dundas Web Browse
Drive a browser programmatically with ThinkRun. Two interfaces, same capabilities:
thinkrunCLI — for shell scripts and terminal use.npm install -g @thinkrun/cli(bin:thinkrun).@thinkrun/mcp— for MCP clients (Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf).npx @thinkrun/mcp.
Both support two execution modes:
- Local mode — controls your real Chrome via the ThinkRun extension + native host. Best for sites needing your login/cookies, or visual work on the browser you already have open.
- Cloud mode — provisions an isolated Playwright browser on Fly.io. Best for headless/autonomous scraping, multi-agent work, and anti-detection (stealth).
Mode is auto-detected; override per-command with --mode local|cloud (CLI) or the set_mode tool (MCP).
When to use which
| Scenario | Mode | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Site needs your login cookies | Local | Uses your real Chrome session |
| Visual/interactive work on an open tab | Local | Attach to the tab you're looking at |
| Headless autonomous scraping | Cloud | No Chrome needed, runs detached |
| Multi-agent / parallel sessions | Cloud | Isolated browser per session |
| Anti-detection needed | Cloud | Built-in stealth (no navigator.webdriver) |
See references/details.md for the full CLI command + MCP tool reference, common patterns, and error codes.
Setup
Install
# CLI (shell use)
npm install -g @thinkrun/cli # provides the `thinkrun` command
# MCP (Claude Code / Cursor / Cline / Windsurf)
npx @thinkrun/mcp # or add to your MCP config (see below)
MCP config:
{ "mcpServers": { "thinkrun": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@thinkrun/mcp"] } } }
Cloud mode
Set an API key (get one at thinkrun.ai):
thinkrun config set-key <api-key> # or: export THINKRUN_API_KEY=<api-key>
The CLI talks to the ThinkRun API (default host https://api.thinkbrowse.io). THINKBROWSE_API_KEY is still honored as a legacy fallback.
Local mode
thinkrun setup # installs the native host binary and configures the API key
thinkrun doctor # verify: endpoint, auth, extension connectivity, native host
Local mode also requires the ThinkRun extension installed in Chrome (Web Store, or load-unpacked from extension/ for dev). thinkrun doctor reports whether the extension is connected.
Quick start (CLI)
# Cloud: start an isolated browser (becomes the active session)
thinkrun cloud start
# Navigate + observe
thinkrun navigate "https://example.com"
thinkrun snapshot # accessibility tree — best for LLMs
thinkrun extract "body" --format text # text content (extract takes a SELECTOR)
thinkrun screenshot --output /tmp/page.png
# Interact
thinkrun click "button.submit"
thinkrun fill "#email" "user@example.com"
thinkrun type "#search" "query"
thinkrun press Enter
thinkrun scroll --down 600
# Page info + logs
thinkrun url
thinkrun console
thinkrun network
# Cloud cleanup (local mode has no session to stop)
thinkrun cloud stop
Local mode is the same commands, against your real Chrome — attach to a tab first:
thinkrun tabs # list open Chromium tabs
thinkrun attach <tabId> # route subsequent commands to that tab
thinkrun navigate "https://app.example.com"
Quick start (MCP)
Tool names are unprefixed and underscore-style (e.g. navigate, click, type_text, snapshot, screenshot, extract, get_url). Cloud sessions use session_create / session_use / session_delete; local tabs use tab_list / tab_attach. Set mode with set_mode. Full list in references/details.md.
Stateless one-shots (no session)
For a single fetch with no interaction, skip session setup entirely:
thinkrun cache html "https://example.com"
thinkrun cache text "https://example.com"
thinkrun cache screenshot "https://example.com" --output /tmp/x.png
Always clean up
In cloud mode, thinkrun cloud stop when done (sessions auto-expire after 30 min). In local mode, thinkrun release frees the working-location lock for the current process/group.