Setup & IT rollout
The fastest, smoothest way to use go/ is the
Chrome extension — one click, nothing for IT to do. Other browsers are
covered by a one-record DNS fallback. Here's both.
Recommended: the Chrome extension
Best experience
We recommend the extension for ~everyone. It intercepts
http(s)://go/<slug> right in the browser and redirects
to slashgo.io/go/<slug> — the request never even hits the
network, so there's no DNS to configure and no rough edges. It also adds the Google-search
fallback and the go <slug> omnibox keyword.
Optional polish: add 127.0.0.1 go to your hosts file so
go/<slug> resolves instantly instead of bouncing through a
Google search. The extension catches it before it leaves your machine, so the IP is just a
placeholder — 127.0.0.1 is the standard pick.
Other browsers: the DNS fallback
No extension (Firefox, Safari, locked-down fleets)? Point the go
hostname at slashgo and the server does the redirect — works in any browser. The cleanest way
is a single internal DNS record so you never touch individual machines:
go IN CNAME go.slashgo.io.
go.slashgo.io is our stable origin target — CNAME to it and
you'll never hardcode (or have to update) an IP. A request to
go/<slug> then 302s to
slashgo.io/go/<slug>, where your session resolves the link.
Per-machine, the equivalent hosts entry works too:
go.slashgo.io go # or: <your slashgo IP> go One rough edge on non-Chrome browsers
A bare, dotless hostname like go can't have a public TLS
certificate, so HTTPS-first browsers may try https://go/…
first and stumble before the plain-http redirect kicks in.
This is inherent to every go/ system (it's exactly what the
extension sidesteps). If a teammate can run Chrome,
we recommend the extension — it's the smoothest path by far.
MDM deployment
Rolling out at scale: force-install the extension (the recommended path), and optionally push
the go hosts entry / DNS record for non-Chrome machines.
Google Admin
Force-install under Devices → Chrome → Apps & extensions; push hosts via Chrome Browser Cloud Management or a managed-OS profile.
Extension policy docsJamf (macOS)
Push the extension as a managed app; deliver the hosts entry with a Files & Processes payload or config profile.
Jamf docsMicrosoft Intune
Force-install via Chrome ADMX templates; append the go entry to hosts with a PowerShell script or profile.
Why the extension asks for a host permission
The extension requests host_permissions: ["https://slashgo.io/*"]
for one reason: to redirect a go/<slug> request (and the
Google-search fallback) to slashgo.io/go/<slug>. It does not
read page content, and it never sends your browsing anywhere except the go/ resolution you
triggered. The destination URL is resolved by slashgo.io, where it's stored AES-256 encrypted
at rest.
Troubleshooting: “go/ doesn't resolve”
That's the fallback working — the extension should then catch the search and redirect. Confirm the extension is installed and enabled and that you're signed in. To skip the bounce entirely, add the 127.0.0.1 go hosts entry.
That's the dotless-HTTPS rough edge: the browser tried https://go first, which can't have a certificate. Use http://go explicitly, or — recommended — use Chrome with the extension, which avoids the network entirely.
They likely haven't installed the extension. Send them to this page, or roll it out via MDM so it's automatic.
A Chrome update can disable sideloaded/unmanaged extensions. Re-enable it at chrome://extensions, or force-install via MDM to prevent it.