Webex Direct Linker

Open Webex meetings straight in the desktop app.
A tiny, privacy-respecting Chrome extension that skips the sluggish web client.

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A tiny, privacy-respecting Chrome Extension (Manifest V3) that intercepts Webex meeting URLs and launches them directly in the Cisco Webex Desktop App via the ciscowebexapp:// URI scheme — bypassing the sluggish web client's audio, video, and login-loop issues.

No telemetry, no external scripts, no broad host permissions.

Features

• URL interception for the three canonical Webex entry points:
  • https://<site>.webex.com/meet/<username-or-id>
  • https://<site>.webex.com/join/<meeting-number>
  • https://<site>.webex.com/j.php?MTID=… / ?MK=…
• Protocol redirection to ciscowebexapp://join?siteurl=…&meetingNum=….
• Fallback chooser (the "intercept" page) with a prominent Open in Desktop App action and a secondary Stay in Browser button that clearly warns about the web client's audio limitations.
• Dark-themed popup (Bootstrap 5 data-bs-theme="dark" on a #121212 canvas) with:
  • Live status indicator for the active tab.
  • Toggle: Always open in Desktop App (auto-launch without chooser).
  • Toggle: Show fallback chooser (recommended on).
  • One-click Report Bug / Request Feature buttons that open GitHub Issues pre-filled with extension version and environment info.

Why not the official Cisco extension?

The official Cisco Webex Chrome Extension demands broad permissions, injects into every browsing session, and adds meaningful memory overhead. This extension does one thing only: when you navigate to a known Webex meeting URL, it redirects you to your local Webex Desktop App.

Permissions (all minimal)

Permission	Reason
webNavigation	Detect navigations to Webex meeting URLs.
storage	Persist the two user toggles.
activeTab	Read the current tab's URL from the popup.
Host: *://*.webex.com/*	Filter webNavigation events; no content-script injection.

There is no tabs, scripting, <all_urls>, or "Read all site data" permission.

Project layout

.
├── manifest.json        # MV3 manifest
├── background.js        # Service worker — URL parser + redirector
├── popup.html           # Bootstrap 5 dark popup
├── popup.js             # Popup logic (status, prefs, feedback buttons)
├── popup.css            # Theme overrides on top of Bootstrap dark
├── intercept.html       # Local chooser page (dark, card-style)
├── intercept.js         # Protocol launcher + fallback to browser
├── lib/
│   └── bootstrap.min.css  # Bundled locally (MV3 disallows remote CSS)
└── icons/               # 16/32/48/128 PNGs

Install (developer mode)

1. Clone or download this folder.
2. Open chrome://extensions in Chrome or Edge.
3. Enable Developer mode (top-right toggle).
4. Click Load unpacked and select this directory.

The extension icon should now appear in your toolbar.

Test it

1. Visit any link of the form https://<site>.webex.com/meet/<username>.
2. You should be redirected to the intercept page, which triggers your OS handler for ciscowebexapp:// (Chrome will show its Open Cisco Webex? prompt the first time).

Customising the feedback buttons

The Report Bug / Request Feature buttons open a GitHub Issues URL. Edit the GITHUB_REPO constant at the top of popup.js:

const GITHUB_REPO = 'your-org/webex-direct-linker';

If you prefer Google Forms, replace the two template URLs with your form's prefill URL (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/<id>/viewform?usp=pp_url&entry.<field>=<value>).

Icons

The bundled PNGs are placeholder marks generated programmatically. Drop in your own artwork at icons/icon{16,32,48,128}.png to replace them.

License

Released under the MIT License © 2026 Olivier Lüthy. You're free to use, modify and distribute this software, including commercially, as long as the copyright notice and license are included.

Author

Built by Olivier Lüthy — GitHub.