diff --git a/qutebrowser/.config/qutebrowser/alias.py b/qutebrowser/.config/qutebrowser/alias.py
index 5b0c865..f3e4279 100644
--- a/qutebrowser/.config/qutebrowser/alias.py
+++ b/qutebrowser/.config/qutebrowser/alias.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-c.aliases["gem"] = "hint links userscript qute-gemini"
+c.aliases["gem"] = "spawn --userscript qute-gemini "
 
 # Use q for quitting a tab (mimicks vim buffer) - qa is used for exiting
 c.aliases["q"] = "tab-close"
diff --git a/qutebrowser/.config/qutebrowser/maps.py b/qutebrowser/.config/qutebrowser/maps.py
index d691b49..0ba4a0e 100644
--- a/qutebrowser/.config/qutebrowser/maps.py
+++ b/qutebrowser/.config/qutebrowser/maps.py
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ lleader = ","
 
 ## CHANGED DEFAULTS
 
+# the full power of qutebrowser at your fingertips for any gemini page!
+config.bind("f", "hint links userscript qute-gemini")
+config.bind("F", "hint links userscript qute-gemini-tab")
+
 # rebind moving tabs to free for download
 config.bind("gG", "tab-give")
 # switch binds for scroll-marks and quick-/book-marks
diff --git a/qutebrowser/.local/share/qutebrowser/userscripts/qute-gemini b/qutebrowser/.local/share/qutebrowser/userscripts/qute-gemini
index 3e3110e..b9bd405 100755
--- a/qutebrowser/.local/share/qutebrowser/userscripts/qute-gemini
+++ b/qutebrowser/.local/share/qutebrowser/userscripts/qute-gemini
@@ -6,6 +6,20 @@
 # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2020 petedussin
 # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2020-2021 Sotiris Papatheodorou
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+# 2022-2023 Marty Oehme (added stand-alone script capability)
+
+# Use it as a qutebrowser userscript to open gemini pages:
+# Put this file in qutebrowser userscript folder and call command
+# `:spawn --userscript qute-gemini "gemini://my-gemini-url.org"`
+# or
+# `:hint links userscript qute-gemini` to open from selected link
+# Rename file to `qute-gemini-tab` (or create symlink) to open
+# any gemini url as a new tab.
+
+# Since the script also opens normal URLs you can even replace your
+# normal link hint mapping with it (usually f or F for tabbed) and
+# continue surfing like normal, only that you can now also access
+# any gemini pages as if they were part of the normal http protocol.
 
 import cgi
 import html
@@ -41,7 +55,8 @@ CSS
 _status_code_desc = {
     "1": "Gemini status code 1 Input. This is not implemented in qute-gemini.",
     "10": "Gemini status code 10 Input. This is not implemented in qute-gemini.",
-    "11": "Gemini status code 11 Sensitive Input. This is not implemented in qute-gemini.",
+    "11": """Gemini status code 11 Sensitive Input. This is not implemented 
+    in qute-gemini.""",
     "3": "Gemini status code 3 Redirect. Stopped after "
     + str(_max_redirects)
     + " redirects.",
@@ -53,28 +68,41 @@ _status_code_desc = {
     + " redirects.",
     "4": "Gemini status code 4 Temporary Failure. Server message: META",
     "40": "Gemini status code 40 Temporary Failure. Server message: META",
-    "41": "Gemini status code 41 Server Unavailable. The server is unavailable due to overload or maintenance. Server message: META",
-    "42": "Gemini status code 42 CGI Error. A CGI process, or similar system for generating dynamic content, died unexpectedly or timed out. Server message: META",
-    "43": "Gemini status code 43 Proxy Error. A proxy request failed because the server was unable to successfully complete a transaction with the remote host. Server message: META",
-    "44": "Gemini status code 44 Slow Down. Rate limiting is in effect. Please wait META seconds before making another request to this server.",
+    "41": """Gemini status code 41 Server Unavailable. 
+    The server is unavailable due to overload or maintenance. Server message: META""",
+    "42": """Gemini status code 42 CGI Error. 
+    A CGI process, or similar system for generating dynamic content, 
+    died unexpectedly or timed out. Server message: META""",
+    "43": """Gemini status code 43 Proxy Error. 
+    A proxy request failed because the server was unable to successfully 
+    complete a transaction with the remote host. Server message: META""",
+    "44": """Gemini status code 44 Slow Down. Rate limiting is in effect.
+    Please wait META seconds before making another request to this server.""",
     "5": "Gemini status code 5 Permanent Failure. Server message: META",
     "50": "Gemini status code 50 Permanent Failure. Server message: META",
-    "51": "Gemini status code 51 Not Found. he requested resource could not be found but may be available in the future. Server message: META",
-    "52": "Gemini status code 52 Gone. The resource requested is no longer available and will not be available again. Server message: META",
-    "53": "Gemini status code 53 Proxy Request Refused. The request was for a resource at a domain not served by the server and the server does not accept proxy requests. Server message: META",
-    "59": "Gemini status code 59 Bad Request. The server was unable to parse the client's request, presumably due to a malformed request. Server message: META",
-    "6": "Gemini status code 6 Client Certificate Required. This is not implemented in qute-gemini.",
+    "51": """Gemini status code 51 Not Found. The requested resource could 
+    not be found but may be available in the future. Server message: META""",
+    "52": """Gemini status code 52 Gone. The resource requested is no longer
+    available and will not be available again. Server message: META""",
+    "53": """Gemini status code 53 Proxy Request Refused. The request was for 
+    a resource at a domain not served by the server and the server does 
+    not accept proxy requests. Server message: META""",
+    "59": """Gemini status code 59 Bad Request. The server was unable to
+    parse the client's request, presumably due to a malformed request.
+    Server message: META""",
+    "6": """Gemini status code 6 Client Certificate Required. 
+    This is not implemented in qute-gemini.""",
 }
 
 
 def qute_url() -> str:
     """Get the URL passed to the script by qutebrowser."""
-    return os.environ["QUTE_URL"]
+    return os.environ.get("QUTE_URL", "")
 
 
 def qute_fifo() -> str:
     """Get the FIFO or file to write qutebrowser commands to."""
-    return os.environ["QUTE_FIFO"]
+    return os.environ.get("QUTE_FIFO", "")
 
 
 def html_href(url: str, description: str) -> str:
@@ -118,7 +146,7 @@ def gemini_fetch_url(url: str) -> Tuple[str, str, str, str, str]:
         url = "gemini://" + url
         parsed_url = urllib.parse.urlparse(url)
     if parsed_url.scheme != "gemini":
-        return "", "Received non-gemini:// URL: " + url
+        return "", "Received non-gemini:// URL: " + url, "59", "", "Non-gemini URL"
     if parsed_url.port is not None:
         useport = parsed_url.port
     else:
@@ -214,15 +242,15 @@ def gemtext_to_html(
             pass
         # Link
         elif line.startswith("=>"):
-            l = line[2:].split(None, 1)
+            ln = line[2:].split(None, 1)
             # Use the URL itself as the description if there is none
-            if len(l) == 1:
-                l.append(l[0])
+            if len(ln) == 1:
+                ln.append(ln[0])
             # Encode the link description
-            l[1] = html.escape(l[1])
+            ln[1] = html.escape(ln[1])
             # Resolve relative URLs
-            l[0] = gemini_absolutise_url(url, l[0])
-            lines.append("\t\t<p>" + html_href(l[0], l[1]) + "</p>")
+            ln[0] = gemini_absolutise_url(url, ln[0])
+            lines.append("\t\t<p>" + html_href(ln[0], ln[1]) + "</p>")
         # Preformated toggle
         elif line.startswith("```"):
             if in_pre:
@@ -316,7 +344,7 @@ def qute_error_page(url: str, description: str) -> str:
     return "data:text/html;charset=UTF-8," + urllib.parse.quote(html_page)
 
 
-def open_gemini(url: str, open_args: str) -> None:
+def open_gemini(url: str) -> str:
     """Open Gemini URL in qutebrowser."""
     # Get the Gemini content
     content, content_url, status, meta, error_msg = gemini_fetch_url(url)
@@ -328,18 +356,30 @@ def open_gemini(url: str, open_args: str) -> None:
         tmpf = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile("w", suffix=".html", delete=False)
         tmp_filename = tmpf.name
         tmpf.close()
+        if not tmp_filename:
+            return ""
         with open(tmp_filename, "w") as f:
             f.write(gemtext_to_html(content, content_url, url, status, meta))
         open_url = " file://" + tmp_filename
     # Open the HTML file in qutebrowser
-    with open(qute_fifo(), "w") as qfifo:
-        qfifo.write("open " + open_args + open_url)
+    return open_url
 
 
-def open_other(url: str, open_args: str) -> None:
-    """Open non-Gemini URL in qutebrowser."""
-    with open(qute_fifo(), "w") as qfifo:
-        qfifo.write("open " + open_args + " " + url)
+def open_url(url: str, open_args: str) -> None:
+    parsed_url = urllib.parse.urlparse(url)
+    if parsed_url.scheme == "gemini":
+        to_open = open_gemini(url)
+    else:
+        to_open = url
+    if not to_open:
+        return
+
+    fifo = qute_fifo()
+    if fifo and fifo != "":
+        with open(fifo, "w") as qfifo:
+            qfifo.write(f"open {open_args} {to_open}")
+        return
+    os.system(f"xdg-open {to_open}")
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
@@ -348,10 +388,11 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
         open_args = "-t"
     else:
         open_args = ""
-    # Select how to open the URL depending on its scheme
-    url = qute_url()
-    parsed_url = urllib.parse.urlparse(url)
-    if parsed_url.scheme == "gemini":
-        open_gemini(url, open_args)
+
+    # Take url to open as argument or from qutebrowser url
+    if len(sys.argv) > 1:
+        url = sys.argv[1]
     else:
-        open_other(url, open_args)
+        url = qute_url()
+    # Select how to open the URL depending on its scheme
+    open_url(url, open_args)