Refrax

a maximalist browser for macOS ・ native, in Swift and WebKit ♡

Refrax is a maximalist browser for macOS — built natively in Swift and WebKit, with the features other browsers dropped and several that exist nowhere else. Vertical tabs, spaces you can lock behind Touch ID, a command palette that takes plain language, a CLI that scripts the whole browser, and an MCP server so an agent can browse beside you.

Features

• Vertical tabs & spaces. Grouped tabs in a sidebar, organized into spaces — and any space can be locked behind Touch ID.
• Plain-language command palette. Type what you want in natural language, not just a fuzzy-matched command name.
• Scriptable from the terminal. refrax-ctl is a headless CLI that drives the entire browser: tabs, spaces, navigation, screenshots.
• Agent-ready. A built-in MCP server lets your AI agent browse alongside you.
• Native Liquid Glass UI. Swift and WebKit against the macOS 26 design system — not a re-skinned Chromium.

Download

Builds and automatic updates are distributed from https://kagerou.glass/refrax/.

Architecture

• Tab contains one or more TabPages (SwiftData, persisted)
• WebPage: runtime-only WKWebView wrapper, created on-demand by WebPagePool
• WebView: SwiftUI view displaying a WebPage (1:1)
• Pattern: environment injection with a Manager (Store) pattern — views consume managers via @Environment

Project layout

Refrax/                     The app source
RefraxTests/                Swift Testing suites
RefraxWidgets/              Widget extension
refrax-ctl/                 Headless CLI for controlling the browser
Packages/refrax-protocol/   Swift package shared by app + CLI
Scripts/                    Build-time scripts (palette generator)
Refrax.xcodeproj/           Xcode project

Requirements

• macOS Tahoe 26+
• Xcode 26+ to build, with Swift 6.2 strict concurrency enabled

Building

First-time setup installs Homebrew, SwiftFormat, SwiftLint, and a pre-commit hook:

./setup.sh

Then open Refrax.xcodeproj in Xcode and build the Refrax scheme.

Note: Code signing is intentionally not configured in this repository. To build locally, set your own DEVELOPMENT_TEAM and bundle identifiers in Xcode's signing settings, and provide your own iCloud container if you want CloudKit sync to work.

Code style

• Swift 6.2 with strict concurrency, @MainActor isolation by default
• SwiftFormat runs as a pre-commit hook
• The Xcode project uses folder references — add and remove files on disk, not through the Xcode UI
• Use Color.appAccentColor, not Color.accentColor
• Extensions of built-in types live in Extensions/TypeName+Extensions.swift; extensions of project types go in the source file directly

License

Refrax is free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 3 — see LICENSE.

The Refrax name and icon are trademarks of kageroumado and are not covered by the GPL. If you fork and redistribute, you must rebrand — see TRADEMARK.md for the policy.

In short: study, modify, and contribute freely. Just don't ship a modified version as Refrax.

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before a big change.

Security issue? Don't open a public issue — see SECURITY.md.

Also: CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md.

Contact

requests@refrax.website