diff --git a/content/apply.js b/content/apply.js
index 2fcd2260..02c4f6be 100644
--- a/content/apply.js
+++ b/content/apply.js
@@ -265,7 +265,11 @@ const APPLY = (() => {
         if (IS_OWN_PAGE) {
           // FIXME: currently we only do this in our own page. Is it safe to do
           // it on all pages?
-          history.pushState({preUrl: location.href}, null, ' ');
+          try {
+            // history.replaceState(null, null, ' ');
+            // eslint-disable-next-line no-undef
+            router.updateHash('');
+          } catch (err) {}
         }
         break;
     }
diff --git a/js/router.js b/js/router.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..38d74246
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js/router.js
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+/* global deepEqual */
+/* exported router */
+'use strict';
+
+const router = (() => {
+  // FIXME: this only works with one history
+  const buffer = [];
+  const watchers = [];
+  document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => update());
+  window.addEventListener('popstate', () => update());
+  window.addEventListener('hashchange', () => update());
+  return {watch, updateSearch, getSearch, updateHash};
+
+  function watch(options, callback) {
+    watchers.push({options, callback});
+  }
+
+  function updateSearch(key, value) {
+    const search = new URLSearchParams(location.search.replace(/^\?/, ''));
+    if (!value) {
+      search.delete(key);
+    } else {
+      search.set(key, value);
+    }
+    const finalSearch = search.toString();
+    if (finalSearch) {
+      history.replaceState(history.state, null, `?${finalSearch}${location.hash}`);
+    } else {
+      history.replaceState(history.state, null, `${location.pathname}${location.hash}`);
+    }
+    update(true);
+  }
+
+  function updateHash(hash) {
+    if (buffer.length > 1) {
+      if (!hash && !buffer[buffer.length - 2].includes('#') || buffer[buffer.length - 2].endsWith(hash)) {
+        buffer.pop();
+        history.back();
+        return;
+      }
+    }
+    if (!hash) {
+      hash = ' ';
+    }
+    history.pushState(history.state, null, hash);
+    update();
+  }
+
+  function getSearch(key) {
+    return new URLSearchParams(location.search.replace(/^\?/, '')).get(key);
+  }
+
+  function update(replace) {
+    if (!buffer.length || buffer[buffer.length - 1] !== location.href && !replace) {
+      buffer.push(location.href);
+    } else if (buffer.length && replace) {
+      buffer[buffer.length - 1] = location.href;
+    }
+    for (const {options, callback} of watchers) {
+      let state;
+      if (options.hash) {
+        state = options.hash === location.hash;
+      } else if (options.search) {
+        // TODO: remove .replace(/^\?/, '') when minimum_chrome_version >= 52 (https://crbug.com/601425)
+        const search = new URLSearchParams(location.search.replace(/^\?/, ''));
+        state = options.search.map(key => search.get(key));
+      }
+      if (!deepEqual(state, options.currentState)) {
+        options.currentState = state;
+        callback(state);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+})();
diff --git a/manage.html b/manage.html
index bbf58fc7..1134343a 100644
--- a/manage.html
+++ b/manage.html
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@
   <script src="js/promisify.js"></script>
   <script src="js/dom.js"></script>
   <script src="js/messaging.js"></script>
+  <script src="js/router.js"></script>
   <script src="js/prefs.js"></script>
   <script src="js/msg.js"></script>
   <script src="content/style-injector.js"></script>
diff --git a/manage/filters.js b/manage/filters.js
index b09c3193..04212cbc 100644
--- a/manage/filters.js
+++ b/manage/filters.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* global installed messageBox sorter $ $$ $create t debounce prefs API onDOMready */
+/* global installed messageBox sorter $ $$ $create t debounce prefs API router */
 /* exported filterAndAppend */
 'use strict';
 
@@ -9,11 +9,18 @@ const filtersSelector = {
   numTotal: 0,
 };
 
-// TODO: remove .replace(/^\?/, '') when minimum_chrome_version >= 52 (https://crbug.com/601425)
-const urlFilterParam = new URLSearchParams(location.search.replace(/^\?/, '')).get('url');
-if (location.search) {
-  history.replaceState(0, document.title, location.origin + location.pathname);
-}
+let initialized = false;
+
+router.watch({search: ['search']}, ([search]) => {
+  if (search != null) {
+    $('#search').value = search;
+  }
+  if (!initialized) {
+    init();
+  } else {
+    searchStyles();
+  }
+});
 
 HTMLSelectElement.prototype.adjustWidth = function () {
   const option0 = this.selectedOptions[0];
@@ -30,11 +37,11 @@ HTMLSelectElement.prototype.adjustWidth = function () {
   parent.replaceChild(this, singleSelect);
 };
 
-onDOMready().then(() => {
-  $('#search').oninput = searchStyles;
-  if (urlFilterParam) {
-    $('#search').value = 'url:' + urlFilterParam;
-  }
+function init() {
+  $('#search').oninput = e => {
+    router.updateSearch('search', e.target.value);
+  };
+
   $('#search-help').onclick = event => {
     event.preventDefault();
     messageBox({
@@ -120,6 +127,7 @@ onDOMready().then(() => {
       }
     }
     filterOnChange({forceRefilter: true});
+    router.updateSearch('search', '');
   };
 
   // Adjust width after selects are visible
@@ -130,8 +138,10 @@ onDOMready().then(() => {
     }
   });
 
+  initialized = true;
+
   filterOnChange({forceRefilter: true});
-});
+}
 
 
 function filterOnChange({target: el, forceRefilter}) {
@@ -271,7 +281,7 @@ function showFiltersStats() {
 }
 
 
-function searchStyles({immediately, container}) {
+function searchStyles({immediately, container} = {}) {
   const el = $('#search');
   const query = el.value.trim();
   if (query === el.lastValue && !immediately && !container) {
diff --git a/manage/manage.js b/manage/manage.js
index ed9ff34c..455a9029 100644
--- a/manage/manage.js
+++ b/manage/manage.js
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 /*
 global messageBox getStyleWithNoCode
-  filterAndAppend urlFilterParam showFiltersStats
+  filterAndAppend showFiltersStats
   checkUpdate handleUpdateInstalled
   objectDiff
   configDialog
   sorter msg prefs API onDOMready $ $$ $create template setupLivePrefs
   URLS enforceInputRange t tWordBreak formatDate
   getOwnTab getActiveTab openURL animateElement sessionStorageHash debounce
-  scrollElementIntoView CHROME VIVALDI FIREFOX
+  scrollElementIntoView CHROME VIVALDI FIREFOX router
 */
 'use strict';
 
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ const handleEvent = {};
 
 Promise.all([
   API.getAllStyles(true),
-  urlFilterParam && API.searchDB({query: 'url:' + urlFilterParam}),
+  // FIXME: integrate this into filter.js
+  router.getSearch('search') && API.searchDB({query: router.getSearch('search')}),
   Promise.all([
     onDOMready(),
     prefs.initializing,
@@ -58,10 +59,6 @@ Promise.all([
 msg.onExtension(onRuntimeMessage);
 
 function onRuntimeMessage(msg) {
-  if (msg === 'options-open' || msg === 'options-close') {
-    toggleOptions(msg);
-    return;
-  }
   switch (msg.method) {
     case 'styleUpdated':
     case 'styleAdded':
@@ -84,8 +81,9 @@ function onRuntimeMessage(msg) {
 function initGlobalEvents() {
   installed = $('#installed');
   installed.onclick = handleEvent.entryClicked;
-  $('#manage-options-button').onclick = () =>
-  history.replaceState('', document.title, location.href + '#stylus-options');
+  $('#manage-options-button').onclick = () => {
+    router.updateHash('#stylus-options');
+  };
   {
     const btn = $('#manage-shortcuts-button');
     btn.onclick = btn.onclick || (() => openURL({url: URLS.configureCommands}));
@@ -717,41 +715,31 @@ function embedOptions() {
   }
 }
 
-
-function removeOptions() {
+function unembedOptions() {
   const options = $('#stylus-embedded-options');
-  if (options) options.remove();
-}
+  if (options) {
+    options.contentWindow.document.body.classList.add('scaleout');
+    options.classList.add('fadeout');
+    animateElement(options, {
+      className: 'fadeout',
+      onComplete: removeOptions,
+    });
+  }
 
-// wait for possible filter params to be removed
-onDOMready().then(() => {
-  chrome.tabs.onUpdated.addListener((tabId, changeInfo) => {
-    if (changeInfo.url) {
-      if (location.hash === '#stylus-options') {
-        embedOptions();
-      } else {
-        const options = $('#stylus-embedded-options');
-        if (options) {
-          options.contentWindow.document.body.classList.add('scaleout');
-          options.classList.add('fadeout');
-          animateElement(options, {
-            className: 'fadeout',
-            onComplete: removeOptions,
-          });
-        }
-      }
-    }
-  });
-});
-
-
-function toggleOptions(msg) {
-  if (msg === 'options-open' && location.hash !== '#stylus-options') {
-    history.replaceState('', document.title, location.href + '#stylus-options');
-  } else if (msg === 'options-close' && location.hash === '#stylus-options') {
-    history.replaceState('', document.title, location.origin + location.pathname);
+  function removeOptions() {
+    const options = $('#stylus-embedded-options');
+    if (options) options.remove();
   }
 }
 
+router.watch({hash: '#stylus-options'}, state => {
+  if (state) {
+    embedOptions();
+  } else {
+    unembedOptions();
+  }
+});
 
-if (location.hash === '#stylus-options') embedOptions();
+window.addEventListener('closeOptions', () => {
+  router.updateHash('');
+});
diff --git a/options/options.js b/options/options.js
index 6feb02c4..2a849146 100644
--- a/options/options.js
+++ b/options/options.js
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ if (FIREFOX && 'update' in (chrome.commands || {})) {
 
 // actions
 $('#options-close-icon').onclick = () => {
-  top.history.replaceState('', top.document.title, top.location.origin + top.location.pathname);
+  top.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('closeOptions'));
 };
 
 document.onclick = e => {
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ function customizeHotkeys() {
 
 window.onkeydown = event => {
   if (event.keyCode === 27) {
-    top.history.replaceState('', top.document.title, top.location.origin + top.location.pathname);
+    top.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('closeOptions'));
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/popup/popup.js b/popup/popup.js
index af72688c..da54f588 100644
--- a/popup/popup.js
+++ b/popup/popup.js
@@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ Object.assign(handleEvent, {
     if (!this.eventHandled) {
       this.eventHandled = true;
       this.dataset.href += event.shiftKey || event.button === 2 ?
-        '?url=' + encodeURIComponent(tabURL) : '';
+        '?search=' + encodeURIComponent(`url:${tabURL}`) : '';
       handleEvent.openURLandHide.call(this, event);
     }
   },