Rule recipes.
New rules start broad
A brand-new rule begins turned off and set to match every link. It does nothing until you give it a real condition and turn it on, so you can build it without it routing anything by accident.
Turn a rule on or off
Each rule has an on/off control. Turning a rule off keeps it in the list but stops it from routing any links. This is handy while you test a setup or track down a wrong-browser problem: switch a rule off instead of deleting it, then switch it back on. Off rules are skipped during matching and never delete anything.
Reorder rules so the right one wins
BrowserFairy checks rules from top to bottom and uses the first turned-on rule whose conditions match. Order is priority, so put specific rules above broad ones. A rule for docs.google.com belongs above a general google.com rule, otherwise the broad rule would catch the link first.
To reorder, drag a rule up or down in the sidebar. For the full picture of how matching, fallbacks, and short-link expansion work together, read How routing works.
Find a rule fast
When your list grows, use the search field at the top of the sidebar. It filters the visible rules by name as you type. It only narrows what you see in the list. It does not change which rules are active or how links are routed.
The free three-rule limit
The free version keeps the first three rules in your list active. You can still add and keep more rules, but any rule below the top three shows a banner reading This rule is inactive and won't route any links. with an Upgrade button, and its editor is dimmed. Nothing is deleted. The rule simply waits until you either move it into the top three or subscribe.
Order decides which three are active
On the free plan, the three active rules are the top three by list order, not the three you made first. If you drag a rule into or out of the top three, you change which rules are routing links. Put the rules you rely on most at the top.
To lift the limit, BrowserFairy Pro unlocks Unlimited Rules (no cap on how many rules route links), plus Browser Profiles, Import & Export, and priority support. See Free and Pro for the full comparison.