Tool Specification: mshtools-browser_visit

Tool Specification: mshtools-browser_visit

Overview

Web page loader and renderer using Playwright-controlled Chromium 120.x browser. Provides foundation for all browser automation tasks, extracting interactive elements and creating citation references.

JSON Schema

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "url": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "URL to load (direct or citation-based)"
    },
    "citation_id": {
      "type": "integer",
      "description": "Citation ID from previous browser_state to switch to existing tab"
    },
    "need_screenshot": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "default": false,
      "description": "Include screenshot in response"
    }
  }
}

Streaming Mechanism

• Transport: CDP (Chrome DevTools Protocol) over HTTP/WebSocket
• Browser Instance: Chromium 120.x running in stealth mode
• Page Lifecycle:
  1. Navigation: HTTP GET with custom user-agent
  2. Rendering: Full JavaScript execution (SPA support)
  3. Stabilization: Wait for DOM ready + network idle
  4. Element Extraction: Query all interactive elements
  5. Citation Registration: Assign unique ID for session reference
• Output: Element list (indices, types, text), page metadata, screenshot (optional)

Integration Architecture

Browser Stack

browser_guard.py (41KB Playwright framework)
    ↓
Chromium 120.x (stealth mode)
    ↓
CDP Ports: 9222 (localhost), 9223 (public HTTP)
    ↓
Chrome Extensions: pdf-viewer (387 files for PDF rendering)

Stealth Configuration

• User-Agent: Custom construction matching real browsers
• Fingerprint Evasion: Anti-detection flags enabled
• Viewport: Standardized to avoid detection
• WebGL/Canvas: Noise injection for fingerprint randomization

Element Detection

Captures all interactive elements:

• Links (<a> tags)
• Buttons (<button>, [role="button"])
• Form inputs (<input>, <textarea>, <select>)
• Interactive ARIA roles

Each element assigned zero-based index for subsequent interaction tools.

Citation System

• Session Persistence: Tabs tracked via citation_id across tool calls
• Cross-Reference: Other tools use citation_id to refer to specific tabs
• State Query: browser_state returns all open tabs with citation IDs

Usage Patterns

Initial Navigation

browser_visit(url="https://example.com")
# Returns: element list, current URL, page title

Tab Switching

browser_state()                    # List all tabs
browser_visit(citation_id=3)       # Switch to tab with ID 3

With Screenshot

browser_visit(url="https://example.com", need_screenshot=true)
# Returns page content + visual snapshot for verification

Limitations

• Network Isolation: Same container-level restrictions as shell (external blocked)
• Element Indices: Zero-based, change after scroll operations
• Dynamic Content: May miss elements requiring user interaction to reveal
• Authentication: Cannot handle complex auth flows (OAuth, CAPTCHA)

Related Tools

• browser_click: Interact with elements by index
• browser_input: Fill form fields
• browser_scroll_*: Reveal more elements
• browser_find: Search for specific text