Qubes-app-split-browser: Has anyone made it work with Mullvad Browser?

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1

I did these steps to try make Mullvad Browser work with the Split Browser setup from @rustybird .

  1. Clone a Fedora 42 minimal template and name it tpl-mullvad-browser.
  2. Create a disposable template named dvm-mullvad-browser.
  3. Inside tpl-mullvad-browser: install qubes-core-agent-networking, qubes-core-agent-passwordless-root, qubes-repo-contrib, qubes-split-browser-disp, and mullvad-browser.
  4. Inside tpl-mullvad-browser: change /etc/split-browser-disp/22-mullvad-browser.desktop from
SB_FIREFOX_DIR=~/.local/share/mullvad-browser/Browser
SB_FIREFOX=( ./start-mullvad-browser )

to

SB_FIREFOX_DIR=/usr/bin
SB_FIREFOX=( ./mullvad-browser )

because the paths from the former did not exist, even after launching a disposable Mullvad Browser from my dvm-mullvad-browser. Seems like this start-mullvad-browser script is not a thing in a packaged Mullvad Browser, anyway (Install Mullvad Browser).

  1. In the splitbrowser persistent qube, create a desktop entry under /usr/share/applications/split-browser-mullvad.desktop:
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Split Browser (Mullvad)
GenericName=Web Browser
Comment=Disposable browser with persistent bookmarks and passwords
Keywords=Firefox
Categories=Network;WebBrowser;Security
Icon=web-browser
Type=Application
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/https;x-scheme-handler/http
Exec=env SB_DISP=@dispvm:dvm-mullvad-browser split-browser %u
Terminal=false
StartupNotify=false

SB_DISP by default is @dispvm, which uses splitbrowser’s default disp VM, which mine is the Whonix workstation. Obviously, I don’t want to use Mullvad Browser from a Whonix workstation, so I change it here. It made me create a policy in dom0.

  1. In dom0: create a policy with
qubes.VMShell * splitbrowser @tag:dvm-mullvad-browser allow

Without this policy, I’d get errors saying the operation qubes.VMShell+WaitForSession could not be run from splitbrowser to dispXXXX.

So now, everything “works”. I can launch Mullvad Browser from a desktop entry.

However, I can’t do any of the functionality split browser offers. I can’t bookmark, or use Alt+D to show the bookmarks, etc.

How can I start debugging why, or is there an obvious reason why from the steps I made?

Thanks.

2

For the packaged Mullvad Browser, it’s

SB_FIREFOX_DIR=/usr/lib/mullvad-browser
SB_FIREFOX=( ./start-mullvad-browser )

More generally, SB_FIREFOX_DIR should point to the “main directory” of the Firefox-like browser, containing libxul.so etc. That’s where Split Browser will create the Mozilla AutoConfig file that enables its functionality.

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3

That solved it, thanks.

I then also faced the “error reading configuration file” issue and had to enable the qubes-contrib testing repo (ERROR: Failed to read the configuration file. Please contact your system administrator. · Issue #29 · rustybird/qubes-app-split-browser · GitHub).

Thanks

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4

v0.17.0 (not yet available in the contrib package repos) automatically tries a few common locations for Mullvad Brower.

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