Rule Reference
Rules tell Takt how to organize your tabs. Each rule matches tabs by URL or title and assigns them to a named, colored tab group.
Rule structure #
Every rule has:
- Name — a label for your reference (e.g., "GitHub repos")
- Conditions — one or more patterns to match against tab URLs or titles
- Group name — the label Chrome displays on the tab group
- Color — one of Chrome's 8 tab group colors
- Enabled — toggle rules on/off without deleting them
Rules are evaluated top-to-bottom in priority order. The first matching rule wins — later rules are not checked.
Match types #
Contains Free
Case-insensitive substring match. The pattern can appear anywhere in the URL.
| Pattern | Matches |
|---|---|
| github.com | https://github.com/user/repo |
| docs | https://docs.google.com/document/d/... |
| localhost | http://localhost:3000/api |
Exact Free
The full URL must match the pattern exactly (case-insensitive).
| Pattern | Matches |
|---|---|
| https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox | Only that exact URL |
Domain Free
Matches the hostname or any subdomain. Useful for grouping all pages from a site regardless of path.
| Pattern | Matches |
|---|---|
| google.com | docs.google.com, mail.google.com, google.com |
| github.com | github.com/user/repo, gist.github.com |
Glob Premium
Shell-style pattern matching with wildcards:
*— matches any characters except/**— matches anything, including/?— matches exactly one character
| Pattern | Matches |
|---|---|
| *://github.com/*/issues | Issues page on any GitHub repo |
| *://docs.google.com/** | Any Google Docs page |
| http://localhost:30??/* | Localhost ports 3000-3099 |
Regex Premium
Full JavaScript regular expression. The pattern is anchored — it must match the entire URL
(equivalent to wrapping in ^...$).
| Pattern | Matches |
|---|---|
| .*://(github|gitlab)\.com/.* | Both GitHub and GitLab |
| .*://.*\.aws\.amazon\.com/.* | Any AWS console page |
Regex patterns are powerful but can be tricky. Use the Rule Tester in the options page to verify your pattern matches the URLs you expect. See the URL Tester section below.
Test a URL #
The URL Tester lets you type any URL and instantly see which rule (if any) it matches.
Open the Options page and go to the Rules tab. Type or paste a URL into the test field at the top of the rule list.
The matching rule highlights in the list. If no rule matches, the field stays neutral.
Condition fields #
Each condition matches against one of two fields:
- URL (default) — the full tab URL
- Title Premium — the page title shown in the tab
Additional options per condition:
-
Negate — inverts the match. "URL does NOT contain
google.com" - Case sensitive — by default, matching is case-insensitive
Compound conditions #
Premium feature. Free users are limited to a single condition per rule.
Combine multiple conditions with:
- AND — all conditions must match
- OR — any condition can match
Example: group tabs where the URL contains github.com
AND the title contains Pull Request.
Rule priority #
Rules are evaluated in the order they appear in your rule list. The first matching rule wins — the tab is assigned to that rule's group, and no further rules are checked.
Drag rules in the options page to reorder them. Put more specific rules higher, general catch-all rules lower.
Reordering rules #
Use the up (↑) and down (↓) arrow buttons beside each rule in Options → Rules to change its position in the list. Rule order is saved automatically.
Rules are evaluated from top to bottom — the first matching rule wins. Place specific rules above broad catch-alls to control which rule applies when multiple rules could match the same tab.
Preview matching tabs #
In Options → Rules, open any rule and click "Preview matching tabs" to see which currently-open tabs would match the rule's conditions — without saving the rule.
If no open tabs match the current conditions, the message "No tabs match this rule." is shown.
Import & Export #
Back up and restore your rules from Options → Settings.
Export rules saves a takt-rules.json file with your rules. Import rules reads a JSON file and adds the rules to your list — existing rules are preserved; imported rules are appended.
Export backup saves takt-backup.json with your rules, settings, profiles, sessions, and hibernated tabs. Import backup restores all of these. You may be prompted to re-grant permissions after importing a backup.
On import, existing rules are not replaced — imported rules are added to the end of your list.
Create rule from context menu #
Premium feature. Requires an active Takt Premium subscription.
Right-click any web page and choose "Create rule from this tab" to open the rule editor with the URL already populated.
Takt derives a Glob pattern of the form *://host/* from the current tab's URL and pre-fills the new-rule form in the Options page.
Review the pre-filled form and click Save — the rule is not committed until you do.
AI Suggestions #
The Rules section of the Options page includes an AI Suggestions panel that proposes new tab-grouping rules based on the domains currently open in your browser.
Click the Suggest rules button in the AI Suggestions panel within the Rules tab of Options to generate suggestions.
Suggestions are generated on your device using Chrome's built-in Prompt API. No tab data, URL, or rule content ever leaves your browser — there is no server, no telemetry, and no third-party AI provider.
Free users can receive suggestions, but the total rule count is capped at 5. Accepting a suggestion that would push the total above 5 is blocked with the same upgrade prompt as manual rule creation.
The AI Suggestions panel is silently hidden when Chrome's Prompt API is unavailable (older Chrome version, flag disabled, or unsupported hardware). To enable on-device AI, see Chrome's on-device AI guide.
Takt also offers heuristic suggestions in the Insights pane — see the Insights doc page.
Group colors #
Chrome supports 8 tab group colors: grey, blue, red, yellow, green, pink, purple, and cyan.
All 8 colors are available to free and Premium users.