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TabFS: Mount your Browser Tabs as a Filesystem

omar.website Software & code Software projects Web & internet Candidate
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Resurfaced independently across 3 calendar years, with breakout response in 2 of them.

submissions
3
submitters
3
observed span
2021–2025
peak thread · 235 comments
1400 pts
latest 20+ return · 2023-02-18
1033 pts

Submission timeline

2007–2026

One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.

First comments on top threads

HN comment order

KDE on Linux used to have something similar in the late 90s - it allowed you to open a website URL as a directory listing, so you could browse the site's asset directories and open image files, etc. Think like a client-side generated version of Apache's index pages, but using your local file manager. It was a plugin to the VFS framework (KIO) the desktop and all the apps use, so it would also work e.g. in Open File dialogs…

sho_hn·1400-point thread·

If you're on macOS, you can do a small piece of this natively with AppleScript (or anything that can send apple events) in Chrome or Safari -- namely, you can iterate through windows or tabs, view their source code, and execute arbitrary javascript you pass (there's a one time security option you have to accept). This can be handy for quick automations if you don't want to install anything. (Background: I have RSI, so I've been developing some integrations between…

phillco·1033-point thread·

The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.

Breakout years
2

100+ points or 50+ comments

Total points
2435

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Total comments
429

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Every submission

DateTitle as submittedByPointsComments
2021-01-01TabFS: Mount your Browser Tabs as a FilesystemFirst breakout · Best threadthesephist1400235
2023-02-18TabFS – a browser extension that mounts the browser tabs as a filesystemLatest 20+ point returnpps1033193
2025-04-27TabFS – browser extension that mounts the browser tabs as a filesystempabs321