diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f207f2e..34a7224 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ Like a railroad switchyard directing trains to different tracks, Switchyard rout
 - **Rule-based routing**: Automatically open URLs in specific browsers based on powerful patterns.
 - **Multi-condition rules**: Combine multiple conditions with AND/OR logic for precise control.
 - **Multiple pattern types**: Exact Domain, URL Contains, Wildcard, and Regex matching.
+- **Custom URI scheme**: Create links that specify browser preferences directly with `switchyard://` URLs.
 - **Quick browser picker**: When no rule matches, choose from your installed browsers with keyboard or mouse.
 - **Keyboard shortcuts**: Press Ctrl+1-9 to instantly select a browser.
 - **Lightweight**: Runs only when needed, no background processes.
diff --git a/data/io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.desktop b/data/io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.desktop
index 2bd6b9a..bee8182 100644
--- a/data/io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.desktop
+++ b/data/io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.desktop
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Type=Application
 Name=Switchyard
 Comment=Rules-based URL router and browser launcher for Linux
 Categories=Network;WebBrowser;GNOME;
-MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;x-scheme-handler/https;
+MimeType=x-scheme-handler/http;x-scheme-handler/https;x-scheme-handler/switchyard;
 
 Icon=io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard
 Exec=switchyard %U
diff --git a/data/io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.metainfo.xml b/data/io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.metainfo.xml
index a1bdf69..3b9447a 100644
--- a/data/io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.metainfo.xml
+++ b/data/io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard.metainfo.xml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   <id>io.github.alyraffauf.Switchyard</id>
 
   <name>Switchyard</name>
-  <summary>Rules-based link router and launcher</summary>
+  <summary>Rules-based browser launcher</summary>
   <metadata_license>CC0-1.0</metadata_license>
   <project_license>GPL-3.0-or-later</project_license>
   <content_rating type="oars-1.0" />
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <binary>switchyard</binary>
     <mediatype>x-scheme-handler/http</mediatype>
     <mediatype>x-scheme-handler/https</mediatype>
+    <mediatype>x-scheme-handler/switchyard</mediatype>
   </provides>
 
   <url type="homepage">https://switchyard.aly.codes/</url>
diff --git a/docs/URI Scheme.md b/docs/URI Scheme.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..86280b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/URI Scheme.md	
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+# Switchyard URI Scheme
+
+Switchyard registers a custom URI scheme that allows links to specify browser preferences directly. This is useful for situations where you want to create links that always open in a specific browser, but don't want a permanent rule. Example use cases include note-taking, to-do apps, etc.
+
+## Format
+
+```
+switchyard://open?url=<encoded-url>&browser=<desktop-file-id>[,<desktop-file-id>,...]
+```
+
+## Parameters
+
+- **url** (required): The URL to open, percent-encoded.
+- **browser** (optional): A comma-separated list of [desktop file IDs](https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry/latest/) in order of preference. Switchyard opens the URL in the first listed browser that is installed. If omitted, standard routing rules apply.
+
+Desktop file IDs match the `.desktop` filename without the extension (e.g. `org.mozilla.firefox`, `com.google.Chrome`).
+
+## Behavior
+
+1. Switchyard looks for each browser in the preference list in order.
+2. The URL opens in the first browser found on the system.
+3. If no listed browser is installed, Switchyard displays the browser launcher, allowing the user to select from installed browsers.
+
+## Examples
+
+Open in Firefox:
+
+```
+switchyard://open?url=https://example.com&browser=org.mozilla.firefox
+```
+
+Open in Firefox if installed, otherwise Chrome:
+
+```
+switchyard://open?url=https://example.com&browser=org.mozilla.firefox,com.google.Chrome
+```
+
+Percent-encoded special characters:
+
+```
+switchyard://open?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%3Ffoo%3Dbar&browser=org.mozilla.firefox
+```
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
index 74339e3..ecfea63 100644
--- a/justfile
+++ b/justfile
@@ -52,12 +52,12 @@ vendor:
 # Run unit tests
 test:
     @echo "Running unit tests..."
-    go test -v ./src/config_test.go ./src/validation_test.go ./src/app.go ./src/config.go ./src/validation.go
+    go test -v ./src/config_test.go ./src/url_test.go ./src/pattern_test.go ./src/validation_test.go ./src/app.go ./src/config.go ./src/url.go ./src/validation.go
 
 # Run tests with coverage report
 test-coverage:
     @echo "Running tests with coverage..."
-    go test -coverprofile=coverage.out ./src/config_test.go ./src/validation_test.go ./src/app.go ./src/config.go ./src/validation.go
+    go test -coverprofile=coverage.out ./src/config_test.go ./src/url_test.go ./src/pattern_test.go ./src/validation_test.go ./src/app.go ./src/config.go ./src/url.go ./src/validation.go
     go tool cover -func=coverage.out
     @echo ""
     @echo "To view HTML coverage report, run: go tool cover -html=coverage.out"
diff --git a/src/config.go b/src/config.go
index ab920e8..0291b1d 100644
--- a/src/config.go
+++ b/src/config.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/pelletier/go-toml/v2"
@@ -126,128 +125,6 @@ func (r *Rule) matchesConditions(url string) bool {
 	}
 }
 
-func matchesPattern(url, pattern, patternType string) bool {
-	domain := extractDomain(url)
-
-	switch patternType {
-	case "domain":
-		// Exact domain match
-		return strings.EqualFold(domain, pattern)
-	case "keyword":
-		// URL contains text
-		return strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(url), strings.ToLower(pattern))
-	case "regex":
-		re, err := regexp.Compile(pattern)
-		if err != nil {
-			return false
-		}
-		return re.MatchString(url)
-	case "glob":
-		return matchGlob(url, pattern)
-	default:
-		return false
-	}
-}
-
-func matchGlob(url, pattern string) bool {
-	// Extract domain from URL for matching
-	domain := extractDomain(url)
-
-	// Simple glob matching: * matches any characters
-	pattern = strings.ReplaceAll(pattern, ".", "\\.")
-	pattern = strings.ReplaceAll(pattern, "*", ".*")
-	pattern = "^" + pattern + "$"
-
-	re, err := regexp.Compile(pattern)
-	if err != nil {
-		return false
-	}
-
-	// Match against domain or full URL
-	return re.MatchString(domain) || re.MatchString(url)
-}
-
-func extractDomain(url string) string {
-	// Remove protocol
-	u := url
-	if idx := strings.Index(u, "://"); idx != -1 {
-		u = u[idx+3:]
-	}
-	// Remove path
-	if idx := strings.Index(u, "/"); idx != -1 {
-		u = u[:idx]
-	}
-	// Remove port
-	if idx := strings.Index(u, ":"); idx != -1 {
-		u = u[:idx]
-	}
-	return u
-}
-
-func sanitizeURL(url string) string {
-	// Trim whitespace
-	url = strings.TrimSpace(url)
-
-	if url == "" {
-		return ""
-	}
-
-	// Handle file:// URIs that GIO sometimes creates from bare domains
-	// If it's a file:// URI but the path doesn't exist and looks like a domain, convert it
-	if strings.HasPrefix(url, "file://") {
-		filePath := strings.TrimPrefix(url, "file://")
-
-		// Check if file actually exists
-		if _, err := os.Stat(filePath); os.IsNotExist(err) {
-			// File doesn't exist - might be a bare domain that GIO converted
-			// Extract just the filename (last component)
-			lastSlash := strings.LastIndex(filePath, "/")
-			if lastSlash != -1 {
-				possibleDomain := filePath[lastSlash+1:]
-				// Check if it looks like a domain (not a file extension)
-				// Domain should have multiple parts separated by dots, not just "file.txt"
-				if strings.Contains(possibleDomain, ".") && !strings.Contains(possibleDomain, " ") {
-					// Split by dot to check if it looks like a domain vs a filename
-					parts := strings.Split(possibleDomain, ".")
-					// A domain typically has at least 2 parts and the TLD is not a file extension
-					// Common file extensions to reject: .txt, .pdf, .doc, .jpg, etc.
-					if len(parts) >= 2 {
-						lastPart := strings.ToLower(parts[len(parts)-1])
-						// List of common file extensions to reject
-						fileExtensions := []string{"txt", "pdf", "doc", "docx", "jpg", "jpeg", "png", "gif", "zip", "tar", "gz"}
-						isFileExt := false
-						for _, ext := range fileExtensions {
-							if lastPart == ext {
-								isFileExt = true
-								break
-							}
-						}
-						// If it doesn't look like a file extension, treat as domain
-						if !isFileExt && len(lastPart) > 1 {
-							return "https://" + possibleDomain
-						}
-					}
-				}
-			}
-		}
-		// Real file path - reject (browsers handle file:// directly)
-		return ""
-	}
-
-	// Reject local file paths (browsers don't need routing for these)
-	if strings.HasPrefix(url, "/") || strings.HasPrefix(url, ".") {
-		return ""
-	}
-
-	// If it already has a scheme, return as-is
-	if strings.Contains(url, "://") {
-		return url
-	}
-
-	// Add https:// prefix for bare domains/URLs
-	return "https://" + url
-}
-
 // hostCommand creates a command that runs on the host system when in flatpak,
 // or directly otherwise
 func hostCommand(name string, args ...string) *exec.Cmd {
diff --git a/src/config_test.go b/src/config_test.go
index 3a27a5e..5e0ac11 100644
--- a/src/config_test.go
+++ b/src/config_test.go
@@ -6,365 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 )
 
-// TestExtractDomain tests URL domain extraction
-func TestExtractDomain(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name     string
-		url      string
-		expected string
-	}{
-		{
-			name:     "simple https url",
-			url:      "https://example.com",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "https url with path",
-			url:      "https://example.com/path/to/page",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "https url with port",
-			url:      "https://example.com:8080",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "https url with port and path",
-			url:      "https://example.com:8080/path",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "subdomain",
-			url:      "https://sub.example.com",
-			expected: "sub.example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "multiple subdomains",
-			url:      "https://deep.sub.example.com/path",
-			expected: "deep.sub.example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "http protocol",
-			url:      "http://example.com",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "no protocol",
-			url:      "example.com",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "no protocol with path",
-			url:      "example.com/path",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "url with query params",
-			url:      "https://example.com/path?key=value",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "url with fragment",
-			url:      "https://example.com/path#section",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := extractDomain(tt.url)
-			if result != tt.expected {
-				t.Errorf("extractDomain(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.url, result, tt.expected)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-// TestSanitizeURL tests URL sanitization logic
-func TestSanitizeURL(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name     string
-		url      string
-		expected string
-	}{
-		{
-			name:     "already has https",
-			url:      "https://example.com",
-			expected: "https://example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "already has http",
-			url:      "http://example.com",
-			expected: "http://example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "bare domain",
-			url:      "example.com",
-			expected: "https://example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "bare domain with path",
-			url:      "example.com/path",
-			expected: "https://example.com/path",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "domain with whitespace",
-			url:      "  example.com  ",
-			expected: "https://example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "empty string",
-			url:      "",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "whitespace only",
-			url:      "   ",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "file path with leading slash rejected",
-			url:      "/home/user/file.txt",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "relative file path rejected",
-			url:      "./file.txt",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "file:// uri with existing file rejected",
-			url:      "file:///etc/hosts",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "file:// uri that looks like bare domain converted",
-			url:      "file:///nonexistent/path/example.com",
-			expected: "https://example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "file:// uri with nonexistent file rejected",
-			url:      "file:///nonexistent/file.txt",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "custom protocol",
-			url:      "ftp://example.com",
-			expected: "ftp://example.com",
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := sanitizeURL(tt.url)
-			if result != tt.expected {
-				t.Errorf("sanitizeURL(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.url, result, tt.expected)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-// TestMatchGlob tests glob pattern matching
-func TestMatchGlob(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name    string
-		url     string
-		pattern string
-		want    bool
-	}{
-		{
-			name:    "wildcard subdomain",
-			url:     "https://sub.example.com",
-			pattern: "*.example.com",
-			want:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "wildcard subdomain no match",
-			url:     "https://different.com",
-			pattern: "*.example.com",
-			want:    false,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "exact match",
-			url:     "https://example.com",
-			pattern: "example.com",
-			want:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "wildcard at end",
-			url:     "https://example.com/path",
-			pattern: "example.com*",
-			want:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "multiple subdomains",
-			url:     "https://deep.sub.example.com",
-			pattern: "*.example.com",
-			want:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "wildcard in middle",
-			url:     "https://test.example.com",
-			pattern: "*.example.*",
-			want:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "invalid pattern causes regex error",
-			url:     "https://example.com",
-			pattern: "[invalid",
-			want:    false,
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := matchGlob(tt.url, tt.pattern)
-			if result != tt.want {
-				t.Errorf("matchGlob(%q, %q) = %v, want %v", tt.url, tt.pattern, result, tt.want)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-// TestMatchesPattern tests pattern matching for different types
-func TestMatchesPattern(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name        string
-		url         string
-		pattern     string
-		patternType string
-		want        bool
-	}{
-		// Domain type tests
-		{
-			name:        "domain exact match",
-			url:         "https://github.com",
-			pattern:     "github.com",
-			patternType: "domain",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "domain case insensitive",
-			url:         "https://GitHub.COM",
-			pattern:     "github.com",
-			patternType: "domain",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "domain with path still matches",
-			url:         "https://github.com/user/repo",
-			pattern:     "github.com",
-			patternType: "domain",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "domain no match different domain",
-			url:         "https://gitlab.com",
-			pattern:     "github.com",
-			patternType: "domain",
-			want:        false,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "domain subdomain no match",
-			url:         "https://api.github.com",
-			pattern:     "github.com",
-			patternType: "domain",
-			want:        false,
-		},
-		// Keyword type tests
-		{
-			name:        "keyword in domain",
-			url:         "https://github.com",
-			pattern:     "github",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "keyword in path",
-			url:         "https://example.com/github/repo",
-			pattern:     "github",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "keyword case insensitive",
-			url:         "https://GITHUB.com",
-			pattern:     "github",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "keyword no match",
-			url:         "https://gitlab.com",
-			pattern:     "github",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			want:        false,
-		},
-		// Regex type tests
-		{
-			name:        "regex simple match",
-			url:         "https://github.com/user/repo",
-			pattern:     "github\\.com",
-			patternType: "regex",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "regex with groups",
-			url:         "https://github.com/user123/repo",
-			pattern:     "github\\.com/user\\d+",
-			patternType: "regex",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "regex no match",
-			url:         "https://github.com",
-			pattern:     "gitlab\\.com",
-			patternType: "regex",
-			want:        false,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "regex invalid pattern",
-			url:         "https://github.com",
-			pattern:     "[invalid(regex",
-			patternType: "regex",
-			want:        false,
-		},
-		// Glob type tests
-		{
-			name:        "glob wildcard subdomain",
-			url:         "https://api.github.com",
-			pattern:     "*.github.com",
-			patternType: "glob",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "glob exact",
-			url:         "https://github.com",
-			pattern:     "github.com",
-			patternType: "glob",
-			want:        true,
-		},
-		// Unknown type
-		{
-			name:        "unknown type returns false",
-			url:         "https://github.com",
-			pattern:     "github.com",
-			patternType: "unknown",
-			want:        false,
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := matchesPattern(tt.url, tt.pattern, tt.patternType)
-			if result != tt.want {
-				t.Errorf("matchesPattern(%q, %q, %q) = %v, want %v",
-					tt.url, tt.pattern, tt.patternType, result, tt.want)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
 // TestRuleMatchesConditions_AND tests AND logic (all conditions must match)
 func TestRuleMatchesConditions_AND(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
@@ -759,255 +400,6 @@ func TestConfigMatchRule(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestExtractDomain_EdgeCases tests URL domain extraction with edge cases
-func TestExtractDomain_EdgeCases(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name     string
-		url      string
-		expected string
-	}{
-		{
-			name:     "URL with authentication credentials strips at colon",
-			url:      "https://user:password@example.com/path",
-			expected: "user", // Note: extractDomain strips at colon (port removal logic)
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "URL with username only",
-			url:      "https://user@example.com/path",
-			expected: "user@example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "internationalized domain (IDN) ASCII form",
-			url:      "https://xn--n3h.com/path",
-			expected: "xn--n3h.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "internationalized domain Unicode",
-			url:      "https://münchen.example/path",
-			expected: "münchen.example",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "very long subdomain",
-			url:      "https://this.is.a.very.long.subdomain.chain.example.com/path",
-			expected: "this.is.a.very.long.subdomain.chain.example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "IP address v4",
-			url:      "https://192.168.1.1/path",
-			expected: "192.168.1.1",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "IP address v4 with port",
-			url:      "https://192.168.1.1:8080/path",
-			expected: "192.168.1.1",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "localhost",
-			url:      "http://localhost/path",
-			expected: "localhost",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "localhost with port",
-			url:      "http://localhost:3000/path",
-			expected: "localhost",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "single word TLD",
-			url:      "https://localhost",
-			expected: "localhost",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "double slash in path doesn't affect domain",
-			url:      "https://example.com//double//slashes",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "ftp protocol",
-			url:      "ftp://files.example.com/file.zip",
-			expected: "files.example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "custom protocol",
-			url:      "myapp://example.com/action",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "mailto protocol extracts scheme name",
-			url:      "mailto:user@example.com",
-			expected: "mailto", // Note: mailto: has no //, so extractDomain returns text before colon
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "URL with empty path",
-			url:      "https://example.com/",
-			expected: "example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "URL with only question mark",
-			url:      "https://example.com?",
-			expected: "example.com?",
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := extractDomain(tt.url)
-			if result != tt.expected {
-				t.Errorf("extractDomain(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.url, result, tt.expected)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-// TestMatchesPattern_EdgeCases tests pattern matching with edge case URLs
-func TestMatchesPattern_EdgeCases(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name        string
-		url         string
-		pattern     string
-		patternType string
-		expected    bool
-	}{
-		// Long URL tests
-		{
-			name:        "very long URL with keyword match",
-			url:         "https://example.com/" + string(make([]byte, 1000)) + "keyword" + string(make([]byte, 1000)),
-			pattern:     "keyword",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "URL with many query parameters",
-			url:         "https://example.com/path?a=1&b=2&c=3&d=4&e=5&f=6&g=7&h=8&i=9&j=10",
-			pattern:     "example.com",
-			patternType: "domain",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		// Special character tests
-		{
-			name:        "URL with encoded spaces",
-			url:         "https://example.com/path%20with%20spaces",
-			pattern:     "%20",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "URL with plus signs",
-			url:         "https://search.example.com/q=hello+world",
-			pattern:     "hello+world",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "URL with hash fragment",
-			url:         "https://example.com/page#section-id",
-			pattern:     "section-id",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "URL with unicode characters",
-			url:         "https://example.com/日本語",
-			pattern:     "日本語",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		// Data URI tests
-		{
-			name:        "data URI matches domain 'data' since it extracts scheme",
-			url:         "data:text/html,<h1>Hello</h1>",
-			pattern:     "data",
-			patternType: "domain",
-			expected:    true, // extractDomain returns "data" for data: URIs
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "data URI matches keyword",
-			url:         "data:text/html,<h1>Hello</h1>",
-			pattern:     "text/html",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		// JavaScript URI tests
-		{
-			name:        "javascript URI keyword match",
-			url:         "javascript:alert('test')",
-			pattern:     "javascript",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		// Blob URI tests
-		{
-			name:        "blob URI keyword match",
-			url:         "blob:https://example.com/550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000",
-			pattern:     "blob:",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		// Regex edge cases
-		{
-			name:        "regex with special characters in URL",
-			url:         "https://example.com/path?key=value&other=123",
-			pattern:     `key=value.*other=\d+`,
-			patternType: "regex",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "regex matching entire URL",
-			url:         "https://subdomain.example.com/path",
-			pattern:     `^https://[a-z]+\.example\.com/.*$`,
-			patternType: "regex",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		// Glob edge cases
-		{
-			name:        "glob with multiple wildcards",
-			url:         "https://api.v2.example.com/endpoint",
-			pattern:     "*.*.example.com",
-			patternType: "glob",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "glob matching only TLD",
-			url:         "https://anything.io/path",
-			pattern:     "*.io",
-			patternType: "glob",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		// Empty and whitespace tests
-		{
-			name:        "URL with only whitespace in query",
-			url:         "https://example.com/search?q=   ",
-			pattern:     "   ",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		// Case sensitivity verification
-		{
-			name:        "domain match is case insensitive",
-			url:         "https://EXAMPLE.COM/path",
-			pattern:     "example.com",
-			patternType: "domain",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:        "keyword match is case insensitive",
-			url:         "https://example.com/PATH",
-			pattern:     "path",
-			patternType: "keyword",
-			expected:    true,
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := matchesPattern(tt.url, tt.pattern, tt.patternType)
-			if result != tt.expected {
-				t.Errorf("matchesPattern(%q, %q, %q) = %v, want %v",
-					tt.url, tt.pattern, tt.patternType, result, tt.expected)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
 // TestConfigMatchRule_RuleOrdering tests that rules are matched in order (first match wins)
 func TestConfigMatchRule_RuleOrdering(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
@@ -1223,105 +615,3 @@ func TestConfigMatchRule_RuleOrdering(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
-
-// TestSanitizeURL_EdgeCases tests URL sanitization with edge cases
-func TestSanitizeURL_EdgeCases(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name     string
-		url      string
-		expected string
-	}{
-		// Note: sanitizeURL checks for "://" to identify schemes.
-		// URIs with single colon (data:, mailto:, tel:, javascript:) get https:// prepended.
-		// This is acceptable for a browser URL router since these aren't routable web URLs.
-		{
-			name:     "data URI gets https prefix (no :// in original)",
-			url:      "data:text/html,<h1>Test</h1>",
-			expected: "https://data:text/html,<h1>Test</h1>",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "javascript URI gets https prefix (no :// in original)",
-			url:      "javascript:void(0)",
-			expected: "https://javascript:void(0)",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "blob URI is preserved (has ://)",
-			url:      "blob:https://example.com/guid",
-			expected: "blob:https://example.com/guid",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "mailto URI gets https prefix (no :// in original)",
-			url:      "mailto:user@example.com",
-			expected: "https://mailto:user@example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "tel URI gets https prefix (no :// in original)",
-			url:      "tel:+1234567890",
-			expected: "https://tel:+1234567890",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "URL with leading whitespace",
-			url:      "   https://example.com",
-			expected: "https://example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "URL with trailing whitespace",
-			url:      "https://example.com   ",
-			expected: "https://example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "URL with both leading and trailing whitespace",
-			url:      "   https://example.com   ",
-			expected: "https://example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "bare domain gets https prefix",
-			url:      "example.com",
-			expected: "https://example.com",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "bare domain with path gets https prefix",
-			url:      "example.com/path/to/page",
-			expected: "https://example.com/path/to/page",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "relative path is rejected",
-			url:      "./relative/path",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "absolute path is rejected",
-			url:      "/absolute/path",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "empty string",
-			url:      "",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "only whitespace",
-			url:      "   ",
-			expected: "",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "ftp URL is preserved",
-			url:      "ftp://files.example.com/file.zip",
-			expected: "ftp://files.example.com/file.zip",
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "custom app scheme is preserved",
-			url:      "myapp://action/param",
-			expected: "myapp://action/param",
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := sanitizeURL(tt.url)
-			if result != tt.expected {
-				t.Errorf("sanitizeURL(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.url, result, tt.expected)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
diff --git a/src/main.go b/src/main.go
index 500e6ed..dea85ee 100644
--- a/src/main.go
+++ b/src/main.go
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"net/url"
 	"os"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/diamondburned/gotk4-adwaita/pkg/adw"
@@ -37,9 +39,22 @@ func main() {
 			return
 		}
 
-		url := files[0].URI()
-		url = sanitizeURL(url)
-		handleURL(app, cfg, url)
+		rawURL := files[0].URI()
+
+		// Check if this is a switchyard:// URL
+		if u, err := url.Parse(rawURL); err == nil && u.Scheme == "switchyard" {
+			handleSwitchyardURL(app, rawURL)
+			return
+		}
+
+		sanitized := sanitizeURL(rawURL)
+		if sanitized == "" {
+			// URL was rejected (mailto:, tel:, etc.) - pass to xdg-open
+			cmd := hostCommand("xdg-open", rawURL)
+			cmd.Start()
+			return
+		}
+		handleURL(app, cfg, sanitized)
 	})
 
 	if code := app.Run(os.Args); code > 0 {
@@ -67,22 +82,66 @@ func setupApp(cfg *Config) {
 	}
 }
 
+// handleSwitchyardURL processes switchyard:// URLs with browser preferences
+func handleSwitchyardURL(app *adw.Application, rawURL string) {
+	cfg := loadConfig()
+
+	targetURL, browserPrefs, err := parseSwitchyardURL(rawURL)
+	if err != nil {
+		// Invalid switchyard URL - ignore
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Sanitize the target URL
+	sanitized := sanitizeURL(targetURL)
+	if sanitized == "" {
+		// Pass non-browser URLs to xdg-open
+		cmd := hostCommand("xdg-open", targetURL)
+		cmd.Start()
+		return
+	}
+
+	browsers := detectBrowsers()
+
+	// If browser preferences specified, try each in order
+	if len(browserPrefs) > 0 {
+		for _, pref := range browserPrefs {
+			// Try with and without .desktop suffix
+			id := pref
+			if !strings.HasSuffix(id, ".desktop") {
+				id = id + ".desktop"
+			}
+			if browser := findBrowserByID(browsers, id); browser != nil {
+				launchBrowser(browser, sanitized)
+				app.Quit()
+				return
+			}
+		}
+		// No preferred browser found - show picker
+		showPickerWindow(app, sanitized, browsers, cfg)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// No browser specified - use standard routing
+	handleURL(app, cfg, sanitized)
+}
+
 // handleURL routes a URL to the appropriate browser based on rules
-func handleURL(app *adw.Application, cfg *Config, url string) {
+func handleURL(app *adw.Application, cfg *Config, urlStr string) {
 	browsers := detectBrowsers()
 
 	// Try to match a rule
-	browserID, alwaysAsk, matched := cfg.matchRule(url)
+	browserID, alwaysAsk, matched := cfg.matchRule(urlStr)
 	if matched {
 		// Check if rule has AlwaysAsk enabled
 		if alwaysAsk {
-			showPickerWindow(app, url, browsers, cfg)
+			showPickerWindow(app, urlStr, browsers, cfg)
 			return
 		}
 
 		// Find the browser and launch it
 		if browser := findBrowserByID(browsers, browserID); browser != nil {
-			launchBrowser(browser, url)
+			launchBrowser(browser, urlStr)
 			app.Quit()
 			return
 		}
@@ -91,12 +150,12 @@ func handleURL(app *adw.Application, cfg *Config, url string) {
 	// No rule matched
 	if !cfg.PromptOnClick && cfg.FavoriteBrowser != "" {
 		if browser := findBrowserByID(browsers, cfg.FavoriteBrowser); browser != nil {
-			launchBrowser(browser, url)
+			launchBrowser(browser, urlStr)
 			app.Quit()
 			return
 		}
 	}
 
 	// Show picker
-	showPickerWindow(app, url, browsers, cfg)
+	showPickerWindow(app, urlStr, browsers, cfg)
 }
diff --git a/src/pattern_test.go b/src/pattern_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e443102
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pattern_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestMatchesPattern(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name        string
+		url         string
+		pattern     string
+		patternType string
+		want        bool
+	}{
+		// Domain matching - exact match only
+		{"domain match", "https://github.com/user/repo", "github.com", "domain", true},
+		{"domain case insensitive", "https://GitHub.COM/user", "github.com", "domain", true},
+		{"domain no match", "https://gitlab.com", "github.com", "domain", false},
+		{"domain subdomain no match", "https://api.github.com", "github.com", "domain", false},
+
+		// Keyword matching - anywhere in URL
+		{"keyword in domain", "https://github.com", "github", "keyword", true},
+		{"keyword in path", "https://example.com/github/repo", "github", "keyword", true},
+		{"keyword in query", "https://example.com?repo=github", "github", "keyword", true},
+		{"keyword case insensitive", "https://GITHUB.com", "github", "keyword", true},
+		{"keyword no match", "https://gitlab.com", "github", "keyword", false},
+
+		// Glob matching - wildcards for subdomains
+		{"glob wildcard subdomain", "https://api.github.com", "*.github.com", "glob", true},
+		{"glob exact", "https://github.com", "github.com", "glob", true},
+		{"glob no match", "https://github.com", "*.gitlab.com", "glob", false},
+		{"glob multiple wildcards", "https://api.v2.example.com", "*.*.example.com", "glob", true},
+
+		// Regex matching - full control
+		{"regex simple", "https://github.com/user/repo", `github\.com`, "regex", true},
+		{"regex path pattern", "https://github.com/user123/repo", `github\.com/user\d+`, "regex", true},
+		{"regex no match", "https://github.com", `gitlab\.com`, "regex", false},
+		{"regex invalid pattern", "https://example.com", "[invalid", "regex", false},
+
+		// Unknown pattern type
+		{"unknown type", "https://example.com", "example.com", "invalid", false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := matchesPattern(tt.url, tt.pattern, tt.patternType)
+			if result != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("matchesPattern(%q, %q, %q) = %v, want %v",
+					tt.url, tt.pattern, tt.patternType, result, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMatchGlob(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name    string
+		url     string
+		pattern string
+		want    bool
+	}{
+		{"wildcard subdomain", "https://api.example.com", "*.example.com", true},
+		{"wildcard any subdomain depth", "https://deep.sub.example.com", "*.example.com", true},
+		{"exact match", "https://example.com", "example.com", true},
+		{"no match different domain", "https://other.com", "*.example.com", false},
+		{"wildcard TLD", "https://example.io", "*.io", true},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := matchGlob(tt.url, tt.pattern)
+			if result != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("matchGlob(%q, %q) = %v, want %v", tt.url, tt.pattern, result, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/url.go b/src/url.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d06727
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/url.go
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net/url"
+	"regexp"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+func extractDomain(rawURL string) string {
+	// Add scheme if missing so url.Parse works correctly
+	if !strings.Contains(rawURL, "://") {
+		rawURL = "https://" + rawURL
+	}
+	u, err := url.Parse(rawURL)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return u.Hostname()
+}
+
+func sanitizeURL(rawURL string) string {
+	rawURL = strings.TrimSpace(rawURL)
+	if rawURL == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	// Reject local file paths
+	if strings.HasPrefix(rawURL, "/") || strings.HasPrefix(rawURL, ".") {
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	u, err := url.Parse(rawURL)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	// Add https scheme if missing
+	if u.Scheme == "" {
+		rawURL = "https://" + rawURL
+		u, _ = url.Parse(rawURL)
+	}
+
+	// Only allow browser-routable schemes
+	switch u.Scheme {
+	case "http", "https", "file", "ftp":
+		return u.String()
+	default:
+		return ""
+	}
+}
+
+func matchesPattern(url, pattern, patternType string) bool {
+	domain := extractDomain(url)
+
+	switch patternType {
+	case "domain":
+		// Exact domain match
+		return strings.EqualFold(domain, pattern)
+	case "keyword":
+		// URL contains text
+		return strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(url), strings.ToLower(pattern))
+	case "regex":
+		re, err := regexp.Compile(pattern)
+		if err != nil {
+			return false
+		}
+		return re.MatchString(url)
+	case "glob":
+		return matchGlob(url, pattern)
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}
+
+func matchGlob(url, pattern string) bool {
+	// Extract domain from URL for matching
+	domain := extractDomain(url)
+
+	// Simple glob matching: * matches any characters
+	pattern = strings.ReplaceAll(pattern, ".", "\\.")
+	pattern = strings.ReplaceAll(pattern, "*", ".*")
+	pattern = "^" + pattern + "$"
+
+	re, err := regexp.Compile(pattern)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	// Match against domain or full URL
+	return re.MatchString(domain) || re.MatchString(url)
+}
+
+func parseSwitchyardURL(rawURL string) (targetURL string, browserPrefs []string, err error) {
+	u, err := url.Parse(rawURL)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", nil, err
+	}
+
+	if u.Scheme != "switchyard" || u.Host != "open" {
+		return "", nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid switchyard URL")
+	}
+
+	query := u.Query()
+	targetURL = query.Get("url")
+	if targetURL == "" {
+		return "", nil, fmt.Errorf("missing url parameter")
+	}
+
+	if browser := query.Get("browser"); browser != "" {
+		browserPrefs = strings.Split(browser, ",")
+	}
+
+	return targetURL, browserPrefs, nil
+}
diff --git a/src/url_test.go b/src/url_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..765480b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/url_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestSanitizeURL(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		input    string
+		expected string
+	}{
+		// Common inputs from users and applications
+		{"bare domain", "example.com", "https://example.com"},
+		{"bare domain with path", "example.com/page", "https://example.com/page"},
+		{"bare domain with whitespace", "  example.com  ", "https://example.com"},
+		{"https URL", "https://example.com", "https://example.com"},
+		{"http URL", "http://example.com", "http://example.com"},
+		{"https with path and query", "https://example.com/path?q=1", "https://example.com/path?q=1"},
+
+		// File URLs - pass through for local HTML files
+		{"file URL", "file:///home/user/doc.html", "file:///home/user/doc.html"},
+
+		// FTP - still used for some downloads
+		{"ftp URL", "ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zip", "ftp://ftp.example.com/file.zip"},
+
+		// Schemes that should go to xdg-open, not browsers
+		{"mailto rejected", "mailto:user@example.com", ""},
+		{"tel rejected", "tel:+1234567890", ""},
+		{"javascript rejected", "javascript:void(0)", ""},
+		{"data rejected", "data:text/html,<h1>Hi</h1>", ""},
+
+		// Invalid/unsupported inputs
+		{"empty string", "", ""},
+		{"whitespace only", "   ", ""},
+		{"absolute path rejected", "/home/user/file.html", ""},
+		{"relative path rejected", "./file.html", ""},
+		{"unknown scheme rejected", "myapp://action", ""},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := sanitizeURL(tt.input)
+			if result != tt.expected {
+				t.Errorf("sanitizeURL(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.input, result, tt.expected)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExtractDomain(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		input    string
+		expected string
+	}{
+		// Standard URLs
+		{"https URL", "https://example.com", "example.com"},
+		{"https with path", "https://example.com/path/page", "example.com"},
+		{"https with port", "https://example.com:8080/path", "example.com"},
+		{"https with query", "https://example.com?q=test", "example.com"},
+		{"http URL", "http://example.com", "example.com"},
+
+		// Subdomains
+		{"subdomain", "https://www.example.com", "www.example.com"},
+		{"deep subdomain", "https://api.v2.example.com", "api.v2.example.com"},
+
+		// Bare domains (no scheme) - common user input
+		{"bare domain", "example.com", "example.com"},
+		{"bare domain with path", "example.com/path", "example.com"},
+
+		// Auth in URL (legacy but still seen)
+		{"URL with credentials", "https://user:pass@example.com", "example.com"},
+
+		// IP addresses
+		{"IPv4", "https://192.168.1.1", "192.168.1.1"},
+		{"IPv4 with port", "https://192.168.1.1:8080", "192.168.1.1"},
+		{"localhost", "http://localhost:3000", "localhost"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := extractDomain(tt.input)
+			if result != tt.expected {
+				t.Errorf("extractDomain(%q) = %q, want %q", tt.input, result, tt.expected)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseSwitchyardURL(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name         string
+		input        string
+		wantURL      string
+		wantBrowsers []string
+		wantErr      bool
+	}{
+		// Valid URLs
+		{
+			name:         "basic with browser",
+			input:        "switchyard://open?url=https://example.com&browser=org.mozilla.firefox",
+			wantURL:      "https://example.com",
+			wantBrowsers: []string{"org.mozilla.firefox"},
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "multiple browsers",
+			input:        "switchyard://open?url=https://example.com&browser=org.mozilla.firefox,com.google.Chrome",
+			wantURL:      "https://example.com",
+			wantBrowsers: []string{"org.mozilla.firefox", "com.google.Chrome"},
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "no browser specified",
+			input:        "switchyard://open?url=https://example.com",
+			wantURL:      "https://example.com",
+			wantBrowsers: nil,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "encoded URL",
+			input:        "switchyard://open?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%3Ffoo%3Dbar&browser=org.mozilla.firefox",
+			wantURL:      "https://example.com?foo=bar",
+			wantBrowsers: []string{"org.mozilla.firefox"},
+		},
+
+		// Invalid URLs
+		{
+			name:    "wrong scheme",
+			input:   "http://open?url=https://example.com",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "wrong host",
+			input:   "switchyard://launch?url=https://example.com",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "missing url parameter",
+			input:   "switchyard://open?browser=org.mozilla.firefox",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			gotURL, gotBrowsers, err := parseSwitchyardURL(tt.input)
+			if (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
+				t.Errorf("parseSwitchyardURL() error = %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)
+				return
+			}
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				return
+			}
+			if gotURL != tt.wantURL {
+				t.Errorf("parseSwitchyardURL() url = %q, want %q", gotURL, tt.wantURL)
+			}
+			if len(gotBrowsers) != len(tt.wantBrowsers) {
+				t.Errorf("parseSwitchyardURL() browsers = %v, want %v", gotBrowsers, tt.wantBrowsers)
+				return
+			}
+			for i, b := range gotBrowsers {
+				if b != tt.wantBrowsers[i] {
+					t.Errorf("parseSwitchyardURL() browsers[%d] = %q, want %q", i, b, tt.wantBrowsers[i])
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}