shell.md

Shell

Secure URL opening. Requires permissions: ['shell'].

shell.openExternal(url): Promise<void>

Open a URL in the default system application (browser, email client, etc.).

import { shell } from 'voltkit';

await shell.openExternal('https://example.com');
await shell.openExternal('mailto:hello@example.com');

Parameters:

• url: string — The URL to open

Throws:

• If the URL is invalid
• If the protocol is not allowed

Allowed Protocols

Protocol	Allowed	Example
https:	Yes	https://example.com
http:	Yes	http://localhost:3000
mailto:	Yes	mailto:user@example.com
file:	No	file:///etc/passwd
javascript:	No	javascript:alert(1)
data:	No	data:text/html,...
ftp:	No	ftp://files.example.com
vbscript:	No	vbscript:msgbox
All others	No	—

Security

URL validation happens at two layers:

1. TypeScript — Uses the URL constructor to parse and check protocol
2. Rust — Uses the url crate to validate the scheme

Both layers must pass for the URL to be opened. The native call is never made if validation fails.