Metis Browser

Wisdom Is Your First Defense.

Metis Browser is an experimental Electron-based desktop browser prototype. This repository currently contains source code, not a supported installer or production-ready browser.

Requirements

• Git
• Node.js 20 or newer and npm
• Windows, macOS, or Linux desktop environment
• Internet access for dependency installation and browsing

The automated desktop smoke test currently runs on Linux. Other desktop platforms have not been verified by the project's CI.

Download and run

Open a terminal and run:

git clone https://github.com/petertzy/metis-browser.git
cd metis-browser
npm install
npm start

The application should open a window with a navigation toolbar and a web page. The initial home page is https://example.com/.

Linux note: Chromium's sandbox must work for Electron to start. If startup reports a chrome-sandbox ownership or permissions error, consult the Electron sandbox documentation and your Linux distribution's guidance. Do not use --no-sandbox as a workaround.

Use the browser

1. Type a website address, such as https://example.com or example.com, into the address field and press Enter.
2. Use Back (←) and Forward (→) to navigate browsing history.
3. Use Reload (↻) to refresh the current page.
4. Use Home (⌂) to return to https://example.com/.
5. Read the status indicator for Loading, Ready, or Invalid or failed.

Only HTTP and HTTPS destinations are supported. This prototype is not a search engine: entering search keywords does not perform a web search.

What works and what does not

Capability	Current status
Open HTTP(S) websites	Experimental
Address bar, back, forward, reload, home	Implemented
Sandboxed browsing view and isolated toolbar	Configured; not independently audited
Website permission requests	Denied by default
Downloads	Blocked
New windows and popups	Blocked
Extensions	Not implemented
Tracking or phishing protection	Not implemented
Multiple tabs and bookmarks	Not implemented
Production installers and automatic updates	Not available

Do not use this prototype for banking, sensitive accounts, or other security-critical browsing. A passing CI test does not establish browser security.

Run tests

npm run check

This runs JavaScript syntax checks and unit tests. For unit tests alone:

npm test

On a Linux desktop with a working graphical environment, run the optional toolbar startup smoke check:

METIS_SMOKE_TEST=1 npm start

The smoke mode exits automatically after checking the toolbar and preload bridge. CI runs a similar check under Xvfb. See Testing and dependency review.

Known security and development limitations

• The dependency audit has reported two high-severity findings; they are not yet triaged or fixed.
• The repository does not yet commit a reviewed dependency lockfile.
• The Electron prototype is not a native Chromium fork.
• The planned Metis Shield, Metis Privacy, and Metis Extensions systems are not finished browser features.

Do not distribute this prototype as a secure release. See Security policy, Threat model, and Upstream policy.

Development and contribution

Review Architecture, Kiwi architecture reference, and Contributing before changing browser internals. Open a GitHub issue or pull request with reproducible steps and tests where appropriate.

Project name: Metis Browser. Motto: Wisdom Is Your First Defense.