CLI Anything Browser

cli-anything-browser

A command-line interface for browser automation using DOMShell's MCP server. Navigate web pages using filesystem commands: ls, cd, cat, grep, click.

Installation

Prerequisites

1. Node.js and npx (for DOMShell MCP server):

   # Install Node.js from https://nodejs.org/
   npx --version
   

2. Chrome/Chromium with DOMShell extension:

   • Install extension in Chrome
   • Ensure Chrome is running before using CLI

3. Python 3.10+

Install CLI

cd browser/agent-harness
pip install -e .

Command Groups

page — Page Navigation

• page open <url> — Navigate to URL
• page reload — Reload current page
• page back — Navigate back in history
• page forward — Navigate forward in history
• page info — Show current page info

fs — Filesystem Commands (Accessibility Tree)

• fs ls [path] — List elements at path
• fs cd <path> — Change directory
• fs cat [path] — Read element content
• fs grep <pattern> [path] — Search for text pattern
• fs pwd — Print working directory

act — Action Commands

• act click <path> — Click an element
• act type <path> <text> — Type text into input

session — Session Management

• session status — Show session state
• session daemon-start — Start persistent daemon mode
• session daemon-stop — Stop daemon mode

Usage Examples

Basic Navigation

# Open a page
cli-anything-browser page open https://example.com

# Explore structure
cli-anything-browser fs ls /
cli-anything-browser fs cd /main
cli-anything-browser fs ls

# Go back to root
cli-anything-browser fs cd /

Search and Click

cli-anything-browser fs grep "Login"
cli-anything-browser act click /main/button[0]

Form Fill

cli-anything-browser act type /main/input[0] "user@example.com"
cli-anything-browser act click /main/button[0]

JSON Output

cli-anything-browser --json fs ls /

Daemon Mode (Faster Interactive Use)

# Start persistent connection
cli-anything-browser session daemon-start

# Run commands (uses persistent connection)
cli-anything-browser fs ls /
cli-anything-browser fs cd /main

# Stop daemon when done
cli-anything-browser session daemon-stop

Interactive REPL

cli-anything-browser

Path Syntax

DOMShell uses a filesystem-like path for the Accessibility Tree:

/                           — Root (document)
/main                       — Main landmark
/main/div[0]                — First div in main
/main/div[0]/button[2]      — Third button in first div

• Array indices are 0-based: button[0] is the first button
• Use .. to go up one level
• Use / for root

Agent-Specific Guidance

JSON Output for Parsing

All commands support --json flag for machine-readable output:

cli-anything-browser --json fs ls /

Returns:

{
  "path": "/",
  "entries": [
    {"name": "main", "role": "landmark", "path": "/main"}
  ]
}

Error Handling

The CLI provides clear error messages for common issues:

• npx not found: Install Node.js from https://nodejs.org/
• DOMShell not found: Run npx @apireno/domshell --version
• MCP call failed: Install DOMShell Chrome extension

Check is_available() return value before running commands.

Daemon Mode for Efficiency

For agent workflows with multiple commands, use daemon mode:

1. Start daemon: cli-anything-browser session daemon-start
2. Run commands: Each command reuses the MCP connection
3. Stop daemon: cli-anything-browser session daemon-stop

This avoids the 1-3 second cold start overhead for each command.

Links

• DOMShell GitHub
• CLI-Anything
• Issue #90