Browser Research

Browser Research

Prerequisites

This skill requires the agent-browser CLI tool from vercel-labs/agent-browser.

Installation

# Install the CLI globally
npm install -g agent-browser

# Install Chromium browser (required)
agent-browser install

Verify Installation

agent-browser --version
agent-browser install --check

If you see version output and a successful browser check, you're ready to use this skill.

Execute deep web research missions using agent-browser for interactive page navigation and data extraction.

When to Use

• Multi-page research: Navigating search results, following links, exploring sites
• Dynamic content: JavaScript-rendered pages, SPAs, interactive dashboards
• Form interaction: Filling search fields, applying filters, submitting queries
• Data extraction: Tables, lists, product information, structured data
• Authenticated content: Sites requiring login or session state

For simple static pages, consider WebFetch first. Escalate to agent-browser when content is incomplete or interaction is required.

Core Research Loop

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. OPEN     agent-browser open <url>               │
│  2. SNAPSHOT agent-browser snapshot -i              │
│  3. EXTRACT  agent-browser get text @ref            │
│  4. NAVIGATE agent-browser click @ref / fill / etc  │
│  5. REPEAT   Loop steps 2-4 until mission complete  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The Snapshot-Act Pattern

Always snapshot before interacting. Refs (@e1, @e2) are stable identifiers for elements:

agent-browser open "https://example.com/search"
agent-browser snapshot -i                    # See what's available
agent-browser fill @e3 "search query"        # Fill the search box
agent-browser click @e5                      # Click search button
agent-browser wait --load networkidle        # Wait for results
agent-browser snapshot -i                    # See new state

Research Planning

Before starting, define:

Source Discovery

Start broad, then narrow:

# Option 1: Direct navigation (when you know the site)
agent-browser open "https://known-site.com/pricing"

# Option 2: Search engine discovery
agent-browser open "https://www.google.com"
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser fill @e1 "CRM pricing comparison 2025"
agent-browser press Enter
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Extract relevant URLs from results

Scenario Recipes

Use recipes when you need a repeatable pattern. Each recipe should include:

1. Intent - The question being answered and the expected output shape
2. Minimal Steps - 3-6 steps with snapshots, verification, and stop conditions
3. Output - JSON fields with sources, access dates, and missing-data notes

Extraction

• Data Extraction Patterns - Feed top-N, paginated catalog, filtered results

Comparison

• Multi-Source Research - Consensus checks, price/spec comparisons, recency validation

Exploration

• Site Exploration - Docs crawl, category discovery, auth-gated inventory

Data Extraction Strategies

Extract Text Content

# Single element
agent-browser get text @e15

# Multiple elements - snapshot shows structure
agent-browser snapshot -s ".results"         # Scope to results section
agent-browser get text @e20                  # First result
agent-browser get text @e25                  # Second result

Handle Pagination

# Pattern: Extract current page, navigate to next, repeat
agent-browser snapshot -i
# ... extract data from current page ...
agent-browser click @e99                     # "Next" button
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser snapshot -i                    # New page content

Handle Lazy Loading

agent-browser scroll down 1000
agent-browser wait 1000                      # Allow content to load
agent-browser snapshot -i                    # See newly loaded content

Output Format

Structure your research results for clarity:

{
  "mission": "Original research question",
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://example.com/page",
      "title": "Page Title",
      "accessed": "2025-01-19",
      "data": {
        "key_finding_1": "value",
        "key_finding_2": "value"
      }
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Key findings in 2-3 sentences",
  "limitations": "Any access issues or incomplete data"
}

Always include:

• Source URLs for attribution
• Access timestamps for currency
• Limitations for transparency

Sessions for Parallel Research

Use named sessions to research multiple sources simultaneously:

# Research source A
agent-browser --session src-a open "https://site-a.com"
agent-browser --session src-a snapshot -i

# Research source B (parallel)
agent-browser --session src-b open "https://site-b.com"
agent-browser --session src-b snapshot -i

# Continue working in each session
agent-browser --session src-a click @e5
agent-browser --session src-b fill @e3 "query"

Quick Reference

For complete command documentation, see: agent-browser CLI

See Also

• Data Extraction Patterns - Tables, lists, structured data
• Multi-Source Research - Comparing across sites
• Site Exploration - Deep-diving single domains

Handling Failures

Research automation can fail. Handle common issues:

# Check if element exists before interacting
agent-browser is visible @e50
# If false, the page structure may have changed - re-snapshot

# Timeout waiting for content
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
# If this times out, content may require scrolling or interaction

# Element not found - try semantic locators
agent-browser find text "Submit" click
# More resilient than refs when DOM structure changes

# Network errors - check page loaded
agent-browser get url
# Verify you're on the expected page before extracting

When failures occur:

• Re-snapshot - DOM may have changed
• Try find locators - More stable than refs for dynamic content
• Check URL - Redirects or errors may have changed the page
• Report limitations - Note access issues in output, don't silently skip

Best Practices

1. Snapshot frequently - DOM changes after interactions
2. Use -i flag - Interactive elements only, cleaner output
3. Wait after navigation - --load networkidle ensures content is ready
4. Scope when needed - -s ".container" focuses on relevant sections
5. Track sources - Use get url and get title for attribution
6. Handle failures - Report access issues, don't silently skip
7. Use find for dynamic content - When refs change, semantic locators are more stable
8. Close when done - agent-browser close releases resources