Open localhost links in a specific browser on Mac
Why give it its own rule
Dev servers print links like http://localhost:3000, and clicking one opens your default browser, which may be full of personal tabs and extensions that interfere with testing. Many developers keep a clean browser or profile just for local work.
How to set it up
- Install ChooseBrowser and pick it in System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Default web browser.
- In ChooseBrowser, add a rule for the hosts below and choose the browser and profile (profiles of Chrome, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi and Chromium need a one-time local setup in the app).
- From then on, these links open straight in that browser from any app; links without a rule show the picker.
Hosts to add
localhost127.0.0.1
Add rules for localhost and 127.0.0.1 that open your development browser, for example a clean Chrome profile with your dev extensions and no personal logins. Every local dev server link from your terminal, editor or test runner then lands there instead of in your everyday browser.
Check that it works
Start a dev server and click the localhost link it prints; confirm it opens in your development browser. Then open an ordinary website link and confirm it still goes to your usual browser.