Control your browser's tabs from command line with tabctl
Users
245
+152 in 30 days
Rating
5.0 / 5
unchanged in 30 days
Ratings
1
0 in 30 days
Store rank
#58K
#49K among extensions
Version
2.3.0
updated 7 Sep 2026
Users
monthly, 13 months
Latest, 15 Oct 2026:245 usersMove the mouse over the chart for any month
Ratings count
monthly, 13 months
Latest, 15 Oct 2026:1 ratingsMove the mouse over the chart for any month
The Chrome Web Store rounds user counts down to the leading digit, so the user line moves in steps. The ratings count is exact and is the better signal of real adoption.
About TabCtl
TabCtl - Command Line Tab Control
Take control of your browser tabs from the terminal with TabCtl, a powerful command-line interface for managing browser tabs.
⚠️ Linux only. TabCtl uses D-Bus and a native-messaging host that are only supported on Linux. It does not work on Windows or macOS.
KEY FEATURES
List all open tabs across windows
Activate any tab instantly
Close tabs by ID
Open new tabs from the command line
Filter tabs with standard shell tools (grep, awk, jq)
Rofi integration for quick tab switching
Support for multiple browsers simultaneously
PERFECT FOR
Developers who live in the terminal
Power users with many tabs
Window manager enthusiasts (Hyprland, Niri, i3)
Anyone who prefers keyboard over mouse
Automation and scripting workflows
HOW IT WORKS
Install the TabCtl command-line tool (Arch Linux: yay -S tabctl)
Add this extension to enable browser control
Run "tabctl install" to configure native messaging
Restart your browser, then start managing tabs from your terminal!
EXAMPLE COMMANDS
tabctl list — List all tabs
tabctl activate firefox.1.2 — Switch to a specific tab
tabctl close firefox.1.3 — Close a tab
tabctl open https://example.com — Open a URL in a new tab
tabctl list | grep -i github — Find tabs by title or URL
ADVANCED FEATURES
D-Bus communication for low latency
TSV/JSON output formats for scripting
Rofi scripts for visual tab switching
Virtual desktop/workspace support
Works across Firefox, Chrome, Brave, and other Chromium browsers
PRIVACY & SECURITY
Only works with locally installed TabCtl
No data sent to external servers
Open source on GitHub
Minimal permissions required
DOCUMENTATION
Visit github.com/slastra/tabctl for installation instructions, documentation, and source code.
Note: This extension requires the TabCtl command-line tool (Linux only) to be installed separately. It acts as a bridge between your terminal and browser. Keep the extension and the command-line tool on matching versions. The extension shows a toolbar badge if they fall out of sync.