Start page guide
Add-a-tile links: pin a site to someone’s start page
The short answerLink to https://picktheclick.com/?add=<url>&name=<label> and the visitor’s start page asks “Add this site?”; if they confirm, the tile is saved in their browser. The #add= form works the same but keeps the address on their device, because browsers never send the part after # to a server. Nothing is ever added without the visitor’s OK.
The link
https://picktheclick.com/?add=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com&name=GitHub https://picktheclick.com/#add=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com&name=GitHub
add: the page to pin, an http(s) address, URL-encoded, up to 2000 characters. Anything else is ignored.name: optional label, URL-encoded, shown on one line and cut to 80 characters. Defaults to the site name.- Already pinned (same page, ignoring
www., http/https, a trailing slash and#anchor): the page says so and adds nothing.
Make one
Who uses it
Any website, tool or AI agent can offer an “Add to picktheclick” link. The Tab Tidy browser extension uses the #add= form to pin open tabs. It’s published as the tile.add intent in picktheclick’s intents.md, part of the intents.md protocol.
Open your start page
No account, nothing to install. Your tiles stay in your browser.
Questions
Can a link add a tile without asking?
No. The visitor always sees a confirm dialog first.
Which form should I use, ?add= or #add=?
They behave the same. Use #add= when the address is private: the part after # never leaves the visitor’s device.
Is there an API?
The link is the API: it runs entirely in the visitor’s browser.