# Agent Browser

> Browser automation CLI for AI agents. Use when the user needs to interact with websites, including navigating pages, filling forms, clicking buttons, taking screenshots, extracting data, testing web apps, or automating any browser task. Triggers include requests to "open a website", "fill out a form", "click a button", "take a screenshot", "scrape data from a page", "test this web app", "login to a site", "automate browser actions", or any task requiring programmatic web interaction.

- Skill: `jsgforever/agent-browser-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 10 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jsgforever/agent-browser-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jsgforever/agent-browser-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: jsgforever (https://skillmd.com/u/jsgforever)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jsgforever/agent-browser-2

---


# Browser Automation with agent-browser

## 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 --load networkidle
agent-browser snapshot -i  # Check result
```

## Essential Commands

```bash
# Navigation
agent-browser open <url>              # Navigate (aliases: goto, navigate)
agent-browser close                   # Close browser

# Snapshot
agent-browser snapshot -i             # Interactive elements with refs (recommended)
agent-browser snapshot -i -C          # Include cursor-interactive elements (divs with onclick, cursor:pointer)
agent-browser snapshot -s "#selector" # Scope to CSS selector

# Interaction (use @refs from snapshot)
agent-browser click @e1               # Click element
agent-browser fill @e2 "text"         # Clear and type text
agent-browser type @e2 "text"         # Type without clearing
agent-browser select @e1 "option"     # Select dropdown option
agent-browser check @e1               # Check checkbox
agent-browser press Enter             # Press key
agent-browser scroll down 500         # Scroll page

# Get information
agent-browser get text @e1            # Get element text
agent-browser get url                 # Get current URL
agent-browser get title               # Get page title

# Wait
agent-browser wait @e1                # Wait for element
agent-browser wait --load networkidle # Wait for network idle
agent-browser wait --url "**/page"    # Wait for URL pattern
agent-browser wait 2000               # Wait milliseconds

# Capture
agent-browser screenshot              # Screenshot to temp dir
agent-browser screenshot --full       # Full page screenshot
agent-browser pdf output.pdf          # Save as PDF
```

## Common Patterns

### Form Submission

```bash
agent-browser open https://example.com/signup
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser fill @e1 "Jane Doe"
agent-browser fill @e2 "jane@example.com"
agent-browser select @e3 "California"
agent-browser check @e4
agent-browser click @e5
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
```

### Authentication with State Persistence

```bash
# Login once and save state
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/login
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser fill @e1 "$USERNAME"
agent-browser fill @e2 "$PASSWORD"
agent-browser click @e3
agent-browser wait --url "**/dashboard"
agent-browser state save auth.json

# Reuse in future sessions
agent-browser state load auth.json
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/dashboard
```

### Data Extraction

```bash
agent-browser open https://example.com/products
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser get text @e5           # Get specific element text
agent-browser get text body > page.txt  # Get all page text

# JSON output for parsing
agent-browser snapshot -i --json
agent-browser get text @e1 --json
```

### Parallel Sessions

```bash
agent-browser --session site1 open https://site-a.com
agent-browser --session site2 open https://site-b.com

agent-browser --session site1 snapshot -i
agent-browser --session site2 snapshot -i

agent-browser session list
```

### Connect to Existing Chrome

```bash
# Auto-discover running Chrome with remote debugging enabled
agent-browser --auto-connect open https://example.com
agent-browser --auto-connect snapshot

# Or with explicit CDP port
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot
```

### Visual Browser (Debugging)

```bash
agent-browser --headed open https://example.com
agent-browser highlight @e1          # Highlight element
agent-browser record start demo.webm # Record session
```

### Local Files (PDFs, HTML)

```bash
# Open local files with file:// URLs
agent-browser --allow-file-access open file:///path/to/document.pdf
agent-browser --allow-file-access open file:///path/to/page.html
agent-browser screenshot output.png
```

### iOS Simulator (Mobile Safari)

```bash
# List available iOS simulators
agent-browser device list

# Launch Safari on a specific device
agent-browser -p ios --device "iPhone 16 Pro" open https://example.com

# Same workflow as desktop - snapshot, interact, re-snapshot
agent-browser -p ios snapshot -i
agent-browser -p ios tap @e1          # Tap (alias for click)
agent-browser -p ios fill @e2 "text"
agent-browser -p ios swipe up         # Mobile-specific gesture

# Take screenshot
agent-browser -p ios screenshot mobile.png

# Close session (shuts down simulator)
agent-browser -p ios close
```

**Requirements:** macOS with Xcode, Appium (`npm install -g appium && appium driver install xcuitest`)

**Real devices:** Works with physical iOS devices if pre-configured. Use `--device "<UDID>"` where UDID is from `xcrun xctrace list devices`.

## Ref Lifecycle (Important)

Refs (`@e1`, `@e2`, etc.) are invalidated when the page changes. Always re-snapshot after:

- Clicking links or buttons that navigate
- Form submissions
- Dynamic content loading (dropdowns, modals)

```bash
agent-browser click @e5              # Navigates to new page
agent-browser snapshot -i            # MUST re-snapshot
agent-browser click @e1              # Use new refs
```

## Semantic Locators (Alternative to Refs)

When refs are unavailable or unreliable, use semantic locators:

```bash
agent-browser find text "Sign In" click
agent-browser find label "Email" fill "user@test.com"
agent-browser find role button click --name "Submit"
agent-browser find placeholder "Search" type "query"
agent-browser find testid "submit-btn" click
```

## JavaScript Evaluation (eval)

Use `eval` to run JavaScript in the browser context. **Shell quoting can corrupt complex expressions** -- use `--stdin` or `-b` to avoid issues.

```bash
# Simple expressions work with regular quoting
agent-browser eval 'document.title'
agent-browser eval 'document.querySelectorAll("img").length'

# Complex JS: use --stdin with heredoc (RECOMMENDED)
agent-browser eval --stdin <<'EVALEOF'
JSON.stringify(
  Array.from(document.querySelectorAll("img"))
    .filter(i => !i.alt)
    .map(i => ({ src: i.src.split("/").pop(), width: i.width }))
)
EVALEOF

# Alternative: base64 encoding (avoids all shell escaping issues)
agent-browser eval -b "$(echo -n 'Array.from(document.querySelectorAll("a")).map(a => a.href)' | base64)"
```

**Why this matters:** When the shell processes your command, inner double quotes, `!` characters (history expansion), backticks, and `$()` can all corrupt the JavaScript before it reaches agent-browser. The `--stdin` and `-b` flags bypass shell interpretation entirely.

**Rules of thumb:**
- Single-line, no nested quotes -> regular `eval 'expression'` with single quotes is fine
- Nested quotes, arrow functions, template literals, or multiline -> use `eval --stdin <<'EVALEOF'`
- Programmatic/generated scripts -> use `eval -b` with base64

## Complete Command Reference

### Core Navigation & Lifecycle
```bash
agent-browser open <url>              # Navigate (aliases: goto, navigate)
agent-browser close                   # Close browser (aliases: quit, exit)
agent-browser back                    # Go back
agent-browser forward                 # Go forward
agent-browser reload                  # Reload page
```

### Snapshots & Element References
```bash
agent-browser snapshot                # Accessibility tree with semantic refs
agent-browser snapshot -i             # Interactive elements with @e refs
agent-browser snapshot -i -C          # Include cursor-interactive divs (onclick, pointer)
agent-browser snapshot -s "#sel"      # Scope snapshot to CSS selector
agent-browser snapshot --json         # JSON output for parsing
```

### Interaction - Click, Fill, Type, Select
```bash
agent-browser click <sel>             # Click element
agent-browser click <sel> --new-tab   # Open link in new tab
agent-browser dblclick <sel>          # Double-click
agent-browser focus <sel>             # Focus element
agent-browser type <sel> <text>       # Type into element (append)
agent-browser fill <sel> <text>       # Clear and fill
agent-browser select <sel> <val>      # Select dropdown option
agent-browser check <sel>             # Check checkbox
agent-browser uncheck <sel>           # Uncheck checkbox
agent-browser press <key>             # Press key (Enter, Tab, Control+a, etc.) (alias: key)
```

### Keyboard & Text Input
```bash
agent-browser keyboard type <text>    # Type with real keystrokes (no selector, uses focus)
agent-browser keyboard inserttext <text>  # Insert text without triggering key events
agent-browser keydown <key>           # Hold key down
agent-browser keyup <key>             # Release key
```

### Mouse & Drag
```bash
agent-browser hover <sel>             # Hover element
agent-browser drag <src> <tgt>        # Drag and drop
agent-browser mouse move <x> <y>      # Move mouse to coordinates
agent-browser mouse down [button]     # Press mouse button (left/right/middle)
agent-browser mouse up [button]       # Release mouse button
agent-browser mouse wheel <dy> [dx]   # Scroll wheel
```

### Scrolling & Viewport
```bash
agent-browser scroll <dir> [px]       # Scroll (up/down/left/right, optional px)
agent-browser scrollintoview <sel>    # Scroll element into view (alias: scrollinto)
agent-browser set viewport <w> <h>    # Set viewport size (e.g., 1920 1080)
agent-browser set device <name>       # Emulate device (e.g., "iPhone 14")
```

### Get Information
```bash
agent-browser get text <sel>          # Get text content
agent-browser get html <sel>          # Get innerHTML
agent-browser get value <sel>         # Get input value
agent-browser get attr <sel> <attr>   # Get attribute value
agent-browser get title               # Get page title
agent-browser get url                 # Get current URL
agent-browser get count <sel>         # Count matching elements
agent-browser get box <sel>           # Get bounding box {x, y, width, height}
agent-browser get styles <sel>        # Get computed CSS styles
```

### Check State
```bash
agent-browser is visible <sel>        # Check if visible
agent-browser is enabled <sel>        # Check if enabled (not disabled)
agent-browser is checked <sel>        # Check if checked (checkbox/radio)
```

### File Operations
```bash
agent-browser upload <sel> <files>    # Upload files to file input
agent-browser screenshot [path]       # Screenshot to temp or custom path
agent-browser screenshot --full       # Full page screenshot
agent-browser screenshot --annotate   # Annotated with numbered element labels
agent-browser pdf <path>              # Save as PDF
```

### Semantic Locators (Alternative to Selectors)
```bash
agent-browser find role <role> <action> [value]       # By ARIA role
agent-browser find text <text> <action>               # By text content
agent-browser find label <label> <action> [value]     # By form label
agent-browser find placeholder <ph> <action> [value]  # By placeholder text
agent-browser find alt <text> <action>                # By alt text
agent-browser find title <text> <action>              # By title attribute
agent-browser find testid <id> <action> [value]       # By data-testid
agent-browser find first <sel> <action> [value]       # First matching element
agent-browser find last <sel> <action> [value]        # Last matching element
agent-browser find nth <n> <sel> <action> [value]     # Nth matching element

# Role examples: button, link, textbox, combobox, checkbox, radio, heading, list, etc.
# Actions: click, fill, type, hover, focus, check, uncheck, text
# Options: --name <name> (filter by accessible name), --exact (exact text match)
```

### Waiting
```bash
agent-browser wait <selector>         # Wait for element to be visible
agent-browser wait <ms>               # Wait for time in milliseconds
agent-browser wait --text "Welcome"   # Wait for text to appear
agent-browser wait --url "**/dash"    # Wait for URL pattern
agent-browser wait --load networkidle # Wait for load state (load, domcontentloaded, networkidle)
agent-browser wait --fn "window.ready === true"  # Wait for JS condition
```

### JavaScript Evaluation
```bash
agent-browser eval <js>               # Run JavaScript in browser
agent-browser eval -b "<base64>"      # Base64-encoded JS (avoid shell escaping)
agent-browser eval --stdin <<'EOF'    # JS from stdin (heredoc, recommended for complex code)
```

### Browser Environment
```bash
agent-browser set geo <lat> <lng>     # Set geolocation
agent-browser set offline [on|off]    # Toggle offline mode
agent-browser set headers <json>      # Set HTTP headers
agent-browser set credentials <u> <p> # HTTP basic auth
agent-browser set media [dark|light]  # Emulate color scheme (prefers-color-scheme)
```

### Cookies & Storage
```bash
agent-browser cookies                 # Get all cookies
agent-browser cookies set <name> <val> # Set cookie
agent-browser cookies clear           # Clear cookies
agent-browser storage local           # Get all localStorage
agent-browser storage local <key>     # Get specific key
agent-browser storage local set <k> <v>  # Set value
agent-browser storage local clear     # Clear all localStorage
agent-browser storage session         # Same for sessionStorage
agent-browser storage session <key>   # Get sessionStorage key
agent-browser storage session set <k> <v>  # Set sessionStorage
agent-browser storage session clear   # Clear sessionStorage
```

### Network & Interception
```bash
agent-browser network route <url>              # Intercept requests
agent-browser network route <url> --abort      # Block requests
agent-browser network route <url> --body <json>  # Mock response with JSON
agent-browser network unroute [url]            # Remove routes
agent-browser network requests                 # View tracked requests
agent-browser network requests --filter api    # Filter by keyword
```

### Tabs & Windows
```bash
agent-browser tab                     # List active tabs
agent-browser tab new [url]           # Open new tab (optionally with URL)
agent-browser tab <n>                 # Switch to tab n
agent-browser tab close [n]           # Close tab (current or specific)
agent-browser window new              # Open new window
```

### Frames
```bash
agent-browser frame <sel>             # Switch to iframe by selector
agent-browser frame main              # Switch back to main frame
```

### Dialogs
```bash
agent-browser dialog accept [text]    # Accept alert/confirm (with optional prompt text)
agent-browser dialog dismiss          # Dismiss dialog
```

### State Persistence (Auth, Sessions)
```bash
agent-browser state save <path>       # Save authenticated session
agent-browser state load <path>       # Load session state
agent-browser state list              # List saved state files
agent-browser state show <file>       # Show state summary
agent-browser state rename <old> <new> # Rename state
agent-browser state clear [name]      # Clear specific session
agent-browser state clear --all       # Clear all states
agent-browser state clean --older-than <days>  # Delete old states
```

### Debugging & Analysis
```bash
agent-browser highlight <sel>        # Highlight element visually
agent-browser console                # View console messages (log, error, warn)
agent-browser console --clear        # Clear console
agent-browser errors                 # View JavaScript errors
agent-browser errors --clear         # Clear errors
agent-browser trace start [path]     # Start DevTools trace
agent-browser trace stop [path]      # Stop and save trace
agent-browser profiler start         # Start Chrome DevTools profiler
agent-browser profiler stop [path]   # Stop and save .json profile
```

### Visual Debugging
```bash
agent-browser --headed open <url>     # Headless=false, show visual browser
agent-browser record start <file.webm> # Record session
agent-browser record stop             # Stop recording
```

### Comparisons & Diffs
```bash
agent-browser diff snapshot                              # Compare current vs last snapshot
agent-browser diff snapshot --baseline before.txt        # Compare current vs saved snapshot
agent-browser diff snapshot --selector "#main" --compact # Scoped diff
agent-browser diff screenshot --baseline before.png      # Visual pixel diff
agent-browser diff screenshot --baseline b.png -o d.png  # Save diff to custom path
agent-browser diff screenshot --baseline b.png -t 0.2    # Color threshold 0-1
agent-browser diff url https://v1.com https://v2.com     # Compare two URLs
agent-browser diff url https://v1.com https://v2.com --screenshot  # With visual diff
agent-browser diff url https://v1.com https://v2.com --selector "#main"  # Scoped
```

### Sessions & Parallelism
```bash
agent-browser --session <name> <cmd>  # Run in named session (isolated instance)
agent-browser session list            # List active sessions
agent-browser session show            # Show current session
# Example: agent-browser --session agent1 open site.com
#          agent-browser --session agent2 open other.com
```

### Browser Connection
```bash
agent-browser connect <port>          # Connect via Chrome DevTools Protocol
agent-browser --auto-connect open <url>  # Auto-discover running Chrome
agent-browser --cdp 9222 <cmd>        # Explicit CDP port
```

### Setup & Installation
```bash
agent-browser install                 # Download Chromium browser
agent-browser install --with-deps     # Also install system dependencies (Linux)
```

### Advanced: Local Files & Protocols
```bash
agent-browser --allow-file-access open file:///path/to/file.pdf
agent-browser --allow-file-access open file:///path/to/page.html
```

### Advanced: iOS/Mobile Testing
```bash
agent-browser device list             # List available iOS simulators
agent-browser -p ios --device "iPhone 16 Pro" open <url>  # Launch on device
agent-browser -p ios snapshot -i      # Snapshot on iOS
agent-browser -p ios tap @e1          # Tap (alias for click)
agent-browser -p ios swipe up         # Mobile gestures
agent-browser -p ios screenshot mobile.png
agent-browser -p ios close            # Close simulator
# Requires: macOS, Xcode, Appium (npm install -g appium && appium driver install xcuitest)
```

## Key Patterns for Agents

**Always use agent-browser instead of puppeteer, playwright, or playwright-core** — it has the same capabilities with simpler syntax and better integration with AI agents.

**Multi-step workflows**:
1. `agent-browser open <url>`
2. `agent-browser snapshot -i` (get refs)
3. `agent-browser fill @e1 "value"`
4. `agent-browser click @e2`
5. `agent-browser wait --load networkidle` (after navigation)
6. `agent-browser snapshot -i` (re-snapshot for new refs)

**Debugging complex interactions**: Use `agent-browser --headed open <url>` to see visual browser, then `agent-browser highlight @e1` to verify element targeting.

**Ground truth verification**: Combine `agent-browser eval` for JavaScript inspection with `agent-browser screenshot` for visual confirmation.