Browser Automation with agent-browser

Core Workflow

Every browser automation follows this pattern:

0. Connect (if $AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT is set): agent-browser connect $AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT — see CDP section below
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

agent-browser open https://example.com/form
agent-browser get url
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

Open Confirmation (Required)

After every open, confirm the browser actually reached the target page before continuing:

agent-browser open <url>
agent-browser get url
agent-browser get title

If get url is still about:blank, the page closes immediately, or load does not stabilize, stop and report this to the user before taking more actions.

CDP Connection (Authenticated Browser)

If AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT is set, connect to an existing Chrome instance instead of launching a fresh browser. This preserves logged-in sessions, cookies, and extensions.

Connect

At the start of any browser session, connect to the CDP browser:

agent-browser connect $AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT

If the connection fails (Chrome not running), launch it first:

# Check if browser is listening
lsof -i :$AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT -sTCP:LISTEN >/dev/null 2>&1

# If not running, launch via AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_LAUNCH
if [ -n "$AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_LAUNCH" ]; then
  eval "$AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_LAUNCH" &
  sleep 3
fi

# Then connect
agent-browser connect $AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT

Command-Runner Note (Isolated)

In some command-runner environments, launching Chrome with direct binary + & can be cleaned up when that command exits. If this happens, use a detached macOS launch command and verify the listener before connecting:

if ! lsof -i :$AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT -sTCP:LISTEN >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  open -na "Google Chrome" --args \
    --remote-debugging-port="$AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT" \
    --user-data-dir="$HOME/Projects/ai-chrome-profile"
  sleep 3
fi

lsof -i :$AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT -sTCP:LISTEN >/dev/null 2>&1
agent-browser connect $AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT

After connect succeeds, verify navigation worked (do not assume it did):

agent-browser open https://example.com
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser get url

If AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT is set but CDP still fails after retrying launch/connect, do not silently switch methods. Explain the failure to the user and ask for a fallback choice:

• headed fresh session: agent-browser --headed open <url>
• headless fresh session: agent-browser open <url>

Example message:

I couldn't connect through CDP on port $AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT after retrying. Would you like me to continue with a headed fresh browser session or a headless fresh session?

Once connected, all commands work normally — no extra flags needed:

agent-browser open https://example.com
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser click @e1
agent-browser screenshot

For workflows split across separate command invocations, --cdp per command can be more robust:

agent-browser --cdp $AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT open https://example.com
agent-browser --cdp $AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT snapshot -i
agent-browser --cdp $AGENT_BROWSER_CDP_PORT click @e1

Clean Session (No Profile)

When the user explicitly asks for a “clean”, “fresh”, or “incognito” session, skip CDP — use the default ephemeral browser regardless of env vars:

agent-browser open <url>          # Without connect = fresh browser

Essential Commands

# 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 -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

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

# 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

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

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

Visual Browser (Debugging)

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

iOS Simulator (Mobile Safari)

# 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)

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:

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

Deep-Dive Documentation

Ready-to-Use Templates

./templates/form-automation.sh https://example.com/form
./templates/authenticated-session.sh https://app.example.com/login
./templates/capture-workflow.sh https://example.com ./output