Link Detection
- Enhanced link parsing in dragged or selected text to recognize a wider range of valid URLs.
- Improved domain recognition logic — now includes common top-level domains and country-specific domains.
Khigo 1 — Release Notes
Includes updates from versions 1.0 through 1.4
April 2020 - January 2021
Khigo 1 introduced a completely new way to browse and search the web — transforming Safari into a drag-and-drop powerhouse. The 1.x series refines this experience with precise direction handling, improved link and text recognition, and deep customization for search engines and tab behavior. From its debut Safari App Extension to intelligent drop logic, link parsing, and user preferences, Khigo 1 evolves into a faster, more intuitive, and flexible companion for effortless web navigation.
Requires macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) or later
Need help with this release? Visit our Support page or contact us at support@sientosh.com.
Khigo 1.4
Released on 20 January 2021
An update improving link parsing accuracy in dragged or selected text, resulting in more reliable URL detection across various domain formats.
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Application
- Refined internal text handling for improved reliability when detecting and opening links.
- Minor stability improvements and optimizations for better drag-and-open responsiveness.
Khigo 1.3
Released on 15 May 2020
A significant refinement to drag direction and link handling behavior — improving accuracy, consistency, and user control when dragging content in Safari.
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Direction Handling
- Improved direction calculation logic for more accurate drag detection when initiating a gesture from Safari.
- Removed direction recalculation during drag pauses — direction is now determined solely from the initial drag start point, preventing confusion and ensuring consistent results.
Drag and Drop Behavior
- Khigo now processes drops only when the dragged content is released within Safari — external app drops are safely ignored to prevent unintended actions.
- Improved reliability of drop recognition, ensuring that URLs or search queries are only opened after a confirmed drop event.
- Text content now replaces line breaks with spaces before processing to ensure cleaner search queries and URL handling.
Links and Images
- If the dragged source element is an image inside a link, Khigo now opens the link’s URL by default for more natural browsing behavior.
- Press and hold the ⌥ key to instead open the image’s direct source URL.
Text Selection
- When selected text contains one or more links, Khigo opens those links by default instead of performing a web search.
- Press and hold the ⌥ key to override this and search the selected text with the default search engine instead.
- Plain-text URLs within a selection (not linked via HTML anchor tags) are now automatically detected and opened when possible.
- If the selected text does not include the clicked HTML node at drag start, the selection is ignored to ensure consistent and predictable behavior.
Application
- Enhanced drag processing logic across Safari integration components for better accuracy and responsiveness.
- General stability improvements and minor internal refinements to the Safari extension for smoother performance.
Khigo 1.2
Released on 15 April 2020
A feature update introducing customizable search engines and improved tab activation controls, along with refined drag handling and usability enhancements.
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Preferences
- Introduced the ability to add or remove custom search engines directly from Preferences.
- Each search engine can be configured with a name and a URL template containing
%s, which is replaced by the dragged text during a search. - Added validation to ensure URLs are properly formatted and contain the required
%splaceholder. - Fixed an issue that allowed spaces in search engine URLs.
- Added new tab activation options for drag directions — Left Up, Left Down, Right Up, and Right Down — letting users control whether a newly opened tab becomes active immediately.
Drag Handling
- When an image is dragged and dropped, Khigo now opens the linked page instead of the image source by default for more intuitive behavior.
- When both text and links are present in dragged content, the selected text is now prioritized for search engine queries.
- Added support for cancelling a drag operation by pressing the Escape key.
Application
- Improved reliability and consistency when processing drag-and-drop interactions in Safari.
- General stability improvements and minor bug fixes across the extension.
Khigo 1.0
Released on 2 April 2020
The debut release of Khigo — a Safari App Extension designed to open links and search the web using simple drag-and-drop gestures. With intuitive direction-based actions, customizable search engines, and smooth Safari integration, Khigo redefines browsing efficiency on macOS.
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Application
- Introduced Khigo — a Safari App Extension built with modern Safari App Extension technology for macOS.
- Enables users to open links or search text via drag-and-drop gestures directly within Safari.
- Direction-based logic determines tab behavior:
- Upward drags (Left Up, Right Up) open the tab in the foreground.
- Downward drags (Left Down, Right Down) open the tab in the background.
- Supports both text and link drags — links open directly, while text is used for search queries.
Features
- Four-directional gesture system for versatile tab actions and searches.
- Instant tab activation for upward drags ensures a seamless browsing experience.
- Smartly interprets the dragged content type — whether it’s a link or text — and opens it appropriately.
- Fully integrated into Safari’s native tab behavior, providing a consistent macOS experience.
Settings
- Introduced the Preferences panel to configure search engines for each direction — Left Up, Right Up, Left Down, and Right Down.
- Each direction provides a dropdown menu to select a built-in search engine and an editable text field to modify its URL.
- Includes popular built-in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Wikipedia, Twitter, and YouTube.
- Customizations are saved instantly for a smooth, user-friendly setup experience.
See Also
Khigo 2 Release Notes
Rebuilt on Safari Web Extension technology with faster performance, redesigned settings, and deep jDM integration for smarter, more flexible browsing.
Khigo Release Notes
Explore the full Khigo release history — from its 2020 debut to today’s Web Extension evolution — showcasing every milestone that shaped smarter Safari browsing on macOS.