diff --git a/crates/shell/src/capability.rs b/crates/shell/src/capability.rs
index 1c4d42ac4d..9fe8108b7a 100644
--- a/crates/shell/src/capability.rs
+++ b/crates/shell/src/capability.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,19 @@ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 use cap_std::{ambient_authority, fs::Dir};
 
+/// Whether a script may hand `url` to the system URL opener.
+///
+/// One rule for every route out: `Link.href`, `cx.open_url`, and a link in
+/// `TextView` content. The scheme check is the part that matters. Without it
+/// any of them becomes a way to hand an arbitrary URI to whatever handler the
+/// desktop has registered for its scheme, which is a considerably larger thing
+/// than opening a page.
+pub(crate) fn is_openable_url(url: &str) -> bool {
+    reqwest::Url::parse(url).is_ok_and(|parsed| {
+        matches!(parsed.scheme(), "http" | "https") && parsed.host_str().is_some()
+    })
+}
+
 /// A capability grant. Every field is private so adding a capability later is
 /// not a breaking change for embedders.
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Default)]
diff --git a/crates/shell/src/engine/quickjs/host.rs b/crates/shell/src/engine/quickjs/host.rs
index 2f5a5795ad..5f8ce7adfe 100644
--- a/crates/shell/src/engine/quickjs/host.rs
+++ b/crates/shell/src/engine/quickjs/host.rs
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ use rquickjs::{
 use serde_json::Value as Json;
 
 use crate::{
-    capability::{Access, Capabilities, CapabilityError, Grant},
+    capability::{Access, Capabilities, CapabilityError, Grant, is_openable_url},
     policy::Policy,
     scope,
     storage::{Storage, persist},
@@ -108,14 +108,10 @@ pub fn install(_ctx: &Ctx<'_>, module: &Object<'_>) -> JsResult<()> {
 /// imperative half of a pair whose declarative half is ungated, which reads as
 /// protection without being any.
 ///
-/// The scheme check is the part that matters. Without it this becomes a way to
-/// hand an arbitrary URI to whatever handler the desktop has registered for
-/// its scheme, which is a considerably larger thing than opening a page.
+/// The rule itself is [`is_openable_url`], shared with `href` and the
+/// `TextView` default link handler.
 fn open_url(ctx: Ctx<'_>, url: String) -> JsResult<()> {
-    let valid = reqwest::Url::parse(&url).is_ok_and(|parsed| {
-        matches!(parsed.scheme(), "http" | "https") && parsed.host_str().is_some()
-    });
-    if !valid {
+    if !is_openable_url(&url) {
         return Err(Exception::throw_type(
             &ctx,
             "cx.open_url(url) expects an absolute HTTP(S) URL with a host",
diff --git a/crates/shell/src/engine/quickjs/mod.rs b/crates/shell/src/engine/quickjs/mod.rs
index 2d3b6efdc8..058834dcd0 100644
--- a/crates/shell/src/engine/quickjs/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/shell/src/engine/quickjs/mod.rs
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ use smallvec::SmallVec;
 use crate::{
     ArgumentDescriptor, ArgumentSchema, ComponentArgument, ComponentCallbackArgument,
     ComponentCallbackValue, ComponentDataValue, ComponentPayload, FrozenComponentRegistry,
+    capability::is_openable_url,
     dependencies::{GitDependencyStore, MaterializedDependency},
     entities::{EntityHandle, EntityStore},
     host_modules::HostValue,
@@ -8102,10 +8103,7 @@ impl ShellRuntime {
                     let Some(target) = bridged.first().and_then(|value| value.as_str().ok()) else {
                         return Err(Exception::throw_type(ctx, "href(url) expects a string"));
                     };
-                    let valid = reqwest::Url::parse(target).is_ok_and(|url| {
-                        matches!(url.scheme(), "http" | "https") && url.host_str().is_some()
-                    });
-                    if !valid {
+                    if !is_openable_url(target) {
                         return Err(Exception::throw_type(
                             ctx,
                             "href(url) expects an absolute HTTP(S) URL with a host",
diff --git a/crates/shell/src/materialize.rs b/crates/shell/src/materialize.rs
index bb0834d4bf..2541b15237 100644
--- a/crates/shell/src/materialize.rs
+++ b/crates/shell/src/materialize.rs
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ use gpui_base::{
 mod components;
 
 use crate::{
+    capability::is_openable_url,
     engine::ShellRuntime,
     scroll::Scrollable,
     snapshot::RenderSnapshot,
@@ -1073,6 +1074,20 @@ fn materialize_component(
                 view = view.on_link_click(move |url, _event, window, cx| {
                     route.emit(crate::HostValue::from(url.to_string()), window, cx);
                 });
+            } else {
+                view = view.on_link_click(|url, event, _, cx| {
+                    // Preserve Base's activation behavior, but apply Shell's URL rules.
+                    let activate = match event {
+                        gpui::ClickEvent::Mouse(click) => {
+                            matches!(click.up.button, MouseButton::Left | MouseButton::Middle)
+                        }
+                        gpui::ClickEvent::Keyboard(_) => true,
+                        gpui::ClickEvent::Touch(click) => !click.long_press,
+                    };
+                    if activate && is_openable_url(url) {
+                        cx.open_url(url);
+                    }
+                });
             }
             Styled::style(&mut view).refine(&refinement);
             view.into_any_element()
diff --git a/crates/shell/src/tests/render.rs b/crates/shell/src/tests/render.rs
index 21d8336c84..3bb9bca423 100644
--- a/crates/shell/src/tests/render.rs
+++ b/crates/shell/src/tests/render.rs
@@ -241,6 +241,124 @@ export default class RichText extends View {
     assert!(tree.contains(":on_link_click(fn)"), "{tree}");
 }
 
+fn mount_text_view_link(
+    cx: &mut TestAppContext,
+    source: &str,
+) -> (gpui::Entity<ScriptView>, VisualTestContext) {
+    cx.update(crate::init);
+    let runtime = ShellRuntime::new_isolated().expect("runtime");
+    cx.update(|cx| runtime.set_global(cx));
+    let view_type = runtime
+        .load_source("text-view-link.js", source)
+        .expect("load");
+    let window = cx.add_window(move |window, cx| {
+        let view = runtime
+            .instantiate_view_with_policy(&view_type, Rc::new(Policy::new()), window, cx)
+            .expect("instantiate");
+        RootedScriptView(view)
+    });
+    let mut context = VisualTestContext::from_window(*window.deref(), cx);
+    context.update(|window, cx| window.draw(cx).clear(cx));
+    context.run_until_parked();
+    context.update(|window, cx| window.draw(cx).clear(cx));
+    let view = window
+        .root(&mut context)
+        .expect("root")
+        .read_with(&context, |root, _| root.0.clone());
+    (view, context)
+}
+
+#[gpui::test]
+fn text_view_default_links_follow_shell_url_rules(cx: &mut TestAppContext) {
+    use gpui::MouseButton;
+
+    for format in ["markdown", "html"] {
+        for (url, allowed) in [
+            ("file:///tmp/text-view-link", false),
+            ("test:example", false),
+            ("/docs", false),
+            ("https://", false),
+            ("http://example.com/docs", true),
+            ("https://example.com/docs", true),
+        ] {
+            for button in [MouseButton::Left, MouseButton::Middle, MouseButton::Right] {
+                let text = match format {
+                    "html" => format!(r#"<a href="{url}">example</a>"#),
+                    _ => format!("[example]({url})"),
+                };
+                let text = serde_json::to_string(&text).expect("text");
+                let source = format!(
+                    r#"
+import {{ View }} from "gpui-kit";
+import {{ TextView }} from "gpui-base";
+export default class RichText extends View {{
+  render() {{ return TextView.{format}("link", {text}); }}
+}}
+"#
+                );
+                // opened_url is app-wide; each case must start without an earlier open.
+                let mut app = cx.new_app();
+                let (_view, mut context) = mount_text_view_link(&mut app, &source);
+                context.simulate_mouse_down(point(px(10.), px(10.)), button, Modifiers::default());
+                context.simulate_mouse_up(point(px(10.), px(10.)), button, Modifiers::default());
+                let expected = (allowed && button != MouseButton::Right).then(|| url.to_owned());
+                assert_eq!(
+                    context.opened_url(),
+                    expected,
+                    "{format}: {url}, {button:?}"
+                );
+                app.quit();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[gpui::test]
+fn text_view_link_callback_still_replaces_default_opening(cx: &mut TestAppContext) {
+    use gpui::MouseButton;
+
+    for format in ["markdown", "html"] {
+        for url in ["file:///tmp/text-view-link", "https://example.com/docs"] {
+            for button in [MouseButton::Left, MouseButton::Middle, MouseButton::Right] {
+                let text = match format {
+                    "html" => format!(r#"<a href="{url}">example</a>"#),
+                    _ => format!("[example]({url})"),
+                };
+                let text = serde_json::to_string(&text).expect("text");
+                let source = format!(
+                    r#"
+import {{ View }} from "gpui-kit";
+import {{ TextView }} from "gpui-base";
+export default class RichText extends View {{
+  render() {{
+    if (this.clicked) return "callback:" + this.clicked;
+    return TextView.{format}("link", {text}).on_link_click((url, cx) => {{
+      this.clicked = url;
+      cx.notify();
+    }});
+  }}
+}}
+"#
+                );
+                let mut app = cx.new_app();
+                let (view, mut context) = mount_text_view_link(&mut app, &source);
+                context.simulate_mouse_down(point(px(10.), px(10.)), button, Modifiers::default());
+                context.simulate_mouse_up(point(px(10.), px(10.)), button, Modifiers::default());
+                context.run_until_parked();
+                context.update(|window, cx| window.draw(cx).clear(cx));
+                let tree = context
+                    .update(|_, cx| view.read(cx).snapshot().expect("snapshot").debug_tree());
+                assert!(
+                    tree.contains(&format!("callback:{url}")),
+                    "{format}: {url}, {button:?}: {tree}"
+                );
+                assert_eq!(context.opened_url(), None, "{format}: {url}, {button:?}");
+                app.quit();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[gpui::test]
 fn a_script_view_produces_an_element_description(cx: &mut TestAppContext) {
     cx.update(|cx| crate::init(cx));