On Windows 11, the integration between the Bitwarden browser extension and the Bitwarden Desktop app works automatically. On Arch Linux you have to configure that yourself, via a native messaging host.
The fix#
Create ~/.config/vivaldi/NativeMessagingHosts/com.8bit.bitwarden.json. This
file tells Vivaldi where to find the Bitwarden Desktop app and which extensions
are allowed to talk to it.
The path to the desktop proxy should point to
/usr/lib/bitwarden/desktop_proxy, since that’s the location per Arch’s
packaging convention. allowed_origins lists the extension IDs of the browsers
allowed access — you can find these in the official Bitwarden documentation or
via chrome://extensions (with developer mode on) in Vivaldi itself.
Troubleshooting#
- Disable and re-enable the extension, and restart the browser.
- Enable biometric unlock in the Bitwarden settings.
- Make sure the desktop app is running while you use the browser — without an active desktop app, the native messaging host has nothing to talk to.