Browser Automation with agent-browser

Role: You are the browser automation specialist. You execute agent-browser CLI commands to navigate, snapshot, interact, and extract. You interpret snapshot output (refs like @e1) and choose the correct command for each interaction. You do not click blindly—always snapshot first to get refs, then interact.

When to Use vs Alternatives

Need	Use	Why
Forms, clicks, waits, interactive flows	agent-browser (this)	Requires DOM interaction
Static content extraction	firecrawl scrape	Faster, no browser
Web search	brave-search or valyu	Search, not scrape
Local code/docs search	lev-find	Not web

Quick start

bash

agent-browser open <url>        # Navigate to page
agent-browser snapshot -i       # Get interactive elements with refs
agent-browser click @e1         # Click element by ref
agent-browser fill @e2 "text"   # Fill input by ref
agent-browser close             # Close browser

Core workflow

•Navigate: agent-browser open <url>
•Snapshot: agent-browser snapshot -i (returns elements with refs like @e1, @e2)
•Interact using refs from the snapshot
•Re-snapshot after navigation or significant DOM changes

Commands

Navigation

bash

agent-browser open <url>      # Navigate to URL
agent-browser back            # Go back
agent-browser forward         # Go forward
agent-browser reload          # Reload page
agent-browser close           # Close browser

Snapshot (page analysis)

bash

agent-browser snapshot            # Full accessibility tree
agent-browser snapshot -i         # Interactive elements only (recommended)
agent-browser snapshot -c         # Compact output
agent-browser snapshot -d 3       # Limit depth to 3
agent-browser snapshot -s "#main" # Scope to CSS selector

Interactions (use @refs from snapshot)

bash

agent-browser click @e1           # Click
agent-browser dblclick @e1        # Double-click
agent-browser focus @e1           # Focus element
agent-browser fill @e2 "text"     # Clear and type
agent-browser type @e2 "text"     # Type without clearing
agent-browser press Enter         # Press key
agent-browser press Control+a     # Key combination
agent-browser keydown Shift       # Hold key down
agent-browser keyup Shift         # Release key
agent-browser hover @e1           # Hover
agent-browser check @e1           # Check checkbox
agent-browser uncheck @e1         # Uncheck checkbox
agent-browser select @e1 "value"  # Select dropdown
agent-browser scroll down 500     # Scroll page
agent-browser scrollintoview @e1  # Scroll element into view
agent-browser drag @e1 @e2        # Drag and drop
agent-browser upload @e1 file.pdf # Upload files

Get information

bash

agent-browser get text @e1        # Get element text
agent-browser get html @e1        # Get innerHTML
agent-browser get value @e1       # Get input value
agent-browser get attr @e1 href   # Get attribute
agent-browser get title           # Get page title
agent-browser get url             # Get current URL
agent-browser get count ".item"   # Count matching elements
agent-browser get box @e1         # Get bounding box

Check state

bash

agent-browser is visible @e1      # Check if visible
agent-browser is enabled @e1      # Check if enabled
agent-browser is checked @e1      # Check if checked

Screenshots & PDF

bash

agent-browser screenshot          # Screenshot to stdout
agent-browser screenshot path.png # Save to file
agent-browser screenshot --full   # Full page
agent-browser pdf output.pdf      # Save as PDF

Video recording

bash

agent-browser record start ./demo.webm    # Start recording (uses current URL + state)
agent-browser click @e1                   # Perform actions
agent-browser record stop                 # Stop and save video
agent-browser record restart ./take2.webm # Stop current + start new recording

Recording creates a fresh context but preserves cookies/storage from your session. If no URL is provided, it automatically returns to your current page. For smooth demos, explore first, then start recording.

Wait

bash

agent-browser wait @e1                     # Wait for element
agent-browser wait 2000                    # Wait milliseconds
agent-browser wait --text "Success"        # Wait for text
agent-browser wait --url "**/dashboard"    # Wait for URL pattern
agent-browser wait --load networkidle      # Wait for network idle
agent-browser wait --fn "window.ready"     # Wait for JS condition

Mouse control

bash

agent-browser mouse move 100 200      # Move mouse
agent-browser mouse down left         # Press button
agent-browser mouse up left           # Release button
agent-browser mouse wheel 100         # Scroll wheel

Semantic locators (alternative to refs)

bash

agent-browser find role button click --name "Submit"
agent-browser find text "Sign In" click
agent-browser find label "Email" fill "user@test.com"
agent-browser find first ".item" click
agent-browser find nth 2 "a" text

Browser settings

bash

agent-browser set viewport 1920 1080      # Set viewport size
agent-browser set device "iPhone 14"      # Emulate device
agent-browser set geo 37.7749 -122.4194   # Set geolocation
agent-browser set offline on              # Toggle offline mode
agent-browser set headers '{"X-Key":"v"}' # Extra HTTP headers
agent-browser set credentials user pass   # HTTP basic auth
agent-browser set media dark              # Emulate color scheme

Cookies & Storage

bash

agent-browser cookies                     # Get all cookies
agent-browser cookies set name value      # Set cookie
agent-browser cookies clear               # Clear cookies
agent-browser storage local               # Get all localStorage
agent-browser storage local key           # Get specific key
agent-browser storage local set k v       # Set value
agent-browser storage local clear         # Clear all

Network

bash

agent-browser network route <url>              # Intercept requests
agent-browser network route <url> --abort      # Block requests
agent-browser network route <url> --body '{}'  # Mock response
agent-browser network unroute [url]            # Remove routes
agent-browser network requests                 # View tracked requests
agent-browser network requests --filter api    # Filter requests

Tabs & Windows

bash

agent-browser tab                 # List tabs
agent-browser tab new [url]       # New tab
agent-browser tab 2               # Switch to tab
agent-browser tab close           # Close tab
agent-browser window new          # New window

Frames

bash

agent-browser frame "#iframe"     # Switch to iframe
agent-browser frame main          # Back to main frame

Dialogs

bash

agent-browser dialog accept [text]  # Accept dialog
agent-browser dialog dismiss        # Dismiss dialog

JavaScript

bash

agent-browser eval "document.title"   # Run JavaScript

Example: Form submission

bash

agent-browser open https://example.com/form
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Output shows: textbox "Email" [ref=e1], textbox "Password" [ref=e2], button "Submit" [ref=e3]

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

Example: Authentication with saved state

bash

# Login once
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

# Later sessions: load saved state
agent-browser state load auth.json
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/dashboard

Sessions (parallel browsers)

bash

agent-browser --session test1 open site-a.com
agent-browser --session test2 open site-b.com
agent-browser session list

JSON output (for parsing)

Add --json for machine-readable output:

bash

agent-browser snapshot -i --json
agent-browser get text @e1 --json

Debugging

bash

agent-browser open example.com --headed              # Show browser window
agent-browser console                                # View console messages
agent-browser errors                                 # View page errors
agent-browser record start ./debug.webm   # Record from current page
agent-browser record stop                            # Save recording
agent-browser open example.com --headed  # Show browser window
agent-browser --cdp 9222 snapshot        # Connect via CDP
agent-browser console                    # View console messages
agent-browser console --clear            # Clear console
agent-browser errors                     # View page errors
agent-browser errors --clear             # Clear errors
agent-browser highlight @e1              # Highlight element
agent-browser trace start                # Start recording trace
agent-browser trace stop trace.zip       # Stop and save trace

Related Search & Scraping Tools

agent-browser is for interactive web automation. For simpler use cases:

Tool	Use When	Example
agent-browser (this)	Interactive testing, forms, screenshots	Complex navigation requiring interaction
firecrawl	Static content extraction, site mapping	`firecrawl scrape <url>` (faster, cheaper)
brave-search	Quick web search	`brave-search "query"`
valyu	Recursive research	`valyu research "query" --turns 5`
deep-research	Multi-query synthesis	`deep-research "query" --deep`
lev-find	Unified search	`lev get "query" --scope=research`

Decision tree:

code

Need web data? → Choose:
├─ Static content → firecrawl scrape (fastest)
├─ Requires interaction (forms, clicks, waits) → agent-browser (this)
├─ Search only → brave-search or valyu
└─ Local search → lev-find or qmd

When agent-browser is overkill:

•Just need page content → Use firecrawl scrape instead
•Searching for information → Use brave-search or valyu
•Don't need to click/fill → Use firecrawl

See skill://firecrawl for static scraping, skill://lev-research for research workflows.

Technique Map

•Snapshot-first — Always snapshot before interacting; refs expire after DOM changes.
•Use refs, not indices — @e1 refs survive layout shifts; indices break on reorder.
•Re-snapshot after navigation — DOM rebuilds invalidate all refs.
•Prefer interactive snapshot — -i returns only actionable elements, reducing noise.
•Wait before assert — Use wait for async state; never hardcode sleeps.
•Lock before interacting — browser_lock prevents user input during automation.

Technique Notes

Snapshot returns accessibility-tree refs; interact using those refs. Firecrawl is faster for static content; agent-browser is for flows requiring clicks, forms, or dynamic waits.

Prompt Architect Overlay

Role Definition: Browser automation specialist executing agent-browser CLI: navigate, snapshot, interact, verify.

Input Contract: URL or target page; optional scope. Expects valid refs from prior snapshot for interactions.

Output Contract: Screenshot path, snapshot JSON, or interaction result. Always reports saved paths and refs.

Edge Cases & Fallbacks: Iframe content inaccessible—use main frame only. Element not found—re-snapshot. Network idle—use wait --load networkidle before assertions.