diff --git a/app/src/components/DockerInstallDialog.tsx b/app/src/components/DockerInstallDialog.tsx
index cb3d712..cffdea7 100644
--- a/app/src/components/DockerInstallDialog.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/DockerInstallDialog.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
-import { openUrl } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-opener";
 import { useInstallHelper } from "../hooks/useInstallHelper";
+import { openUrlExternal } from "../lib/tauri-commands";
 import { useDocker } from "../hooks/useDocker";
 import Modal from "./ui/Modal";
 import Button from "./ui/Button";
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export default function DockerInstallDialog({ onClose }: Props) {
   const handleOpenDocs = async () => {
     if (!options) return;
     try {
-      await openUrl(options.docs_url);
+      await openUrlExternal(options.docs_url);
     } catch (e) {
       console.error("Failed to open docs URL:", e);
     }
diff --git a/app/src/components/settings/ClaudeAuthModal.test.tsx b/app/src/components/settings/ClaudeAuthModal.test.tsx
index 937cb1f..11c09ab 100644
--- a/app/src/components/settings/ClaudeAuthModal.test.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/settings/ClaudeAuthModal.test.tsx
@@ -11,14 +11,12 @@ vi.mock("../../lib/tauri-commands", () => ({
   hasClaudeToken: vi.fn(),
   clearClaudeToken: vi.fn(),
   cancelClaudeToken: (...args: unknown[]) => cancelClaudeToken(...args),
+  openUrlExternal: (...args: unknown[]) => openUrlExternal(...args),
 }));
 
 const cancelClaudeToken = vi.fn(() => Promise.resolve());
 
-const openUrl = vi.fn();
-vi.mock("@tauri-apps/plugin-opener", () => ({
-  openUrl: (...args: unknown[]) => openUrl(...args),
-}));
+const openUrlExternal = vi.fn();
 
 /** Captured event handlers, keyed by event name, so tests can emit. */
 const handlers = new Map<string, (event: { payload: unknown }) => void>();
@@ -174,7 +172,7 @@ describe("ClaudeAuthModal", () => {
 
     const link = await screen.findByRole("link", { name: url });
     fireEvent.click(link);
-    await waitFor(() => expect(openUrl).toHaveBeenCalledWith(url));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(openUrlExternal).toHaveBeenCalledWith(url));
   });
 
   it("ignores output belonging to a different project", async () => {
@@ -259,8 +257,8 @@ describe("ClaudeAuthModal", () => {
 
     const link = await screen.findByRole("link", { name: FULL_URL });
     fireEvent.click(link);
-    await waitFor(() => expect(openUrl).toHaveBeenCalledWith(FULL_URL));
-    expect(openUrl).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(TRUNCATED_URL);
+    await waitFor(() => expect(openUrlExternal).toHaveBeenCalledWith(FULL_URL));
+    expect(openUrlExternal).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(TRUNCATED_URL);
   });
 
   it("refuses a hyperlink target that is not an Anthropic sign-in address", async () => {
@@ -270,7 +268,7 @@ describe("ClaudeAuthModal", () => {
     emitLink("https://evil.tld/cai/oauth/authorize?code=true");
 
     expect(screen.queryByRole("link")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
-    expect(openUrl).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(openUrlExternal).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it("ignores a hyperlink belonging to a different project", async () => {
diff --git a/app/src/components/settings/ClaudeAuthModal.tsx b/app/src/components/settings/ClaudeAuthModal.tsx
index c58296b..ca5d081 100644
--- a/app/src/components/settings/ClaudeAuthModal.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/settings/ClaudeAuthModal.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
-import { openUrl } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-opener";
-import { cancelClaudeToken } from "../../lib/tauri-commands";
+import { cancelClaudeToken, openUrlExternal } from "../../lib/tauri-commands";
 import Modal from "../ui/Modal";
 import Button from "../ui/Button";
 import StatusIndicator, { type StatusTone } from "../ui/StatusIndicator";
@@ -118,7 +117,7 @@ export default function ClaudeAuthModal({
       return;
     }
     try {
-      await openUrl(target);
+      await openUrlExternal(target);
     } catch (e) {
       setLinkError(
         authErrorMessage(
diff --git a/app/src/components/settings/UpdateDialog.tsx b/app/src/components/settings/UpdateDialog.tsx
index 7e905c8..b798ee4 100644
--- a/app/src/components/settings/UpdateDialog.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/settings/UpdateDialog.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-import { openUrl } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-opener";
 import type { UpdateInfo } from "../../lib/types";
+import { openUrlExternal } from "../../lib/tauri-commands";
 import Modal from "../ui/Modal";
 import Button from "../ui/Button";
 import { formatBytes } from "../../lib/formatBytes";
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ export default function UpdateDialog({
 }: Props) {
   const handleDownload = async (url: string) => {
     try {
-      await openUrl(url);
+      await openUrlExternal(url);
     } catch (e) {
       console.error("Failed to open URL:", e);
     }
diff --git a/app/src/components/terminal/TerminalView.test.tsx b/app/src/components/terminal/TerminalView.test.tsx
index 093d471..56aa70d 100644
--- a/app/src/components/terminal/TerminalView.test.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/terminal/TerminalView.test.tsx
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@ import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
 import { render, fireEvent, cleanup, act } from "@testing-library/react";
 import TerminalView, { supersedes } from "./TerminalView";
 import { useAppState } from "../../store/appState";
-import { uploadHostFileToTerminal } from "../../lib/tauri-commands";
-import { openUrl } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-opener";
+import {
+  uploadHostFileToTerminal,
+  openUrlExternal,
+} from "../../lib/tauri-commands";
 import {
   chooseSignInTarget,
   resetBrowserSupportCache,
@@ -65,6 +67,7 @@ vi.mock("../../lib/tauri-commands", () => ({
   uploadHostFileToTerminal: vi.fn(async () => ""),
   getAuthBridgeStatus: vi.fn(async () => containerEnv.bridge),
   checkBrowserViewSupport: vi.fn(async () => containerEnv.detection),
+  openUrlExternal: vi.fn(async () => {}),
 }));
 
 vi.mock("@tauri-apps/api/event", () => ({
@@ -74,10 +77,6 @@ vi.mock("@tauri-apps/api/event", () => ({
   },
 }));
 
-vi.mock("@tauri-apps/plugin-opener", () => ({
-  openUrl: vi.fn(async () => {}),
-}));
-
 vi.mock("@tauri-apps/api/webview", () => ({
   getCurrentWebview: () => ({
     onDragDropEvent: async (cb: (event: unknown) => unknown) => {
@@ -148,8 +147,8 @@ beforeEach(() => {
   vi.mocked(uploadHostFileToTerminal).mockResolvedValue("/workspace/api/dropped.txt");
   dragDrop.handler = null;
   ptyOutput.listeners.clear();
-  vi.mocked(openUrl).mockReset();
-  vi.mocked(openUrl).mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+  vi.mocked(openUrlExternal).mockReset();
+  vi.mocked(openUrlExternal).mockResolvedValue(undefined);
   containerEnv.bridge = { enabled: false, active_ports: [], conflicts: [] };
   containerEnv.detection = null;
   // The Playwright probe is memoized across mounts (it is a container exec), so
@@ -760,7 +759,7 @@ describe("TerminalView — a host open that fails says so", () => {
   }
 
   it("pushes a toast instead of a console line nobody reads", async () => {
-    vi.mocked(openUrl).mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("no opener"));
+    vi.mocked(openUrlExternal).mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("no opener"));
     await mountWithPrompt();
     await act(async () => {
       fireEvent.click(openButton());
@@ -775,7 +774,7 @@ describe("TerminalView — a host open that fails says so", () => {
   it("keeps the prompt on screen, so the other route is still one click away", async () => {
     // Dismissing first is what this replaced: the toast vanished, nothing
     // opened, and the URL only existed in the container's transcript.
-    vi.mocked(openUrl).mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("no opener"));
+    vi.mocked(openUrlExternal).mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("no opener"));
     await mountWithPrompt();
     await act(async () => {
       fireEvent.click(openButton());
@@ -790,7 +789,7 @@ describe("TerminalView — a host open that fails says so", () => {
       fireEvent.click(openButton());
       await Promise.resolve();
     });
-    expect(openUrl).toHaveBeenCalledWith(URL);
+    expect(openUrlExternal).toHaveBeenCalledWith(URL);
     expect(document.querySelector(URL_TOAST_SELECTOR)).toBeNull();
   });
 });
diff --git a/app/src/components/terminal/TerminalView.tsx b/app/src/components/terminal/TerminalView.tsx
index 7f5cba2..0ff1f4a 100644
--- a/app/src/components/terminal/TerminalView.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/terminal/TerminalView.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { Terminal } from "@xterm/xterm";
 import { FitAddon } from "@xterm/addon-fit";
 import { WebglAddon } from "@xterm/addon-webgl";
 import { WebLinksAddon } from "@xterm/addon-web-links";
-import { openUrl } from "@tauri-apps/plugin-opener";
 import "@xterm/xterm/css/xterm.css";
 import { useTerminal } from "../../hooks/useTerminal";
 import { useAppState } from "../../store/appState";
@@ -11,6 +10,7 @@ import { CLAUDE_SOFT_NEWLINE } from "../../lib/claudeInput";
 import {
   awsSsoRefresh,
   openPageInContainerBrowser,
+  openUrlExternal,
   uploadHostFileToTerminal,
 } from "../../lib/tauri-commands";
 import { getCurrentWebview } from "@tauri-apps/api/webview";
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ export default function TerminalView({ sessionId, active }: Props) {
       // Same failure reporting as the toast's Open button — see the long note
       // on `handleOpenUrl`, including what this catch does *not* catch on
       // Linux. A click that appears to do nothing is the complaint either way.
-      openUrl(safe).catch((e) =>
+      openUrlExternal(safe).catch((e) =>
         useAppState.getState().pushToast({
           kind: "error",
           message: "Could not open that link in your browser",
@@ -822,14 +822,14 @@ export default function TerminalView({ sessionId, active }: Props) {
     if (!urlPrompt) return;
     // Validated again at the sink. `promptUrl` is the only writer and already
     // sanitizes, so this can only fail if that invariant is broken — which is
-    // precisely when it matters that the last thing before `openUrl` checks.
+    // precisely when it matters that the last thing before the opener checks.
     const safe = sanitizeRelayUrl(urlPrompt.url);
     if (!safe) {
       console.warn("Refusing to open a URL that failed validation");
       dismissUrlPrompt();
       return;
     }
-    openUrl(safe)
+    openUrlExternal(safe)
       .then(() => dismissUrlPrompt())
       .catch((e) =>
         useAppState.getState().pushToast({
diff --git a/app/src/lib/tauri-commands.ts b/app/src/lib/tauri-commands.ts
index d6934f8..a3ea226 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/tauri-commands.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/tauri-commands.ts
@@ -398,3 +398,18 @@ export const rollbackMigration = (projectId: string) =>
  *  app crash shows up here as phase "interrupted". */
 export const getMigrationState = (projectId: string) =>
   invoke<MigrationState | null>("get_migration_state", { projectId });
+
+/** Open a URL in the user's own browser.
+ *
+ *  Replaces `openUrl` from `@tauri-apps/plugin-opener` at every call site. On
+ *  Linux the app ships as an AppImage whose environment leaks into everything
+ *  it spawns, which kills a *cold-launched* browser before it paints while
+ *  `xdg-open` still exits 0 — so the plugin path reported success and did
+ *  nothing (triple-c#34). The Rust side hands the child a repaired environment
+ *  and re-validates the URL, which matters because these URLs originate in an
+ *  untrusted container. macOS and Windows still reach the plugin, just from
+ *  Rust, so there is no platform branch here.
+ *
+ *  Rejects with a string already phrased for a toast. */
+export const openUrlExternal = (url: string) =>
+  invoke<void>("open_url_external", { url });
diff --git a/app/src/lib/urlDetector.ts b/app/src/lib/urlDetector.ts
index 6bab70c..b2fbb22 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/urlDetector.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/urlDetector.ts
@@ -109,7 +109,8 @@ export type UrlCallback = (url: string, source: UrlSource) => void;
  * A direct port of `usable_sign_in_link` in
  * `commands/auth_token_commands.rs`, and deliberately just as shallow: this is
  * a junk filter, not the security decision. `sanitizeRelayUrl` is still the
- * only thing standing between any of this and `openUrl`, and duplicating its
+ * only thing standing between any of this and `openUrlExternal`, and
+ * duplicating its
  * rules here would be a second place for them to go stale.
  *
  * The one rule from the Rust that is not ported is its `sk-ant-` check: that
@@ -293,7 +294,7 @@ export class UrlDetector {
     //    include the *whole* C0 range and DEL, not just BEL: an escape or a NUL
     //    swallowed into the middle of a match becomes a URL that renders as one
     //    thing in the toast and resolves as another. Everything emitted here is
-    //    still re-validated by `sanitizeRelayUrl` before it can reach `openUrl`;
+    //    still re-validated by `sanitizeRelayUrl` before it can reach the opener;
     //    stopping the match early only means the legitimate prefix survives
     //    instead of the whole candidate being thrown away.
     // eslint-disable-next-line no-control-regex
diff --git a/app/src/lib/urlRelay.ts b/app/src/lib/urlRelay.ts
index 947adfd..32d238f 100644
--- a/app/src/lib/urlRelay.ts
+++ b/app/src/lib/urlRelay.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 /**
  * URL relay — host side of `container/triple-c-open` — and the single URL
- * validator every `openUrl` call site in the app is required to go through.
+ * validator every `openUrlExternal` call site in the app is required to go
+ * through.
  *
  * A CLI inside the container has no browser. When it wants to open a URL
  * (`gh auth login`, `aws sso login`, `gcloud auth login`, anything honouring