Brave-browser: Start brave in incognito+TOR mode using command line

[edouard-lopez]

Description

related: #690, #1457

Starting Brave in incognito mode via command is possible with the --incognito flag. However there is no such flag for the Tor feature.

Steps to Reproduce

To enable Tor you have to:

1. Start brave manually or by CLI brave-browser --incognito (here in incognito mode) ;
2. Hit Alt+Shift+N (Linux user) ;
3. Close previous window.

Actual result:

Works

Expected result:

Open directly via a flag, e.g.:

 brave-browser --incognito --tor

Reproduces how often:

Every time

Brave version (brave://version info)

 Version 0.56.12 Chromium: 70.0.3538.77 (Official Build) (64-bit)

[jackcaron]

Yes please!!!

Not sure if the right issue also, but when installed on Ubuntu, you can lock Brave in the launcher. And with a right click, having option for the incognito and incognito+tor would also be great.

[jtbrown3]

Thanks for mentioning this @jackcaron - In Windows 10, this context feature of 'right-clicking' from the TaskBar or Start Menu also exists. It would be a GREAT if Brave could also add the "New Incognito+Tor Window" selection to these special context menus. This could be an extension of the command-line option being requested here...

[Brave-Matt]

Just had a user on Reddit confirm that a way to do this in Windows (tested and works on my end):
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/a7aflb/how_to_launch_brave_browser_in_incognito_mode_by/
Method:

1. Right-click on Brave Shortcut --> Properties
2. In Target path, enter [space]--incognito after quotations
3. Click Apply/OK
4. Brave shortcut launches with Private Window
   Note: the [space] refers the actual space character - command throws invalid path error without the space between the last " and --incognito

[ghost]

Yes, please, add the command line to open brave tor window.
That's a real need for us.

[manit-shah]

+1 for adding CLI command to open Brave tor window (start Brave --tor perhaps?)
+1 for adding New private window with Tor option to Windows 10 special context menus

Additional (related) request:
Allow the user to specify the default new window type (normal window, private window, or private window with Tor). So that a user may choose for Brave to always open to a private window with Tor. This would be an outstanding addition (which even Chrome does not have).

[Brave-Matt]

+1 from reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/ck9z3v/command_line_option_to_launch_new_private_browser/

[Brave-Matt]

+1 https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/csao5r/open_brave_with_tor_by_default_via_shortcut/

[apenasrr]

+1 from Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/e6pk3i/windows_run_command_to_open_link_in_private/

[WhatDothLife]

Can't wait for this to be implemented.

[x0rzkov]

+1 bump

[RuthlessRuler]

+1 Bump.

[cybarspace]

It's been 2 years already... Please implement it soon. It'd be a killer feature.
Also, please add it to the context menu (.desktop file on Linux) so we get a "New Incognito Window with Tor" option on right-clicking the shortcut.

[contre95]

It would be a great feature, yes !

[contre95]

how f*cking long this will take? Do hear me?
just parse a new cli argument and trigger incognito+tor mode just like incognito.

Calm down dude !

[dbjordan1]

how f*cking long this will take? Do hear me?
just parse a new cli argument and trigger incognito+tor mode just like incognito.

Yup, should be pretty simple. Good thing it's open source, we'll keep an eye out for the pull request.

[woswos]

If anyone needs this feature for automation (for example, using Brave Incognito+Tor mode in selenium), try using xdotool windowactivate --sync <Brave's_ window_id> key alt+shift+n to send the shortcut to the browser instead. Later, you can use driver.switch_to.window() to switch to the Incognito+Tor window and keep running your tests.

If you already thought about using selenium's sendKeys() to open the Incognito+Tor mode, that doesn't work because apparently "keys get sent directly to the render process, bypassing the browser process. So, any keyboard shortcut handlers in the browser process will not be invoked by sendKeys()."

Of course, I would prefer to use brave-browser --incognito --tor, but it doesn't exist yet :(

[russeg]

Since it's been 2 years, I'm assuming this is a very very hard problem. Is there an unsurmountable technical reason why It has not been implemented? It seems it's not as simple as parsing --tor or whatever and launching a new browser window, like some people suggested? Am I wrong about this?

[dbjordan1]

I believe this is the hardest problem the team has ever encountered.

Doug Jordan

On Fri, Nov 6, 2020 at 8:29 PM russeg [e-mail] wrote:

Since it's been 2 years, I'm assuming this is a very very hard problem. Is
there an unsurmountable technical reason why It has not been implemented?
It seems it's not as simple as parsing --tor or whatever and launching a
new browser window, like some people suggested? Am I wrong about this?

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[141]

It seems impossible for them as Tor is not part of the browser itself, but a built-in extension. If they can merge Tor in, then it would be simple.