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Latest release v1.1.1

Nook

A sidebar-first Mac browser I maintain

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Nook is a free, open-source web browser for the Mac that keeps your tabs in a sidebar. It's built on WebKit and licensed under GPL-3.0.

I began maintaining it in September 2026. Since then I've rebuilt the tab model, moved ad blocking to Brave's adblock-rust, and shipped 1.1.0 and 1.1.1.

Maintainer since
Sep 2026
Releases as maintainer
3

What I work on

  • Tabs and spaces

    Each space keeps its own tabs, folders and logins. Links you open from a tab nest under it.

  • Ad blocking

    EasyList, EasyPrivacy and the uBlock Origin lists, run through Brave's adblock-rust. It also strips sponsored posts out of Facebook and Instagram feeds.

  • Air Traffic Control

    Send a site to the space you pick, whether you click it in a page or open it from another app.

  • Picture-in-picture

    A playing video stays in the sidebar when you switch tabs, or floats in its own panel above other apps.

  • Peek

    Option-click a link to open it in a small window over the page you're on.

  • On-device AI

    The tab organizer and Ask Nook can run on Apple's on-device model, with no API key.

Releases

10 releases since October 2025.

  • Major release
  • Minor release
  • Patch
v1.1.1v1.0.1v1.0.1, Oct 7, 2025: First public alphav1.0.2, Oct 7, 2025: Alpha fixesv1.0.3, Oct 9, 2025: Sidebar layout fixesv1.0.4, Oct 16, 2025: Extensions and AI chatv1.0.5, Nov 29, 2025: Liquid Glass and Boostsv1.0.6, Feb 27, 2026: Onboarding and drag and dropv1.0.7, Mar 2, 2026: Cursor and focus fixesv1.1.0-beta.1, Sep 18, 2026: First beta as maintainerv1.1.0, Sep 22, 2026: Picture-in-picturev1.1.1, Sep 24, 2026: Tab trails and on-device chatNovJanMarMayJulSep2026

September 2026

  1. Tab trails and on-device chat

    v1.1.1Latest
    • Links opened from a tab nest under it
    • Ask Nook can run on Apple Intelligence and answer questions about the page
    • Peek gets the ad blocker and downloads

  2. Picture-in-picture

    v1.1.0
    • A playing video stays in the sidebar or floats in its own panel
    • The tab organizer runs on Apple's on-device model

  3. First beta as maintainer

    v1.1.0-beta.1
    • Ad blocking moved to Brave's adblock-rust
    • Each space gets its own logins

March 2026

  1. Cursor and focus fixes

    v1.0.7

February 2026

  1. Onboarding and drag and drop

    v1.0.6
    • Import from Safari and Dia
    • Incognito windows and custom search engines

November 2025

  1. Liquid Glass and Boosts

    v1.0.5
    • First Liquid Glass pass
    • Boosts for restyling sites
Older releases (4)

October 2025

  1. Extensions and AI chat

    v1.0.4
    • Install extensions from the Chrome Web Store
    • Sidebar on either side of the window

  2. Sidebar layout fixes

    v1.0.3

  3. Alpha fixes

    v1.0.2

  4. First public alpha

    v1.0.1
    • Sidebar tabs, spaces, Peek, split view and a command palette

Roadmap

  1. Now

    iPhone and iPad

    It builds for iOS and loads pages with the ad blocker on. Nothing is released yet.

  2. Next

    Ad blocker follow-ups

    Blocked pages explain themselves and let you continue, and known redirect pages get skipped.

FAQ

What do I need to run it?

A Mac with Apple Silicon on macOS 26 or later.

I'm on 1.0.x and the updater won't install 1.1. Why?

The bundle identifier changed in 1.1.0. Download the DMG from GitHub and replace Nook in Applications. Your spaces, tabs, logins and settings carry over.

Nook

A sidebar-first Mac browser I maintain

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