diff --git a/src/atom-application.coffee b/src/atom-application.coffee
index bfcb0256f..7bb956ab6 100644
--- a/src/atom-application.coffee
+++ b/src/atom-application.coffee
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ class AtomApplication
   installUpdate: null
   version: null
 
-  constructor: ({@resourcePath, pathsToOpen, @version, test, pidToKillWhenClosed, @dev, newWindow}) ->
+  constructor: ({@resourcePath, pathsToOpen, urlsToOpen, @version, test, pidToKillWhenClosed, @dev, newWindow}) ->
     global.atomApplication = this
 
     @pidsToOpenWindows = {}
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ class AtomApplication
       @runSpecs({exitWhenDone: true, @resourcePath})
     else if pathsToOpen.length > 0
       @openPaths({pathsToOpen, pidToKillWhenClosed, newWindow})
+    else if urlsToOpen.length > 0
+      @openUrl(urlToOpen) for urlToOpen in urlsToOpen
     else
       # Always open a editor window if this is the first instance of Atom.
       @openPath({pidToKillWhenClosed, newWindow})
@@ -174,13 +176,7 @@ class AtomApplication
 
     app.on 'open-url', (event, urlToOpen) =>
       event.preventDefault()
-
-      parsedUrl = url.parse(urlToOpen)
-      if parsedUrl.host is 'session'
-        sessionId = parsedUrl.path.split('/')[1]
-        if sessionId
-          bootstrapScript = 'collaboration/lib/bootstrap'
-          new AtomWindow({bootstrapScript, @resourcePath, sessionId})
+      @openUrl(urlToOpen)
 
     autoUpdater.on 'ready-for-update-on-quit', (event, version, quitAndUpdate) =>
       event.preventDefault()
@@ -251,6 +247,14 @@ class AtomApplication
             console.log("Killing process #{pid} failed: #{error.code}")
         delete @pidsToOpenWindows[pid]
 
+  openUrl: (urlToOpen) ->
+    parsedUrl = url.parse(urlToOpen)
+    if parsedUrl.host is 'session'
+      sessionId = parsedUrl.path.split('/')[1]
+      if sessionId
+        bootstrapScript = 'collaboration/lib/bootstrap'
+        new AtomWindow({bootstrapScript, @resourcePath, sessionId})
+
   openConfig: ->
     if @configWindow
       @configWindow.focus()
diff --git a/src/main.coffee b/src/main.coffee
index 9d69b94b9..5eaa3422f 100644
--- a/src/main.coffee
+++ b/src/main.coffee
@@ -18,11 +18,21 @@ require 'coffee-script'
 delegate.browserMainParts.preMainMessageLoopRun = ->
   args = parseCommandLine()
 
-  addPathToOpen = (event, filePath) ->
+  addPathToOpen = (event, pathToOpen) ->
     event.preventDefault()
-    args.pathsToOpen.push(filePath)
+    args.pathsToOpen.push(pathToOpen)
+
+  args.urlsToOpen = []
+  addUrlToOpen = (event, urlToOpen) ->
+    event.preventDefault()
+    args.urlsToOpen.push(urlToOpen)
+
+  app.on 'open-url', (event, urlToOpen) ->
+    event.preventDefault()
+    args.urlsToOpen.push(urlToOpen)
 
   app.on 'open-file', addPathToOpen
+  app.on 'open-url', addUrlToOpen
 
   app.on 'will-finish-launching', ->
     setupCrashReporter()
@@ -30,6 +40,7 @@ delegate.browserMainParts.preMainMessageLoopRun = ->
 
   app.on 'finish-launching', ->
     app.removeListener 'open-file', addPathToOpen
+    app.removeListener 'open-url', addUrlToOpen
 
     args.pathsToOpen = args.pathsToOpen.map (pathToOpen) ->
       path.resolve(args.executedFrom ? process.cwd(), pathToOpen)