Questions, answered
The useful details.
What is free, what runs on your computer, and what the alpha can and cannot do.
What is Wildroot?
A desktop and Android browser. The desktop brings Home, files, mail, social clients, supported apps and publishing into one workspace. It opens ordinary websites and additional kinds of names and content addresses. Explore the features.
What is free?
The browser, a starter name and starter hosting for your website are free, with no wallet or tokens required. Your name also comes with email and social accounts. Storage limits apply; larger sites and other connected services may need paid plans. See how publishing works.
What does my name look like?
yourname.wildroot in Wildroot. Your public page and Bluesky handle use yourname.wildroot.io, email uses yourname@wildroot.io, and Mastodon uses @yourname@wildroot.io. Availability is checked before you claim.
Can people visit my page in another browser?
Yes. yourname.wildroot opens directly in Wildroot or any browser that supports Handshake. The same website is also available at yourname.wildroot.io in any browser.
Can I just browse without choosing a name?
Yes. Explore first and claim a name when you want the identity-linked features. Hosted mail, social setup and publishing at your own name require an identity.
What does HNS.ONE run?
The hosted infrastructure behind free names, mail and social accounts. A free name is a label in a zone operated by the service; it depends on that service continuing. Your control keys are held on your device. HNS.ONE documents the technical details, including bringing a name you already control.
Are files backed up automatically?
Do not assume so. Files shows when something is local, pending or stored online. A confirmed publication uses connected storage. Your identity backup file carries keys, including the storage key; it is not a backup of every file on the computer.
Is my email encrypted?
Wildroot supports PGP encryption and signature checks. Ordinary email is not encrypted end to end by default and is readable by the mail providers. Encryption depends on the message and correspondent; it is not a property of every email in the mailbox.
What does Private mode mean?
It uses Tor and stricter lookup rules for supported routes. It can be slower, some sites block it, and unsupported routes may fail instead of falling back. Experimental private DNS depends on the relay and resolver not colluding. It is not a guarantee of anonymity.
How do I keep my identity safe?
Export the identity backup file from Settings → Identity and keep it somewhere safe away from this device. It contains sensitive keys. There is no recovery phrase and no service that can recreate lost keys for you.
Is Android the same as desktop?
No. Android has naming, files, publishing and social clients. It does not have the desktop mail client or local naming proof. Compare the current builds.
Is this ready to be my only browser?
It is an early testing alpha. Keep a familiar browser available, keep backups and test with copies of important files. The desktop builds are unsigned, updates are manual and no external security audit has been completed.
Where can I find the source?
Wildroot is AGPL-3.0. See source and licences for the request contact and the projects it builds on.
Which address types does desktop support?
These handlers are present in the desktop browser. A supported address type does not guarantee that every destination is online. Verification varies by route, and Private mode can restrict direct peer connections. “Unverified” refers to the trust path, not a promised future feature.
The web and names
https:// · http://The everyday webOrdinary websites, using Chromium. Some sites and protected media may behave differently from Chrome.hns://Native namesOpens names such as yourname.wildroot. Desktop can check the naming proof locally; the address-bar panel explains the actual result.ens:// · .ethEthereum Name ServiceunverifiedReads content records through an external service. The browser does not claim a locally verified naming proof.onion:// · .onionOnion servicesunverifiedUses the Tor client on your device. Availability depends on Tor and the destination; this is not a promise of anonymity.search://SearchSearch from the browser using its configured search services.
Content and alternative networks
ipfs:// · ipns:// · ipld://IPFSContent and naming through the bundled node. Availability depends on the content being served.ar://ArweaveReads content by transaction ID, with verification information in the address-bar panel.hyper://HypercoreOpens peer-to-peer archives when their peers are reachable.bittorrent:// · bt:// · magnet:BitTorrentOpens torrents and magnet links, including playable media when available.ssb://Secure ScuttlebuttA bundled handler for the peer-to-peer social protocol.gemini://GeminiOpens the small, text-first alternative to the web.
Social and tools
bluesky:// · mastodon://Social clientsBuilt-in clients connected to your identity’s social accounts.nostr://NostrOpens notes and profiles and checks event signatures. Availability depends on the relays.did://Identifier documentsunverifiedResolves supported identifier documents; this does not establish every claim inside them.web3://Contract contentunverifiedReads content from an EVM contract through configured infrastructure.wildroot://Browser pagesHome, Files, Apps, Mail, Social, Identity, Settings and the rest of the built-in workspace.editor://EditorCreates and edits pages from within the browser.paste://Encrypted pasteOpens the built-in encrypted paste tool. Keep the complete sharing link private if the content is private.https+raw://Raw HTTPSA developer tool for loading HTTPS through the raw handler.
Deliberately not resolved yet
at://atprotoThe underlying protocol behind Bluesky. The Bluesky client works; the raw scheme does not.activitypub://ActivityPubThe protocol behind Mastodon. Same position: the client works, the raw scheme does not.
Raw at:// and activitypub:// resolution is not implemented. The Bluesky and Mastodon clients are separate, working features.