diff --git a/app/browser/webtorrent.js b/app/browser/webtorrent.js
index 30025973d93..d7e976ce61c 100644
--- a/app/browser/webtorrent.js
+++ b/app/browser/webtorrent.js
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 const electron = require('electron')
 const ipc = electron.ipcMain
 const appUrlUtil = require('../../js/lib/appUrlUtil')
+const appActions = require('../../js/actions/appActions')
 const messages = require('../../js/constants/messages')
 const Filtering = require('../filtering')
-const url = require('url')
+const urlParse = require('url').parse
 
 // Set to see communication between WebTorrent and torrent viewer tabs
 const DEBUG_IPC = false
@@ -52,7 +53,27 @@ function send (msg) {
   channel.send(messages.TORRENT_MESSAGE, msg)
 }
 
+/**
+ * Intercepts a request that should be redirected to the webtorrent viewer
+ * @param {Object} details - Details returned by the filtering callback
+ * @return {Object}
+ */
+function getInterceptedRequest (details) {
+  const viewerUrl = getViewerURL(details.url)
+  appActions.loadURLRequested(details.tabId, viewerUrl)
+  return {
+    resourceName: 'webtorrent',
+    cancel: true
+  }
+}
+
 function setupFiltering () {
+  Filtering.registerBeforeRequestFilteringCB(function (details) {
+    if (isMagnetURL(details)) {
+      return getInterceptedRequest(details)
+    }
+    return {}
+  })
   Filtering.registerHeadersReceivedFilteringCB(function (details, isPrivate) {
     if (details.method !== 'GET') {
       return {}
@@ -61,21 +82,13 @@ function setupFiltering () {
       return {}
     }
 
-    const parsedUrl = url.parse(details.url)
+    const parsedUrl = urlParse(details.url)
     const directDownload = parsedUrl && parsedUrl.query && parsedUrl.query.includes('download=true')
     if (directDownload) {
       return {}
     }
 
-    const viewerUrl = getViewerURL(details.url)
-
-    return {
-      responseHeaders: {
-        'Location': [ viewerUrl ]
-      },
-      statusLine: 'HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently',
-      resourceName: 'webtorrent'
-    }
+    return getInterceptedRequest(details)
   })
 }
 
@@ -107,6 +120,19 @@ function isTorrentFile (details) {
   return false
 }
 
+/**
+ * Checks if request is a magnet URL
+ * @param {Object} details
+ * @return {boolean}
+ */
+function isMagnetURL (details) {
+  try {
+    return urlParse(details.url).protocol === 'magnet:'
+  } catch (e) {
+    return false
+  }
+}
+
 function getHeader (headers, headerName) {
   var headerNames = Object.keys(headers)
   for (var i = 0; i < headerNames.length; ++i) {
diff --git a/app/extensions.js b/app/extensions.js
index 0bc9a19473e..a1b3fafd049 100644
--- a/app/extensions.js
+++ b/app/extensions.js
@@ -136,9 +136,6 @@ let generateBraveManifest = () => {
         '<all_urls>'
       ]
     },
-    web_accessible_resources: [
-      'img/favicon.ico'
-    ],
     incognito: 'split',
     key: 'MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAupOLMy5Fd4dCSOtjcApsAQOnuBdTs+OvBVt/3P93noIrf068x0xXkvxbn+fpigcqfNamiJ5CjGyfx9zAIs7zcHwbxjOw0Uih4SllfgtK+svNTeE0r5atMWE0xR489BvsqNuPSxYJUmW28JqhaSZ4SabYrRx114KcU6ko7hkjyPkjQa3P+chStJjIKYgu5tWBiMJp5QVLelKoM+xkY6S7efvJ8AfajxCViLGyDQPDviGr2D0VvIBob0D1ZmAoTvYOWafcNCaqaejPDybFtuLFX3pZBqfyOCyyzGhucyCmfBXJALKbhjRAqN5glNsUmGhhPK87TuGATQfVuZtenMvXMQIDAQAB'
   }
@@ -213,11 +210,6 @@ let generateTorrentManifest = () => {
       48: 'img/webtorrent-48.png',
       16: 'img/webtorrent-16.png'
     },
-    web_accessible_resources: [
-      'img/favicon.ico',
-      'img/webtorrent-128.png',
-      'webtorrent.html'
-    ],
     incognito: 'split',
     key: 'MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAyWl+wMvL0wZX3JUs7GeZAvxMP+LWEh2bwMV1HyuBra/lGZIq3Fmh0+AFnvFPXz1NpQkbLS3QWyqhdIn/lepGwuc2ma0glPzzmieqwctUurMGSGManApGO1MkcbSPhb+R1mx8tMam5+wbme4WoW37PI3oATgOs2NvHYuP60qol3U7b/zB3IWuqtwtqKe2Q1xY17btvPuz148ygWWIHneedt0jwfr6Zp+CSLARB9Heq/jqGXV4dPSVZ5ebBHLQ452iZkHxS6fm4Z+IxjKdYs3HNj/s8xbfEZ2ydnArGdJ0lpSK9jkDGYyUBugq5Qp3FH6zV89WqBvoV1dqUmL9gxbHsQIDAQAB'
   }
diff --git a/app/filtering.js b/app/filtering.js
index 7cd1d542586..f6ec68258e5 100644
--- a/app/filtering.js
+++ b/app/filtering.js
@@ -306,6 +306,10 @@ function registerForHeadersReceived (session, partition) {
       if (!module.exports.isResourceEnabled(results.resourceName, firstPartyUrl, isPrivate)) {
         continue
       }
+      if (results.cancel) {
+        cb({ cancel: true })
+        return
+      }
       if (results.responseHeaders) {
         cb({
           responseHeaders: results.responseHeaders,
@@ -527,6 +531,10 @@ function registerForMagnetHandler (session) {
   const webtorrentUrl = appUrlUtil.getTorrentExtUrl('webtorrent.html')
   try {
     if (getSetting(settings.TORRENT_VIEWER_ENABLED)) {
+      // Loading webtorrentUrl from external sources will fail since it is
+      // not whitelisted in web_accessible_resources. However the protocol
+      // registration is needed so that onBeforeRequest can handle magnet:
+      // requests.
       session.protocol.registerNavigatorHandler('magnet', `${webtorrentUrl}#%s`)
     } else {
       session.protocol.unregisterNavigatorHandler('magnet', `${webtorrentUrl}#%s`)
@@ -584,7 +592,7 @@ const initPartition = (partition) => {
 }
 module.exports.initPartition = initPartition
 
-const filterableProtocols = ['http:', 'https:', 'ws:', 'wss:']
+const filterableProtocols = ['http:', 'https:', 'ws:', 'wss:', 'magnet:']
 
 function shouldIgnoreUrl (details) {
   // internal requests
@@ -664,15 +672,19 @@ module.exports.isResourceEnabled = (resourceName, url, isPrivate) => {
   // TODO(bridiver) - need to clean up the rest of this so web can
   // remove this because it duplicates checks made in siteSettings
   // and not all resources  are controlled by shields up/down
-  if (resourceName === 'flash' || resourceName === 'webtorrent') {
+  if (resourceName === 'flash') {
     return true
   }
 
+  if (resourceName === 'webtorrent') {
+    return getSetting(settings.TORRENT_VIEWER_ENABLED)
+  }
+
   const appState = appStore.getState()
-  const settings = siteSettings.getSiteSettingsForURL(appState.get('siteSettings'), url)
+  const savedSettings = siteSettings.getSiteSettingsForURL(appState.get('siteSettings'), url)
   const tempSettings = siteSettings.getSiteSettingsForURL(appState.get('temporarySiteSettings'), url)
 
-  let braverySettings = siteSettings.activeSettings(settings, appState, appConfig)
+  let braverySettings = siteSettings.activeSettings(savedSettings, appState, appConfig)
   if (isPrivate && tempSettings) {
     braverySettings = siteSettings.activeSettings(tempSettings, appState, appConfig)
   }