agent-browser

Files (11)

• SKILL.md
• authentication.md · references/
• commands.md · references/
• profiling.md · references/
• proxy-support.md · references/
• session-management.md · references/
• snapshot-refs.md · references/
• video-recording.md · references/
• authenticated-session.sh · templates/
• capture-workflow.sh · templates/
• form-automation.sh · templates/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Browser Automation with agent-browser

The CLI uses Chrome/Chromium via CDP directly. Install via `npm i -g agent-browser`, `brew install agent-browser`, or `cargo install agent-browser`. Run `agent-browser install` to download Chrome. Existing Chrome, Brave, Playwright, and Puppeteer installations are detected automatically. Run `agent-browser upgrade` to update to the latest version.

## Core Workflow

Every browser automation follows this pattern:

1. **Navigate**: `agent-browser open <url>`
2. **Snapshot**: `agent-browser snapshot -i` (get element refs like `@e1`, `@e2`)
3. **Interact**: Use refs to click, fill, select
4. **Re-snapshot**: After navigation or DOM changes, get fresh refs

```bash
agent-browser open https://example.com/form
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Output: @e1 [input type="email"], @e2 [input type="password"], @e3 [button] "Submit"

agent-browser fill @e1 "user@example.com"
agent-browser fill @e2 "password123"
agent-browser click @e3
agent-browser wait 2000
agent-browser snapshot -i  # Check result
```

## Command Chaining

Commands can be chained with `&&` in a single shell invocation. The browser persists between commands via a background daemon, so chaining is safe and more efficient than separate calls.

```bash
# Chain open + snapshot in one call (open already waits for page load)
agent-browser open https://example.com && agent-browser snapshot -i

# Chain multiple interactions
agent-browser fill @e1 "user@example.com" && agent-browser fill @e2 "password123" && agent-browser click @e3

# Navigate and capture
agent-browser open https://example.com && agent-browser screenshot
```

**When to chain:** Use `&&` when you don't need to read the output of an intermediate command before proceeding (e.g., open + wait + screenshot). Run commands separately when you need to parse the output first (e.g., snapshot to discover refs, then interact using those refs).

## Handling Authentication

When automating a site that requires login, choose the approach that fits:

**Option 1: Import auth from the user's browser (fastest for one-off tasks)**

```bash
# Connect to the user's running Chrome (they're already logged in)
agent-browser --auto-connect state save ./auth.json
# Use that auth state
agent-browser --state ./auth.json open https://app.example.com/dashboard
```

State files contain session tokens in plaintext -- add to `.gitignore` and delete when no longer needed. Set `AGENT_BROWSER_ENCRYPTION_KEY` for encryption at rest.

**Option 2: Chrome profile reuse (zero setup)**

```bash
# List available Chrome profiles
agent-browser profiles

# Reuse the user's existing Chrome login state
agent-browser --profile Default open https://gmail.com
```

**Option 3: Persistent profile (for recurring tasks)**

```bash
# First run: login manually or via automation
agent-browser --profile ~/.myapp open https://app.example.com/login
# ... fill credentials, submit ...

# All future runs: already authenticated
agent-browser --profile ~/.myapp open https://app.example.com/dashboard
```

**Option 4: Session name (auto-save/restore cookies + localStorage)**

```bash
agent-browser --session-name myapp open https://app.example.com/login
# ... login flow ...
agent-browser close  # State auto-saved

# Next time: state auto-restored
agent-browser --session-name myapp open https://app.example.com/dashboard
```

**Option 5: Auth vault (credentials stored encrypted, login by name)**

```bash
echo "$PASSWORD" | agent-browser auth save myapp --url https://app.example.com/login --username user --password-stdin
agent-browser auth login myapp
```

`auth login` navigates with `load` and then waits for login form selectors to appear before filling/clicking, which is more reliable on delayed SPA login screens.

**Option 6: State file (manual save/load)**

```bash
# After logging in:
agent-browser state save ./auth.json
# In a future session:
agent-browser state load ./auth.json
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/dashboard
```

See [references/authentication.md](references/authentication.md) for OAuth, 2FA, cookie-based auth, and token refresh patterns.

## Essential Commands

```bash
# Batch: ALWAYS use batch for 2+ sequential commands. Commands run in order.
agent-browser batch "open https://example.com" "snapshot -i"
agent-browser batch "open https://example.com" "screenshot"
agent-browser batch "click @e1" "wait 1000" "screenshot"

# Navigation

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