$ goldfinch --open

a chromium browser with shields, cookie jars, a media panel,
and an MCP automation surface. that's the whole pitch.

# it's a real browser, not a demo. clone and run:
$ git clone https://github.com/msieurthenardier/goldfinch.git
$ cd goldfinch && npm install && npm start

# verify the build (what CI runs on every PR):
$ npm test && npm run typecheck && npm run lint
✔ 300+ unit tests   ✔ tsc --noEmit   ✔ eslint   ✔ npm audit (high)

# drive it from an agent (off by default, loopback only):
$ # settings → automation → enable, mint a jar key, then:
$ curl -H "Authorization: Bearer <jar-key>" http://127.0.0.1:49707/mcp
→ 30 tools: navigate click type scroll screenshot readDom getHistory …

license MIT runtime deps 1 telemetry none node ≥ 22 platforms mac · win · linux CI test · typecheck · lint · audit

// 01 — what it is

cat README.md

Goldfinch is a desktop browser built on Electron where the interesting parts are the ones mainstream browsers won't give you: enforced privacy on every session, named container identities, a page-media catalog, and a first-class agent interface.

engine

Chromium via Electron — each tab a native WebContentsView

shields

block trackers/ads · strip utm/fbclid/gclid · isolate 3p cookies · farble canvas/webgl/audio

jars

named containers = isolated session partitions · burner tabs · per-jar history + retention · New Identity wipe + reseed

media panel

catalogs img/srcset/css-bg/video/audio/embeds · lightbox · docked player · download with the page's own session

automation

MCP over streamable HTTP · 127.0.0.1 only · per-jar bearer keys · origin/host pinned vs DNS rebinding · audit log

internal pages

goldfinch:// privileged scheme · strict CSP · origin-checked IPC · unreachable from web content

// 02 — the privacy posture

grep -r "telemetry" src/ # 0 results

No analytics, no crash beacons, no silent anything. The one documented egress is an opt-in spellcheck dictionary fetch (Linux/Windows only, after you turn it on). Everything else the browser does is in the source, and the source is one dependency deep.

two-point URL gate

renderer createTab check + main-process will-navigate guard share one predicate

session policy

shields attach to every partition at session-created — no per-jar config to forget

trust boundary

internal vs web, enforced by origin + session marker at the main-process IPC boundary

a11y gate

axe-core sweeps the live app — WCAG 2.1 A/AA, curated allowlist, new findings fail

// 03 — the agent interface

man goldfinch-mcp

The automation surface is a thin MCP adapter over an injected-deps engine. The SDK is the single runtime dependency, pinned exact, imported in exactly one file.

drive × 18

navigate, click, typeText, scroll, pressKey, dragPointer, zoom, printToPDF, findInPage…

observe × 4

captureScreenshot, captureWindow, readDom, readAxTree

eval × 2

evaluate, injectScript — executeJavaScript in the guest main world, zero CDP

admin & history

getChromeTarget, enumerateWindows, downloadsList, jar-confined getHistory

// 04 — get it

ls releases/

macOSapple silicon

Goldfinch-0.10.4-arm64.dmg .zip

Windowsx64 · nsis

Goldfinch-Setup-0.10.4.exe

Linuxx64

Goldfinch-0.10.4.AppImage .deb

note: builds are unsigned — expect a Gatekeeper/SmartScreen prompt on first launch and allow it through.