theseus/BROWSER-PROMPT.md

Prompt for a new session: build Theseus, the browser

Copy everything below the line into a fresh coding-CLI session (suggested working directory: D:\Dev\BnsBrowser).

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Build Theseus Navigator ("Theseus" for short) — a standalone desktop web browser with native support for decentralized .bch domain names, resolved from the Bitcoin Cash blockchain. Windows 10 first; Electron is the expected shell (Chromium engine, no forking).

Branding: Theseus Navigator, by Silent Mode — a Deviant project. The name refers to the thread through the labyrinth: the blockchain is the thread. Read D:\Dev\SilentMode\README.md first for the whole picture. theseus.bch is already registered on chipnet and can serve the browser's own homepage.

Context — a working stack already exists

D:\Dev\NameCoin contains a complete, tested prototype (read its README.md, PROTOCOL.md, and ROADMAP.md first):

• src/lib/bns.js — the resolver core: reads the "BNS1" protocol from BCH chipnet via electrum (mainnet-js). Names are CashTokens NFTs; records are JSON in OP_RETURN (ip, u, p, h, s3, tls types); discovery via a beacon address. Subdomains map through the parent name (see bnsd.js).
• src/daemon/bnsd.js — reference gateway: serves h (on-chain HTML), p (reverse proxy), s3 (Sia storage via an S3 endpoint configured in sia-s3.json), redirects u, and resolves ip records at DNS level.
• ca/ — a local root CA ("BNS Local Root CA") that signs per-name certs; fingerprints can be pinned via on-chain tls records.
• Live test names on chipnet right now: hello.bch (on-chain HTML), coinspectrum.bch (ip → real nginx server), siatest.bch and coinspectrum.deviant.bch (Sia-backed, subdomain namespace), theseus.bch and silentmode.bch (on-chain HTML, brand pages).

Reuse bns.js as a library (npm file: dependency or copied module) — do not reimplement the protocol. The browser must NOT require the system daemon, NRPT rules, or the OS trust store: everything in-process.

Requirements

1. Chrome-like shell: tabs, address bar, back/forward/reload, history. Electron BrowserViews/WebContentsViews per tab.
2. Native .bch resolution: typing hello.bch or x.deviant.bch resolves via the BNS core inside the app (no OS DNS involvement). Everything else browses the normal web unchanged.
3. Record handling: h render directly; ip connect to the host (http); p/s3 fetch via an in-app gateway on a loopback port; u redirect.
4. TLS for .bch without touching the OS store: intercept at the session level (Electron setCertificateVerifyProc) — accept certs for .bch hosts when they chain to the BNS root or match the name's on-chain tls fingerprint; normal CA validation for everything else.
5. UI truthfulness: a visible indicator when a page came from the chain / Sia / a direct ip record, showing the NFT category and record type — the "padlock" for decentralized provenance.
6. Fallback honesty: unregistered .bch → a clean NXDOMAIN page naming the chain; electrum outages → readable error, not a hang.
7. Package with electron-builder into a Windows installer (unsigned is fine).

Definition of done

All four live names above load correctly in tabs alongside normal websites (e.g. wikipedia.org), with provenance indicators, from a packaged .exe on Windows 10 — no admin rights, no system daemon, no OS DNS or cert changes.

Constraints & notes

• BCH chipnet; electrum servers as in mainnet-js defaults (see bns.js usage).
• sia-s3.json in D:\Dev\NameCoin holds the S3 endpoint + keys for s3 records (server-side s3d at https://coinspectrum.duckdns.org:8600) — copy it into the browser's config directory; do not commit it.
• Wallet/registration UI is OUT of scope (exists in the NameCoin repo's wallet app); this session is the viewing side only.
• Test names may be unconfirmed on chipnet — the resolver handles mempool entries; height -1 is normal.