browser

Browser Automation

Automate browser interactions using the browse CLI with Claude.

Setup check

Before running any browser commands, verify the CLI is available:

which browse || npm install -g browse

Environment Selection (Local vs Remote)

The CLI supports explicit per-command environment flags. If you do nothing, the next session defaults to Browserbase when BROWSERBASE_API_KEY is set and to local otherwise.

Local mode

• browse open <url> --local starts a clean isolated local browser
• browse open <url> --auto-connect attaches to an already-running debuggable Chrome; use --local when no debuggable Chrome is available
• browse open <url> --cdp <port|url> attaches to a specific CDP target
• Best for: development, localhost, trusted sites, and reproducible runs

Remote mode (Browserbase)

• browse open <url> --remote starts a Browserbase session
• Without a local flag, Browserbase is also the default when BROWSERBASE_API_KEY is set
• Provides: Browserbase Identity, Verified browsers, automatic CAPTCHA solving, residential proxies, session persistence
• Use remote mode when: the target site has bot detection, CAPTCHAs, IP rate limiting, Cloudflare protection, or requires geo-specific access
• Get credentials at https://browserbase.com/settings

When to choose which

• Repeatable local testing / clean state: browse open <url> --local
• Reuse your local login/cookies: browse open <url> --auto-connect
• Simple browsing (docs, wikis, public APIs): local mode is fine
• Protected sites (login walls, CAPTCHAs, anti-scraping): use remote mode
• If local mode fails with bot detection or access denied: switch to remote mode

Commands

Most driver commands work across local, remote, and CDP sessions after the daemon starts.

Navigation

browse open <url>                        # Go to URL
browse open <url> --local

Page state (prefer snapshot over screenshot)

Use browse snapshot as your default for understanding page state — it returns the accessibility tree with element refs you can use to interact. Only use browse screenshot when you need visual context (layout, images, debugging).

Interaction

CDP event tailing

The cdp command connects directly to any Chrome DevTools Protocol target and streams events. It does not use the daemon — it's a standalone, long-running process. Press Ctrl+C to stop. Default domains: Network, Console, Runtime, Log, Page.

Session management

Typical workflow

If the environment matters, put --local, --remote, --auto-connect, or --cdp <port|url> on the first browser command.

1. browse open <url> --local or browse open <url> --remote — navigate to the page
2. browse snapshot — read the accessibility tree to understand page structure and get element refs
3. browse click <ref> / browse type <text> / browse fill <selector> <value> — interact using refs from snapshot
4. browse snapshot — confirm the action worked
5. Repeat 3-4 as needed
6. browse stop — close the browser when done

Quick Example

Mode Comparison

Best Practices

1. Choose the local strategy deliberately: use browse open <url> --local for clean state, browse open <url> --auto-connect for existing local credentials, and browse open <url> --remote for protected sites
2. Always browse open first before interacting
3. Use browse snapshot to check page state — it's fast and gives you element refs
4. Only screenshot when visual context is needed (layout checks, images, debugging)
5. Use refs from snapshot to click/interact — e.g., browse click @0-5
6. browse stop when done to clean up the browser session and clear the env override

Troubleshooting

• "No active page": Run browse stop, then check browse status. If it still says running, kill the zombie daemon with pkill -f "browse.*daemon", then retry browse open
• Chrome not found: Install Chrome, use browse open <url> --auto-connect if you already have a debuggable Chrome running, or switch to browse open <url> --remote
• Action fails: Run browse snapshot to see available elements and their refs
• Browserbase fails: Verify API key is set

Switching to Remote Mode

Switch to remote when you detect: CAPTCHAs (reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Turnstile), bot detection pages ("Checking your browser..."), HTTP 403/429, empty pages on sites that should have content, or the user asks for it.

Don't switch for simple sites (docs, wikis, public APIs, localhost).

Mode flags are applied when a session starts. After browse stop, the next start falls back to env-var-based auto detection. Use browse status to inspect the resolved mode and target while the daemon is running.

For detailed examples, see EXAMPLES.md. For API reference, see REFERENCE.md.