diff --git a/src/gateway/public-gateway.mjs b/src/gateway/public-gateway.mjs
index b0cecd1..e0f3838 100644
--- a/src/gateway/public-gateway.mjs
+++ b/src/gateway/public-gateway.mjs
@@ -91,10 +91,45 @@ async function serve(res, name, reqPath, baseHref) {
   } catch (e) { res.writeHead(502); res.end("gateway error: " + e.message); }
 }
 
+// Native BNS TLDs — never overlap ICANN, so hijacking them here is safe.
+// Dual TLDs (.com, .de, .dev) always fall through to search, so a bare
+// `github.com` in the URL bar keeps going to the real GitHub, not to a
+// BNS registration that happens to share the name.
+const NATIVE_TLDS = new Set(["bch", "p2p", "bit", "nav"]);
+
+// Universal "set-as-default-search-engine" shim. Users add
+//   https://navigate.st/search?q=%s
+// as their browser's default search engine; typing `silentmode.bch` in the URL
+// bar (which Chromium/Firefox otherwise send to Google as a search query
+// because .bch isn't in ICANN's known-TLD list) arrives here. If q looks like
+// a native BNS name we 302 to the relay (works in every browser, no local
+// daemon needed); otherwise forward to DuckDuckGo so ordinary search still
+// works. Even an unregistered native-TLD query goes to the relay so the user
+// gets a clear NXDOMAIN page instead of a confusing search detour.
+async function handleSearch(url, res) {
+  const q = (url.searchParams.get("q") || "").trim().toLowerCase();
+  const bare = q.replace(/^[a-z]+:\/\//, "").split("/")[0];
+  const m = bare.match(/^([a-z0-9-]+)\.([a-z0-9-]+)$/);
+  let target;
+  if (m && NATIVE_TLDS.has(m[2])) {
+    target = `https://navigate.st/bns/${m[1]}.${m[2]}/`;
+  } else {
+    target = `https://duckduckgo.com/?q=${encodeURIComponent(q)}`;
+  }
+  res.writeHead(302, { location: target });
+  res.end();
+}
+
 const server = http.createServer(async (req, res) => {
   try {
     const hostHeader = (req.headers.host || "").split(":")[0].toLowerCase();
 
+    // --- smart search endpoint (default-search-engine shim) ---
+    if (req.url.startsWith("/search")) {
+      const u = new URL(req.url, "http://x");
+      return handleSearch(u, res);
+    }
+
     // --- registrar API: availability of a name ---
     // GET /api/name/<name>  ->  { name, tld, registered, records? }
     if (req.url.startsWith("/api/name/")) {