Browser Automation with agent-browser

Core Workflow

Every browser automation follows this pattern:

•Navigate: agent-browser --cdp 9222 open <url>
•Snapshot: agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -i (get element refs like @e1, @e2)
•Interact: Use refs to click, fill, select
•Re-snapshot: After navigation or DOM changes, get fresh refs

bash

agent-browser --cdp 9222 open https://example.com/form
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -i
# Output: @e1 [input type="email"], @e2 [input type="password"], @e3 [button] "Submit"

agent-browser --cdp 9222 fill @e1 "user@example.com"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 fill @e2 "password123"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 click @e3
agent-browser --cdp 9222 wait --load networkidle
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -i  # Check result

Essential Commands

bash

# Navigation
agent-browser --cdp 9222 open <url>              # Navigate (aliases: goto, navigate)
agent-browser --cdp 9222 close                   # Close browser

# Snapshot
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -i             # Interactive elements with refs (recommended)
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -s "#selector" # Scope to CSS selector

# Interaction (use @refs from snapshot)
agent-browser --cdp 9222 click @e1               # Click element
agent-browser --cdp 9222 fill @e2 "text"         # Clear and type text
agent-browser --cdp 9222 type @e2 "text"         # Type without clearing
agent-browser --cdp 9222 select @e1 "option"     # Select dropdown option
agent-browser --cdp 9222 check @e1               # Check checkbox
agent-browser --cdp 9222 press Enter             # Press key
agent-browser --cdp 9222 scroll down 500         # Scroll page

# Get information
agent-browser --cdp 9222 get text @e1            # Get element text
agent-browser --cdp 9222 get url                 # Get current URL
agent-browser --cdp 9222 get title               # Get page title

# Wait
agent-browser --cdp 9222 wait @e1                # Wait for element
agent-browser --cdp 9222 wait --load networkidle # Wait for network idle
agent-browser --cdp 9222 wait --url "**/page"    # Wait for URL pattern
agent-browser --cdp 9222 wait 2000               # Wait milliseconds

# Capture
agent-browser --cdp 9222 screenshot              # Screenshot to temp dir
agent-browser --cdp 9222 screenshot --full       # Full page screenshot
agent-browser --cdp 9222 pdf output.pdf          # Save as PDF

Common Patterns

Form Submission

bash

agent-browser --cdp 9222 open https://example.com/signup
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -i
agent-browser --cdp 9222 fill @e1 "Jane Doe"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 fill @e2 "jane@example.com"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 select @e3 "California"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 check @e4
agent-browser --cdp 9222 click @e5
agent-browser --cdp 9222 wait --load networkidle

Authentication with State Persistence

bash

# Login once and save state
agent-browser --cdp 9222 open https://app.example.com/login
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -i
agent-browser --cdp 9222 fill @e1 "$USERNAME"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 fill @e2 "$PASSWORD"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 click @e3
agent-browser --cdp 9222 wait --url "**/dashboard"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 state save auth.json

# Reuse in future sessions
agent-browser --cdp 9222 state load auth.json
agent-browser --cdp 9222 open https://app.example.com/dashboard

Data Extraction

bash

agent-browser --cdp 9222 open https://example.com/products
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -i
agent-browser --cdp 9222 get text @e5           # Get specific element text
agent-browser --cdp 9222 get text body > page.txt  # Get all page text

# JSON output for parsing
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -i --json
agent-browser --cdp 9222 get text @e1 --json

Parallel Sessions

bash

agent-browser --cdp 9222 --session site1 open https://site-a.com
agent-browser --cdp 9222 --session site2 open https://site-b.com

agent-browser --cdp 9222 --session site1 snapshot -i
agent-browser --cdp 9222 --session site2 snapshot -i

agent-browser --cdp 9222 session list

Visual Browser (Debugging)

bash

agent-browser --cdp 9222 --headed open https://example.com
agent-browser --cdp 9222 highlight @e1          # Highlight element
agent-browser --cdp 9222 record start demo.webm # Record session

iOS Simulator (Mobile Safari)

bash

# List available iOS simulators
agent-browser --cdp 9222 device list

# Launch Safari on a specific device
agent-browser --cdp 9222 -p ios --device "iPhone 16 Pro" open https://example.com

# Same workflow as desktop - snapshot, interact, re-snapshot
agent-browser --cdp 9222 -p ios snapshot -i
agent-browser --cdp 9222 -p ios tap @e1          # Tap (alias for click)
agent-browser --cdp 9222 -p ios fill @e2 "text"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 -p ios swipe up         # Mobile-specific gesture

# Take screenshot
agent-browser --cdp 9222 -p ios screenshot mobile.png

# Close session (shuts down simulator)
agent-browser --cdp 9222 -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)

bash

agent-browser --cdp 9222 click @e5              # Navigates to new page
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot -i            # MUST re-snapshot
agent-browser --cdp 9222 click @e1              # Use new refs

Semantic Locators (Alternative to Refs)

When refs are unavailable or unreliable, use semantic locators:

bash

agent-browser --cdp 9222 find text "Sign In" click
agent-browser --cdp 9222 find label "Email" fill "user@test.com"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 find role button click --name "Submit"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 find placeholder "Search" type "query"
agent-browser --cdp 9222 find testid "submit-btn" click

Deep-Dive Documentation

Reference	When to Use
references/commands.md	Full command reference with all options
references/snapshot-refs.md	Ref lifecycle, invalidation rules, troubleshooting
references/session-management.md	Parallel sessions, state persistence, concurrent scraping
references/authentication.md	Login flows, OAuth, 2FA handling, state reuse
references/video-recording.md	Recording workflows for debugging and documentation
references/proxy-support.md	Proxy configuration, geo-testing, rotating proxies

Ready-to-Use Templates

Template	Description
templates/form-automation.sh	Form filling with validation
templates/authenticated-session.sh	Login once, reuse state
templates/capture-workflow.sh	Content extraction with screenshots

bash

./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