agent-browser Skill
Browser automation CLI designed for AI agents. Uses "snapshot + refs" paradigm for 93% less context than Playwright MCP.
Quick Start
bash# Install globally npm install -g agent-browser # Download Chromium (one-time) agent-browser install # Linux: include system deps agent-browser install --with-deps # Verify agent-browser --version
Core Workflow
The 4-step pattern for all browser automation:
bash# 1. Navigate agent-browser open https://example.com # 2. Snapshot (get interactive elements with refs) agent-browser snapshot -i # Output: button "Sign In" @e1, textbox "Email" @e2, ... # 3. Interact using refs agent-browser fill @e2 "user@example.com" agent-browser click @e1 # 4. Re-snapshot after page changes agent-browser snapshot -i
Project-Specific Setup
For project-specific connection patterns, logged-in session reuse through chrome-debug, and when to use agent-browser vs chrome-devtools vs direct non-browser verification, see the project's browser-automation testing notes in the consuming repo, if present. This skill file stays a generic tool reference only and should not redefine the project's broader testing policy.
When to Use (vs chrome-devtools)
| Use agent-browser | Use chrome-devtools |
|---|---|
| Long autonomous AI sessions | Quick one-off screenshots |
| Context-constrained workflows | Custom Puppeteer scripts needed |
| Video recording for debugging | WebSocket full frame debugging |
| Cloud browsers (Browserbase) | Existing workflow integration |
| Multi-tab handling | Need Sharp auto-compression |
| Self-verifying build loops | Session with auth injection |
Token efficiency: ~280 chars/snapshot vs 8K+ for Playwright MCP.
Command Reference
Navigation
bashagent-browser open <url> # Navigate to URL agent-browser back # Go back agent-browser forward # Go forward agent-browser reload # Reload page agent-browser close # Close browser
Analysis (Snapshot)
bashagent-browser snapshot # Full accessibility tree agent-browser snapshot -i # Interactive elements only (recommended) agent-browser snapshot -c # Compact output agent-browser snapshot -d 3 # Limit depth agent-browser snapshot -s "nav" # Scope to CSS selector
Interactions (use @refs from snapshot)
bashagent-browser click @e1 # Click element agent-browser dblclick @e1 # Double-click agent-browser fill @e2 "text" # Clear and fill input agent-browser type @e2 "text" # Type without clearing agent-browser press Enter # Press key agent-browser hover @e1 # Hover over element agent-browser check @e3 # Check checkbox agent-browser uncheck @e3 # Uncheck checkbox agent-browser select @e4 "opt" # Select dropdown option agent-browser scroll @e1 # Scroll element into view agent-browser scroll down 500 # Scroll page by pixels agent-browser drag @e1 @e2 # Drag from e1 to e2 agent-browser upload @e5 file.pdf # Upload file
Information Retrieval
bashagent-browser get text @e1 # Get text content agent-browser get html @e1 # Get HTML agent-browser get value @e2 # Get input value agent-browser get attr @e1 href # Get attribute agent-browser get title # Page title agent-browser get url # Current URL agent-browser get count "li" # Count elements agent-browser get box @e1 # Bounding box
State Checks
bashagent-browser is visible @e1 # Check visibility agent-browser is enabled @e1 # Check if enabled agent-browser is checked @e3 # Check if checked
Media
bashagent-browser screenshot # Capture viewport agent-browser screenshot --full # Full page agent-browser screenshot -o ss.png # Save to file agent-browser pdf -o page.pdf # Export PDF agent-browser record start # Start video recording agent-browser record stop # Stop and save video agent-browser record restart # Restart recording
Wait Conditions
bashagent-browser wait @e1 # Wait for element agent-browser wait --text "Success" # Wait for text to appear agent-browser wait --url "/dashboard" # Wait for URL pattern agent-browser wait --load # Wait for page load agent-browser wait --idle # Wait for network idle agent-browser wait --fn "() => window.ready" # Wait for JS condition
Browser Configuration
bashagent-browser viewport 1920 1080 # Set viewport size agent-browser device "iPhone 14" # Emulate device agent-browser geolocation 40.7 -74.0 # Set geolocation agent-browser offline true # Enable offline mode agent-browser headers '{"X-Custom":"val"}' # Set headers agent-browser credentials user pass # HTTP auth agent-browser color-scheme dark # Set color scheme
Storage Management
bashagent-browser cookies # List cookies agent-browser cookies set name=val # Set cookie agent-browser cookies clear # Clear cookies agent-browser storage local # Get localStorage agent-browser storage session # Get sessionStorage agent-browser state save auth.json # Save browser state agent-browser state load auth.json # Load browser state
Network Control
bashagent-browser network route "**/*.jpg" --abort # Block requests agent-browser network route "**/api/*" --body '{"data":[]}' # Mock response agent-browser network unroute "**/*.jpg" # Remove specific route agent-browser network requests # List intercepted requests
Semantic Finding
bashagent-browser find role button # Find by ARIA role agent-browser find text "Submit" # Find by text content agent-browser find label "Email" # Find by label agent-browser find placeholder "Search" # Find by placeholder agent-browser find testid "login-btn" # Find by data-testid agent-browser find first "button" # First matching element agent-browser find last "li" # Last matching element agent-browser find nth 2 "li" # Nth element (0-indexed)
Advanced
bashagent-browser tabs # List tabs agent-browser tab new # New tab agent-browser tab 2 # Switch to tab agent-browser tab close # Close current tab agent-browser frame 0 # Switch to frame agent-browser dialog accept # Accept dialog agent-browser dialog dismiss # Dismiss dialog agent-browser eval "document.title" # Execute JS agent-browser highlight @e1 # Highlight element visually agent-browser mouse move 100 200 # Move mouse to coordinates agent-browser mouse down # Mouse button down agent-browser mouse up # Mouse button up
Global Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--session <name> | Named session for parallel testing |
--json | JSON output for parsing |
--headed | Show browser window |
--cdp <port> | Connect via Chrome DevTools Protocol |
-p <provider> | Cloud browser provider |
--proxy <url> | Proxy server |
--headers <json> | Custom HTTP headers |
--executable-path | Custom browser binary |
--extension <path> | Load browser extension |
Environment Variables
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
AGENT_BROWSER_SESSION | Default session name |
AGENT_BROWSER_PROVIDER | Cloud provider (e.g., browserbase) |
AGENT_BROWSER_EXECUTABLE_PATH | Browser binary location |
AGENT_BROWSER_EXTENSIONS | Comma-separated extension paths |
AGENT_BROWSER_STREAM_PORT | WebSocket streaming port |
AGENT_BROWSER_HOME | Custom installation directory |
AGENT_BROWSER_PROFILE | Browser profile directory |
BROWSERBASE_API_KEY | Browserbase API key |
BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID | Browserbase project ID |
Common Patterns
Form Submission
bashagent-browser open https://example.com/login agent-browser snapshot -i agent-browser fill @e1 "user@example.com" agent-browser fill @e2 "password123" agent-browser click @e3 # Submit button agent-browser wait url "/dashboard"
State Persistence (Auth)
bash# Save authenticated state agent-browser open https://example.com/login # ... login steps ... agent-browser state save auth.json # Reuse in future sessions agent-browser state load auth.json agent-browser open https://example.com/dashboard
Video Recording (Debugging)
bashagent-browser open https://example.com agent-browser record start # ... perform actions ... agent-browser record stop # Saves to recording.webm
Parallel Sessions
bash# Terminal 1 agent-browser --session test1 open https://example.com # Terminal 2 agent-browser --session test2 open https://example.com
Cloud Browsers (Browserbase)
For CI/CD or environments without local browser:
bash# Set credentials export BROWSERBASE_API_KEY="your-api-key" export BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID="your-project-id" # Use cloud browser agent-browser -p browserbase open https://example.com
See references/browserbase-cloud-setup.md for detailed setup.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Command not found | Run npm install -g agent-browser |
| Chromium missing | Run agent-browser install |
| Linux deps missing | Run agent-browser install --with-deps |
| Session stale | Close browser: agent-browser close |
| Element not found | Re-run snapshot -i after page changes |
