Air Traffic Control
Create save routes to file links into spaces, and open routes to control which browser opens them - like mail rules for your bookmarks.
How It Works
Air Traffic Control has two types of routes:
- Save Routes - When you save a page (
⌘⌃S), save routes are checked. The first matching route files the link into the specified space. Save routes can also filter by which browser you’re saving from. - Open Routes - When you click a link in the sidebar, open routes are checked. The first matching route opens it in the specified browser instead of your default.
Rules are evaluated top-to-bottom. The first matching rule wins. If no rules match, the link uses your current space and default browser.
ATC rules override your saved browser preference and default browser. Only modifier-click actions (
Opt-click, right-click → Open With) take priority over ATC. See Browser Selection Priority for the full order.
Setup
- Open Preferences → Air Traffic Control
- Toggle Enable Air Traffic Control
- Click Add Route to create your first rule
Creating a Rule
When you click Add Route, you first choose the route type:
Save Route
Routes saved links to a specific space.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Source Browser | Only match when saving from this browser, or “Any Browser” (optional) |
| URL Pattern | The text to match against link URLs (optional if source browser is set) |
| Match Type | contains: URL includes the pattern anywhere. is equal to: URL must match exactly |
| Save to Space | The space to file matching links into |
Open Route
Opens matching links in a specific browser.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| URL Pattern | The text to match against link URLs |
| Match Type | contains: URL includes the pattern anywhere. is equal to: URL must match exactly |
| Open in Browser | The browser to open matching links in |
A live preview at the bottom of the editor shows exactly what the rule will do as you configure it.
Managing Rules
- Reorder - Drag rules to change priority (first match wins)
- Enable/Disable - Toggle individual rules without deleting them
- Edit - Click a rule to modify its settings
- Delete - Remove rules you no longer need
Per-space default browser
Each space can have its own default browser, configured in Preferences → Air Traffic Control. When you open a link from that space, it opens in the space’s assigned browser instead of the system default.
The priority order for browser selection:
- ATC open routes (highest priority)
- Per-space default browser
- System default browser (lowest priority)
ATC open routes always win. If no open route matches, the space’s browser is used. If the space has no assigned browser, the system default applies.
Examples
Save Routes
| Source Browser | URL Pattern | Save to Space | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any | github.com | Development | All GitHub links go to Dev space |
| Firefox | (empty) | Work | All tabs saved from Firefox go to Work space |
| Safari | banking. | Finance | Banking URLs saved from Safari go to Finance space |
| Any | docs.google.com | Work | Google Docs go to Work space |
Open Routes
| URL Pattern | Open in Browser | Effect |
|---|---|---|
figma.com | Chrome | Figma links always open in Chrome |
localhost | Safari | Local dev URLs open in Safari |
github.com | Chrome | GitHub links open in Chrome |
Combining Both
Want GitHub links to go to your Dev space and always open in Chrome? Create two rules:
- Save Route:
github.com→ Development space - Open Route:
github.com→ Chrome
Each rule does one thing clearly - no ambiguity.
Tips
- Start broad, refine later - Begin with domain-level patterns like
github.com, then add specific patterns if needed - Use “contains” for most rules - It’s more flexible than exact matching
- Order matters - Put more specific rules above general ones
- Source browser filters are powerful - Use them to keep different browsers organized into separate spaces automatically
- Combine with Spaces - ATC is most useful when you have multiple spaces for different contexts