sovereign_browser

A Linux x86 web browser built in C99 on WebKitGTK, designed around sovereign identity instead of the traditional web's permissioned infrastructure.

The thesis: the browser's security model (DNS/domains, TLS/CAs, same-origin policy, CORS, cookie sandboxing) is what forces you to rely on permissioned domains, certificate authorities, and centralized account systems. By deprecating that model and replacing it with Nostr identity and FIPS mesh transport, you get a browser that's more capable, not less safe — because trust moves to the layer where it belongs: your keys.

"Not your keys, not your browser." Walk up to a computer with your Nostr identity (via n_signer) and the browser is yours — your identity, your relays, your mesh.

Goals

1. A real browser. Loads any normal HTTP/HTTPS page via WebKitGTK.
2. FIPS addresses are first-class. http://<npub>.fips/ and fips:// resolve over the FIPS mesh, not DNS/IP. Reach any FIPS node by its Nostr npub, no domain, no public IP, no TLS cert.
3. Built-in Nostr signing. The browser injects window.nostr (the nos2x surface) into every page, backed by n_signer — a foreground, RAM-only, human-attended signing program. The browser never holds your private key; every signature is approved at the signer's terminal.
4. Deprecated web security, deliberately. Same-origin policy, CORS, and certificate enforcement are stripped so pages (and the agent runtime to come) can freely call any endpoint — including FIPS mesh services — without the workarounds traditional browsers force on automators.

Non-goals (for now)

• Agent integration, multi-window agent hosts, didactyl hosting, and the broader "browser as agent runtime" vision are documented in docs/architecture.md and the linked plans, but not in scope for the first build. First: a usable browser with basic Nostr signing. Then the rest.

Current status

Working proof-of-concept: a C99 + WebKitGTK window with a URL bar that loads real HTTPS pages. Verified loading https://laantungir.net cleanly. See docs/webkit-poc-findings.md for the friction report from the POC phase (and the Servo fallback exploration).

[loaded] https://laantungir.net/ -- title: Laan Tungir

Build

Requires Debian 13 (trixie) or similar with WebKitGTK 4.1 dev headers:

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev
make
./sovereign_browser [url]

Architecture (summary)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ sovereign_browser host (C99)                        │
│  ┌─────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌────────────────────┐  │
│  │ UI /    │  │ Request  │  │ Nostr signer shim  │  │
│  │ tabs    │  │ router   │  │ (nostr_core_lib →  │  │
│  │ URL bar │  │          │  │  n_signer socket)  │  │
│  └─────────┘  └────┬─────┘  └─────────┬──────────┘  │
│                    │                   │             │
│         ┌──────────┼───────────┬───────┘             │
│         ▼          ▼           ▼                     │
│   http/https    fips://     nostr://                 │
│   (WebKit net)  (FIPS TUN)  (relays)                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                    │
                    ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WebKitGTK (system lib, ~35 MB)                      │
│  Blink-grade renderer + V8 + libsoup network stack  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Full architecture, engine comparison, and roadmap in docs/architecture.md.

Roadmap

1. ✅ Base browser (WebKitGTK + C99, loads pages)
2. ⏳ Security strip (disable SOP/CORS, accept any cert, shared context)
3. ⏳ FIPS URI scheme (fips:// / *.fips via WebKitGTK scheme handler)
4. ⏳ Nostr signing (window.nostr → nostr_core_lib → n_signer)
5. ⏳ nostr:// content scheme
6. Future: agent runtime (didactyl hosting), multi-window, FIPS-distributed

License

MIT (to match nostr_core_lib / n_signer / didactyl).