diff --git a/internal/browserscan/browserscan.go b/internal/browserscan/browserscan.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73f0700
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/browserscan/browserscan.go
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+// Package browserscan discovers installed HTTP(S) browsers by parsing the
+// .desktop files on the XDG data search path. It has no GTK/GIO dependency.
+package browserscan
+
+import (
+	"cmp"
+	"io/fs"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"slices"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/alyraffauf/goxdgdesktop/desktopfile"
+	"github.com/alyraffauf/goxdgdesktop/xdg"
+	"github.com/alyraffauf/switchyard/internal/browser"
+)
+
+// A browser switcher must never list itself, across all packaged variants.
+const selfIDPrefix = "io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard"
+
+var httpSchemeHandlers = []string{
+	"x-scheme-handler/http",
+	"x-scheme-handler/https",
+}
+
+// applicationsDirs is a variable so tests can override the search path.
+var applicationsDirs = xdg.ApplicationsDirs
+
+// Installed returns the installed HTTP(S) browsers, sorted by Name. Switchyard's
+// own entries are excluded; filtering config-hidden browsers is the caller's job.
+func Installed() []browser.Browser {
+	var browsers []browser.Browser
+	seen := map[string]bool{}
+
+	for _, dir := range applicationsDirs() {
+		_ = filepath.WalkDir(dir, func(path string, d fs.DirEntry, err error) error {
+			if err != nil {
+				// Skip missing/unreadable dirs rather than aborting the walk.
+				if d != nil && d.IsDir() {
+					return fs.SkipDir
+				}
+				return nil
+			}
+			if d.IsDir() || !strings.HasSuffix(d.Name(), ".desktop") {
+				return nil
+			}
+
+			id := desktopID(dir, path)
+			// First dir to define an ID wins. Mark seen even on rejection, so a
+			// shadowed copy in a lower-priority dir can't resurface.
+			if seen[id] {
+				return nil
+			}
+			seen[id] = true
+
+			if strings.HasPrefix(id, selfIDPrefix) {
+				return nil
+			}
+
+			if parsed, ok := parseBrowser(id, path); ok {
+				browsers = append(browsers, parsed)
+			}
+			return nil
+		})
+	}
+
+	slices.SortFunc(browsers, func(first, second browser.Browser) int {
+		return cmp.Compare(first.Name, second.Name)
+	})
+
+	return browsers
+}
+
+// desktopID is path's desktop-file ID relative to dir, with separators replaced
+// by "-" per the spec (sub/foo.desktop -> sub-foo.desktop).
+func desktopID(dir, path string) string {
+	rel, err := filepath.Rel(dir, path)
+	if err != nil {
+		rel = filepath.Base(path)
+	}
+	return strings.ReplaceAll(filepath.ToSlash(rel), "/", "-")
+}
+
+// parseBrowser returns the Browser at path, or ok=false if it isn't a
+// displayable HTTP(S) browser.
+func parseBrowser(id, path string) (browser.Browser, bool) {
+	file, err := desktopfile.Read(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return browser.Browser{}, false
+	}
+
+	if typ, _ := file.Get(desktopfile.EntrySection, "Type"); typ != "Application" {
+		return browser.Browser{}, false
+	}
+	if isTrue(file, "Hidden") || isTrue(file, "NoDisplay") {
+		return browser.Browser{}, false
+	}
+	if !handlesHTTP(file) {
+		return browser.Browser{}, false
+	}
+
+	name, _ := file.Get(desktopfile.EntrySection, "Name")
+	icon, _ := file.Get(desktopfile.EntrySection, "Icon")
+	exec, _ := file.Get(desktopfile.EntrySection, "Exec")
+
+	return browser.Browser{
+		ID:   id,
+		Name: name,
+		Icon: icon,
+		Exec: exec,
+	}, true
+}
+
+func isTrue(file *desktopfile.File, key string) bool {
+	value, _ := file.Get(desktopfile.EntrySection, key)
+	return strings.EqualFold(value, "true")
+}
+
+func handlesHTTP(file *desktopfile.File) bool {
+	mimeType, ok := file.Get(desktopfile.EntrySection, "MimeType")
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	for mime := range strings.SplitSeq(mimeType, ";") {
+		if slices.Contains(httpSchemeHandlers, strings.TrimSpace(mime)) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
diff --git a/internal/browserscan/browserscan_test.go b/internal/browserscan/browserscan_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8edbfb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/browserscan/browserscan_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,237 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+package browserscan
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/alyraffauf/switchyard/internal/browser"
+)
+
+// browserEntry is a minimal desktop file that handles HTTP(S).
+const browserEntry = `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Test Browser
+Icon=test-browser
+Exec=test-browser %u
+MimeType=text/html;x-scheme-handler/http;x-scheme-handler/https;
+`
+
+// writeDesktop writes a .desktop file at dir/<rel> (rel may contain slashes for
+// nested subdirs), creating parent dirs as needed.
+func writeDesktop(t *testing.T, dir, rel, contents string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, filepath.FromSlash(rel))
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mkdir: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(contents), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write %s: %v", rel, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// isolatedDirs overrides the applications search path with two temp dirs (a
+// higher-priority "home" dir and a lower-priority "system" dir), fully isolating
+// the scan from the host's real desktop files. It returns those dirs.
+func isolatedDirs(t *testing.T) (home, system string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	home = filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "applications")
+	system = filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "applications")
+	orig := applicationsDirs
+	applicationsDirs = func() []string { return []string{home, system} }
+	t.Cleanup(func() { applicationsDirs = orig })
+	return home, system
+}
+
+func ids(browsers []browser.Browser) []string {
+	out := make([]string, len(browsers))
+	for i, b := range browsers {
+		out[i] = b.ID
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+func TestInstalledIncludesBrowserAndFields(t *testing.T) {
+	home, _ := isolatedDirs(t)
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "test-browser.desktop", browserEntry)
+
+	got := Installed()
+	if len(got) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d browsers, want 1: %v", len(got), ids(got))
+	}
+	want := browser.Browser{
+		ID:   "test-browser.desktop",
+		Name: "Test Browser",
+		Icon: "test-browser",
+		Exec: "test-browser %u",
+	}
+	if got[0] != want {
+		t.Errorf("got %+v, want %+v", got[0], want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestInstalledFiltering(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		contents string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "no http mimetype",
+			contents: `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Not A Browser
+MimeType=text/html;
+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "no mimetype at all",
+			contents: `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Plain App
+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "nodisplay",
+			contents: `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Hidden Browser
+NoDisplay=true
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;
+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "hidden",
+			contents: `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Hidden Browser
+Hidden=TRUE
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;
+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "wrong type",
+			contents: `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Link
+Name=Link Entry
+URL=https://example.com
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;
+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "missing type",
+			contents: `[Desktop Entry]
+Name=No Type
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;
+`,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			home, _ := isolatedDirs(t)
+			writeDesktop(t, home, "candidate.desktop", tt.contents)
+
+			if got := Installed(); len(got) != 0 {
+				t.Errorf("expected entry excluded, got %v", ids(got))
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestInstalledExcludesSwitchyardFamily(t *testing.T) {
+	home, _ := isolatedDirs(t)
+	// Both the stable and Devel variants are installed; neither may appear.
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.desktop", browserEntry)
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.Devel.desktop", browserEntry)
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "real-browser.desktop", browserEntry)
+
+	got := ids(Installed())
+	want := []string{"real-browser.desktop"}
+	if len(got) != len(want) || got[0] != want[0] {
+		t.Errorf("got %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestInstalledShadowingHomeWins(t *testing.T) {
+	home, system := isolatedDirs(t)
+	// Same ID in both dirs with different names; the data-home copy must win.
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "browser.desktop", `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Home Browser
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;
+`)
+	writeDesktop(t, system, "browser.desktop", `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=System Browser
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;
+`)
+
+	got := Installed()
+	if len(got) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d browsers, want 1: %v", len(got), ids(got))
+	}
+	if got[0].Name != "Home Browser" {
+		t.Errorf("got %q, want %q", got[0].Name, "Home Browser")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestInstalledShadowingHiddenHomeSuppressesSystem(t *testing.T) {
+	home, system := isolatedDirs(t)
+	// A hidden copy in data-home shadows a valid copy in the system dir.
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "browser.desktop", `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Home Browser
+NoDisplay=true
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;
+`)
+	writeDesktop(t, system, "browser.desktop", browserEntry)
+
+	if got := Installed(); len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected shadowed system copy suppressed, got %v", ids(got))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestInstalledNestedSubdirID(t *testing.T) {
+	home, _ := isolatedDirs(t)
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "sub/foo.desktop", browserEntry)
+
+	got := Installed()
+	if len(got) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d browsers, want 1: %v", len(got), ids(got))
+	}
+	if got[0].ID != "sub-foo.desktop" {
+		t.Errorf("got ID %q, want %q", got[0].ID, "sub-foo.desktop")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestInstalledSortedByName(t *testing.T) {
+	home, _ := isolatedDirs(t)
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "charlie.desktop", `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Charlie
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;
+`)
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "alice.desktop", `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Alice
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;
+`)
+	writeDesktop(t, home, "bob.desktop", `[Desktop Entry]
+Type=Application
+Name=Bob
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/https;
+`)
+
+	got := ids(Installed())
+	want := []string{"alice.desktop", "bob.desktop", "charlie.desktop"}
+	if len(got) != len(want) {
+		t.Fatalf("got %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+	for i := range want {
+		if got[i] != want[i] {
+			t.Fatalf("got %v, want %v", got, want)
+		}
+	}
+}