#912·windhawk

`windhawk://` protocol opens code editor instead of open the mod's page in the Windhawk UI

Author: Ivanmat90Created Apr 14, 2026Updated Sep 5, 2026
Labelsbugpre-release

I was trying to create a direct link to install a mod using the windhawk:// protocol (e.g., windhawk://mods/explorer-details-better-file-sizes), but instead of opening the mod installation page in Windhawk, it opens a code editor window (similar to VS Code). The window title shows "Windhawk", but it looks and behaves like a code editor.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Install Windhawk on a clean Windows 11 VM (no IDEs, no VS Code, no VS Codium).
  2. Open any windhawk:// link in a browser.
  3. Observe that Windhawk opens a code editor window instead of installing or showing the mod.

Expected behavior:

  • The windhawk:// protocol should open Windhawk and open the mod’s page in the Windhawk UI).

Actual behavior:

  • A code editor window opens (with "Windhawk" in the title bar).
  • The editor does nothing related to mod installation.
  • It appears that Windhawk is essentially a stripped-down VS Code fork.

Additional context:

  • Tested on a clean virtual machine with only Windhawk installed (no other software).
  • The same issue occurs on my main machine (Windows 11, Windhawk 1.7).
  • The windhawk:// protocol seems to be registered but not properly handled.

Suggestion:

  • Either properly implement windhawk:// protocol handling to install mods, or
  • Remove/disable the protocol registration if it's not intended to work.

Thank you for your work on Windhawk — I’m sharing this to help improve the project, not to criticise.

System info:

  • OS: Windows 11 25H2
  • Windhawk version: 1.7.3
  • No external IDEs installed during VM test
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