The latest articles on DEV Community by Alex Koval (@k0va1). https://dev.to/k0va1 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F107397%2F0a2f94a4-b6ce-4183-bf3b-fe14b3efe5b9.jpeg https://dev.to/k0va1 en Alex Koval Tue, 22 Sep 2026 11:08:10 +0000 https://dev.to/k0va1/my-battery-kept-dying-at-coffee-shops-so-i-built-junction-24b0 https://dev.to/k0va1/my-battery-kept-dying-at-coffee-shops-so-i-built-junction-24b0 <p>I usually build stuff sitting in coffee shops. I just get way more locked in when I'm out of the house than at home. So this isn't some rare thing, it's basically most of my work time.</p> <p>Anyway here's what kicked this off: I was at a coffee shop, on battery, working in <a href="https://zen-browser.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">Zen</a> like always, and my battery just dropped off a cliff. Way faster than it should. So I switched to Safari for a bit just to see, and yeah, night and day.</p> <p>Not really shocking honestly — Safari's built for Apple Silicon specifically, Zen runs on Firefox's engine, and Firefox-based browsers are known to be heavier on power on a Mac. Looked into it a bit more after:</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fqy9m63ax5vue4k5wqcwk.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fqy9m63ax5vue4k5wqcwk.png" alt=" " width="800" height="434"></a></p> <p>So the fix was pretty obvious: Safari on battery, Zen when plugged in. Doesn't even matter if I'm doing light stuff or grinding on something heavy unplugged. Safari just costs less battery either way.</p> <p>Only problem, macOS doesn't let you do that. Whatever your default browser is, that's what opens when you click a link anywhere - Slack, Telegram, Mail, doesn't matter. I just wanted those links to go to Safari when I'm unplugged, without having to think about it or manually change my default browser every time I sit down at a coffee shop. So I built Junction to do that for me.</p> <h2> What it does </h2> <p>Sits in your menu bar, grabs every link you click system-wide, and decides which browser actually opens it based on rules you set:</p> <ul> <li><p><strong>Battery-aware rules.</strong> On battery → Safari, plugged in → Zen (or whatever). Watches your power state live so it flips the second you plug/unplug, no restart needed.</p></li> <li><p><strong>Regular rules too.</strong> Match by host or regex — "anything on github.com goes to Chrome," stuff like that.</p></li> <li><p><strong>A picker when nothing matches.</strong> Small popup under the menu bar icon, pick with your keyboard or a click. Fast, not some dialog you have to fight with.</p></li> </ul> <p>Rules run in order, so you can stack exceptions above a general rule.</p> <h2> Free </h2> <p>Junction's free, no restrictions. There's an optional one-time supporter license if you want to throw a few bucks at it</p> <h2> Download </h2> <p>You can grab the latest version <a href="https://github.com/k0va1/junction-releases/releases/download/v1.0.0/Junction-1.0.0.dmg" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a></p> macos productivity tools