Detect
The userscript looks for media extensions, MIME types, attributes, query hints, playlists, manifests, and streaming protocols.
local-first utility
Web media. Meet VLC.
Media Link Launcher adds a clear, bold VLC control beside recognized media links—while leaving the website's original link exactly as it is.
No project server
No analytics
No sudo or Admin privileges
CC0 1.0
Recognized media link
evening-stream.m3u8
Original website link remains unchanged
VLC
Confirm local launch
The handoff
Four small steps. One intentional click.
Detection happens locally in the browser. Nothing is sent anywhere until you choose a detected link and approve the desktop prompt.
Choose
A bold VLC control appears beside the original link. The page's left-click and right-click behavior remains available.
Confirm
The local protocol handler validates the request and presents a redacted confirmation before anything launches.
Play
The complete URL is passed to VLC as one shell-free argument. VLC then contacts the destination server directly.
Built for the real web
Useful without pretending every link is obvious.
Media detection is heuristic, not magical. The launcher focuses on common direct media while avoiding unnecessary network probes.
Original links stay original
Relative URLs become absolute for VLC, but the website's anchor and normal Firefox behavior are not rewritten.
Dynamic-page aware
Newly inserted links are detected after page load, and duplicate controls are prevented as pages update.
Broad media hints
Video, audio, playlists, manifests, MIME metadata, query values, and common direct-stream protocols can be recognized.
URLs preserved
Spaces, Unicode, ampersands, fragments, percent characters, query strings, and signed tokens survive the local handoff.
Per-user install
The protocol handler installs under your user directories, requires no Admin or root privileges, and supports safe uninstall and migration.
No project cloud
There is no project-operated service, remote analytics endpoint, tracking request, or browser-history upload.
Guardrails included
A narrow bridge to a powerful player.
The media still comes from the web and is processed by VLC. The launcher reduces the handoff surface without claiming that remote content is automatically safe. No more copying and pasting links into VLC!!
- Exact media-link-launcher://open route validation
- HTTP and HTTPS are the only protocols enabled by default
- No shell execution and no command-string interpolation
- Credentials, paths, queries, and fragments stay out of logs
- Persistent event logging is disabled unless you enable it
Get the package
Ready to connect the links?
The ZIP contains the userscript, protocol handler, safe installer and uninstaller, complete documentation, licence, changelog, and tests.
Firefox
Tampermonkey
VLC media player
Python 3
gio or xdg-mime for Linux and built-in PowerShell for Windows