danielleit241 agent-browser Skill
Fast browser automation CLI for AI agents. Chrome/Chromium via CDP with accessibility-tree snapshots and compact @eN element refs (~280 chars/snapshot vs 8K+ for Playwright MCP).
Use hs:agent-browser for browser testing, screenshots, form fills, scraping, exploratory QA, bug hunts, cloud browsers, Electron apps, Slack automation, and flows where a fresh or tool-managed browser is fine. Prefer it over generic browser tools for profile-independent browser work.
Use hs:chrome-profile instead when the task needs the user's actual Chrome profile: existing cookies, logged-in sessions, a specific Google account, a tenant/workspace already open in daily Chrome, or deterministic targeting across multiple Chrome profiles.
Install / Upgrade
npm install -g agent-browser # install (or upgrade) to latest
agent-browser install # download Chromium (one-time)
agent-browser install --with-deps # Linux: include system deps
agent-browser upgrade # self-upgrade the binary
agent-browser --version # verify
Re-run npm install -g agent-browser (or agent-browser upgrade) periodically — new commands and skills ship with the binary.
Start here — load live workflow content
This file is a discovery stub, not the usage guide. Before running any agent-browser command, load workflow content from the installed CLI:
agent-browser skills get core # start here: workflows, common patterns, troubleshooting
agent-browser skills get core --full # include full command reference and templates
The CLI serves skill content from the installed binary, so instructions always match the installed version. This stub stays intentionally small and points at skills get core instead of duplicating command details that can change between releases.
Specialized skills
Load a specialized skill when the task falls outside browser web pages:
agent-browser skills get electron # Electron apps (VS Code, Slack, Discord, Figma, ...)
agent-browser skills get slack # Slack workspace automation
agent-browser skills get dogfood # Exploratory testing / QA / bug hunts
agent-browser skills get vercel-sandbox # agent-browser inside Vercel Sandbox microVMs
agent-browser skills get agentcore # AWS Bedrock AgentCore cloud browsers
Run agent-browser skills list to see everything available on the installed version.
When to use
Default for browser automation that does not depend on the user's real Chrome login state: autonomous sessions, ad-hoc navigation, screenshots, form fills, scraping, multi-tab work, self-verifying build loops, Electron desktop apps, Slack automation, and Browserbase/cloud browsers.
For low-level Chrome DevTools Protocol diagnostics, use the configured chrome-devtools-mcp bridge or client when one is available. Reason first: if the task does not need a specific real Chrome profile, Chrome DevTools MCP may use its normal navigation tools. If it does need profile/cookie/account state, use hs:chrome-profile; let chrome-profile open --json create the tab and bind to its returned selector before using MCP inspection tools. See references/agent-browser-vs-chrome-devtools.md for the trade-off.
Why agent-browser
- Native Rust CLI rather than a Node.js wrapper
- Works across AI agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Continue, and Windsurf
- Chrome/Chromium via CDP without a Playwright or Puppeteer dependency
- Accessibility-tree snapshots with stable element refs for reliable interaction
- Sessions, authentication vault, state persistence, and video recording
- Specialized workflows for Electron apps, Slack, exploratory testing, and cloud browsers
Cloud browsers
For CI/CD or environments without a local browser:
export BROWSERBASE_API_KEY="..."
export BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID="..."
agent-browser -p browserbase open https://example.com
See references/browserbase-cloud-setup.md for detailed setup. For AWS Bedrock AgentCore or Vercel Sandbox, run agent-browser skills get agentcore / agent-browser skills get vercel-sandbox.
Prerequisites & Environment
| Name | Purpose | Required? |
|---|---|---|
agent-browser CLI installed (npm install -g agent-browser) + Chromium (agent-browser install) |
Provides the CLI and local browser this skill drives | Required |
BROWSERBASE_API_KEY |
Authenticates the Browserbase cloud-browser provider (-p browserbase) |
Optional — only for cloud-browser sessions |
BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID |
Selects the Browserbase project for cloud-browser sessions | Optional — only for cloud-browser sessions |
The kit ships no configuration-value file for this skill — no keys, no project IDs. Users supply their own Browserbase (or other cloud-provider) values through their own local environment/setup; local/default browser automation needs none of this.
Observability dashboard
Agent Browser exposes an observability dashboard independently of browser sessions on port 4848. It can also be opened through a proxied or forwarded URL such as https://dashboard.agent-browser.localhost. Stay on the dashboard origin; session tabs, status, and stream traffic are proxied internally, so individual session ports do not need to be exposed.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Command not found | npm install -g agent-browser |
| Chromium missing | agent-browser install |
| Linux deps missing | agent-browser install --with-deps |
| Stale commands / missing flags | npm install -g agent-browser then agent-browser skills get core --full |
| Session stale | agent-browser close |
| Element not found | Re-run agent-browser snapshot -i after page changes |
Resources
- Upstream: https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser
- Browserbase: https://docs.browserbase.com/