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Nook’s settings are organized into tabs that let you customize appearance, privacy, search, keyboard shortcuts, and more. Access settings by pressing Cmd+, or selecting Nook > Settings from the menu bar.

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General settings

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Browser behavior

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Ask before quitting
toggle
default:"enabled"
Show a confirmation dialog when quitting Nook to prevent accidental closure.
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Sidebar position
dropdown
default:"Left"
Choose whether the sidebar appears on the left or right side of the window.Options:
  • Left - Classic sidebar layout
  • Right - Sidebar on the right side
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Top bar address view
toggle
default:"disabled"
Show the address bar and navigation buttons at the top of the window instead of in the sidebar.
When tabs are positioned at the top of the window, the URL bar is automatically moved to the top bar.
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Link status bar
toggle
default:"enabled"
Show a URL preview in the bottom-left corner when hovering over links.
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Default search engine
dropdown
default:"Google"
Choose your default search provider for address bar searches.Built-in providers:
  • Google
  • DuckDuckGo
  • Bing
  • Brave Search
  • Yahoo
  • Perplexity
  • Unduck
  • Ecosia
  • Kagi
You can also add custom search engines using the + button.
  1. Click the + button next to the search engine dropdown
  2. Enter a name for your search engine
  3. Enter the URL template, using %@ as the placeholder for the search query Example: https://startpage.com/search?q=%@
  4. Click Save
Your custom search engine will appear in the dropdown and can be removed anytime.
Site search lets you quickly search specific websites directly from the command palette.
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Site search entries
list
Manage custom search shortcuts for your favorite sites.
Type a prefix in the command palette and press Tab to search that site directly. For example, type gh + Tab to search GitHub.
Default site search entries include popular sites like GitHub, YouTube, and Wikipedia. You can:
  • Add new entries with custom prefixes and domains
  • Assign color indicators for quick identification
  • Reset to default entries anytime

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Performance

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Tab unload timeout
dropdown
default:"60 minutes"
Automatically unload inactive tabs to reduce memory usage.Options:
  • 15 minutes
  • 30 minutes
  • 60 minutes
  • 2 hours
  • 4 hours
  • Never
Unloaded tabs remain in your tab list but don’t consume memory until you revisit them.
You can manually unload all inactive tabs using the Unload All Inactive Tabs button.

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Appearance settings

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Visual style

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Background material
dropdown
default:"Arc (hudWindow)"
Choose the window background blur effect.Available materials:
  • titlebar
  • menu
  • popover
  • sidebar
  • headerView
  • sheet
  • windowBackground
  • Arc (hudWindow) - Recommended
  • fullScreenUI
  • toolTip
  • contentBackground
  • underWindowBackground
  • underPageBackground
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Liquid Glass
toggle
default:"enabled"
Enable translucent glass effect for the browser interface.

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Favorites appearance

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Pinned tabs look
dropdown
default:"Arc (large)"
Choose the size and layout of your pinned tabs (favorites).Options:
  • Arc (large) - 47×47px buttons with larger favicons (max 4 columns)
  • Dia (small) - 41×41px compact buttons (max 8 columns)

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AI settings

Configure AI chat powered by multiple providers including Gemini, OpenRouter, and Ollama.

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Providers

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AI provider
dropdown
default:"Google Gemini"
Select your AI provider.Supported providers:
  • Google Gemini - Requires API key
  • OpenRouter - Access to multiple models with one API
  • Ollama (Local) - Run models locally
  • OpenAI-compatible - Custom endpoints
  1. Get your API key from Google AI Studio
  2. Paste it into the Gemini API Key field
  3. Choose your model:
    • Gemini Flash - Fast responses for quick questions
    • Gemini 2.5 Pro - Most capable, best for complex analysis
  1. Get an API key from OpenRouter
  2. Enter your API key
  3. Fetch available models or add by ID
  4. Select your preferred model
Popular models include GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and various open models.
  1. Install Ollama on your Mac
  2. Set the endpoint (default: http://localhost:11434)
  3. Fetch installed models
  4. Select a model to use

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Generation settings

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Temperature
slider
default:"0.7"
Control creativity vs. focus (0.0 - 2.0).
  • Lower (0.0-0.7) - More focused and deterministic
  • Higher (0.7-2.0) - More creative and varied
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Max output tokens
number
default:"4096"
Maximum length of AI responses.
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System prompt
text
Customize the AI’s behavior and personality with a system prompt.
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Enable streaming
toggle
default:"enabled"
Stream responses as they’re generated for faster feedback.
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Web search
toggle
default:"disabled"
Allow the AI to search the web for up-to-date information.
When enabled, you can configure:
  • Engine: Auto, Native, or Exa
  • Context size: Low, Medium, or High
  • Max results: 3, 5, or 10

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Browser tools

Control which browser automation tools the AI can use:
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Execution mode
dropdown
  • Manual - You approve each tool use
  • Automatic - AI can use tools without asking
Available tools include:
  • Navigate to URL
  • Click element
  • Fill input
  • Scroll page
  • Take screenshot
  • And more

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MCP servers

Configure Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to extend AI capabilities with custom tools.
  1. Click Add Server
  2. Enter server name
  3. Enter the command path (e.g., /usr/local/bin/mcp-server)
  4. Add arguments if needed (space-separated)
  5. Click Add
The server will connect automatically and expose its tools to the AI.

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Privacy settings

View and manage cookies stored by websites.
  • Total cookies - Session and persistent cookies
  • Manage Cookies - Browse and delete specific cookies
  • Clear Expired Cookies - Remove outdated cookies
  • Clear Third-Party Cookies - Remove tracking cookies
  • Clear High-Risk Cookies - Remove potentially tracking cookies
  • Privacy Cleanup - Intelligent cleanup of tracking data

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Cache management

Control cached website data to free up disk space.
  • Total cache - Disk and memory cache
  • Manage Cache - Browse cached resources
  • Clear Stale Cache - Remove outdated cached data
  • Clear Disk Cache - Remove all disk-cached files
  • Clear Memory Cache - Clear in-memory cache

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Privacy controls

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Block cross-site tracking
toggle
default:"disabled"
Block cross-site tracking using content rules and iframe cookie protection.
This uses WKContentRuleList to block known trackers and prevents third-party iframes from accessing cookies.

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Website data

Quickly clear browsing data:
  • Clear Browsing History - Remove all history entries
  • Clear Cache - Remove cached website data
  • Clear All Website Data - Complete privacy reset

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Profiles settings

Profiles let you separate your browsing into distinct personas with isolated data.

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Managing profiles

Each profile maintains:
  • Separate cookie and website data stores
  • Independent browsing history
  • Isolated spaces and tabs
  • Profile-specific settings
  1. Click Create Profile
  2. Enter a name
  3. Choose an icon
  4. Click Create
The new profile is created with an isolated data store and becomes active.

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Space assignments

Assign spaces to specific profiles:
  • Assign All to Current Profile - Move all spaces to the active profile
  • Reset to Default Profile - Move all spaces back to the default profile
Each space can belong to only one profile at a time.

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Migration tools

If you’re upgrading from a version without profiles:
  • Detect Legacy Data - Scan for shared cookies and site data
  • Migrate to Current Profile - Move shared data into your active profile
  • Start Fresh - Clear shared data without migration

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Keyboard shortcuts

Customize keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation. See Keyboard shortcuts for details.

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Extensions (macOS 15.5+)

Manage browser extensions when available on your system.
Extension support requires macOS 15.5 or later.

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