Brie

A native macOS browser built with WebKit and SwiftUI, featuring hierarchical navigation through Trails.

Overview

Brie reimagines web browsing with Trails - a hierarchical navigation system that replaces traditional tabs. Organize your browsing into nested structures, making it easier to track research, manage multiple projects, and stay productive.

Features

Core Features

• Trails System: Hierarchical sidebar navigation that captures your browsing journey
• SubTrails: Nested children of parent Trails for detailed organization
• SideTrails: Separate but connected lines of research
• Areas & Folders: Group related Trails by project, topic, or context
• Notes: Built-in note-taking directly within Trails
• Collapsible Sidebar: Toggle visibility for focused browsing
• Persistent Storage: All Trails, Pages, and Notes are automatically saved

Customization

• Custom Icons: Assign emojis or icons to Trails and Pages
• Drag & Drop: Reorganize Trails and Pages with intuitive drag-and-drop
• Rename Anything: Customize names for better organization
• Search Engines: Choose from Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Kagi, or Brave

Keyboard Shortcuts

• ⌘T: New Trail
• ⌥⌘T: New SubTrail
• ⌥⇧⌘T: New SideTrail
• ⌘W: Close Trail/Page
• ⇧⌘L: Rename Trail
• ⌥⌘S: Toggle Sidebar
• ⌘,: Settings

Technical Stack

• Platform: macOS 14.0+ (optimized for macOS 26 Tahoe)
• UI Framework: SwiftUI with native macOS components
• Browser Engine: WebKit (WKWebView)
• Data Persistence: Core Data
• Language: Swift 6.0

Architecture

Brie/
├── App/                    # Application entry point and lifecycle
├── Core/                   # Core Data models and business logic
│   ├── Models/            # Trail, Page, Area, Folder, Note entities
│   ├── CoreDataStack.swift
│   └── TrailManager.swift
├── Views/                  # SwiftUI views
│   ├── MainWindow/        # Main window with sidebar and browser
│   ├── TrailManagement/   # Trail editing, icons, notes
│   └── Settings/          # Settings and preferences
├── Services/               # Business logic services
│   ├── WebViewService.swift
│   ├── SearchEngineService.swift
│   ├── KeyboardShortcutsService.swift
│   └── PersistenceService.swift
└── Utilities/              # Helper functions and extensions

Building

Prerequisites

• Xcode 17.0+
• macOS 14.0+ SDK
• Swift 6.0+

Build Instructions

1. Open Brie.xcodeproj in Xcode
2. Select the Brie scheme
3. Build and run (⌘R)

Core Data Model

Entities

• Trail: Core navigation unit with hierarchical relationships
• Page: Web page within a Trail
• Area: Container for organizing groups of Trails
• Folder: File system-like organization
• Note: Text notes associated with Trails

Relationships

• Trails can have parent Trails (for SubTrails)
• Trails can contain multiple Pages
• Areas and Folders can contain multiple Trails
• Notes are one-to-one with Trails

Usage

Creating Trails

1. Click the + button in the sidebar header
2. Or use ⌘T keyboard shortcut
3. Navigate to a URL - it will automatically be added to the current Trail

Organizing with SubTrails

1. Hover over a Trail and click the + icon
2. Or select a Trail and press ⌥⌘T
3. The new SubTrail will be nested under the parent

Areas and Folders

1. Click the Area or Folder icon in the sidebar header
2. Give it a name
3. Drag Trails into the Area or Folder to organize

Notes

1. Click the Note icon in the sidebar header
2. Start typing your notes
3. Notes are saved automatically as you type

Data Management

Export

• Export all Trails to Markdown via Settings → Advanced → Export Trails
• Preserves hierarchical structure and links

Backup

• Core Data store is automatically backed up
• Located at: ~/Library/Application Support/Brie/

Roadmap

• iCloud sync for Trails across devices
• Tab Groups import from Safari
• Advanced search within Trails
• Trail sharing and collaboration
• Browser extensions support
• Reading mode integration
• Spotlight integration for quick Trail access

License

Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved.

Development

Built with production-grade patterns:

• Clean architecture with separation of concerns
• Observable pattern for reactive UI updates
• Core Data for robust persistence
• Native macOS design patterns

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Brie - Browse naturally, organize effortlessly.