Show HN: A Chrome extension to open bookmarks in a new tab by default

[vitalets]

I got tired of losing my current page every time I clicked a bookmark and forgot to Ctrl+click. So I built a Chrome extension that makes bookmarks open in a new tab by default — with just a regular left-click.

What seemed like a simple idea turned out to be surprisingly tricky to implement. Chrome doesn't provide a direct API for intercepting bookmark clicks from the bookmarks bar, so I had to get creative:

- The extension slightly rewrites the bookmark URL (using the username part of the URL scheme) - When clicked, the link redirects to a harmless ZIP file, which triggers a download and leaves the current tab untouched - The extension intercepts the download and instantly cancels it - Then it opens the original URL in a new tab

The final solution may look over-engineered — and it kind of is — but it works reliably, preserves favicons, and doesn't break UX.

You can try it here: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/open-bookmarks-in-a...

Happy to hear your feedback.