agent-browser

# Browser Automation with agent-browser

The CLI uses Chrome/Chromium via CDP directly. Install via `npm i -g agent-browser`, `brew install agent-browser`, or `cargo install agent-browser`. Run `agent-browser install` to download Chrome.

## Core Workflow

Every browser automation follows this pattern:

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

```bash
agent-browser open https://example.com/form
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
```

## Command Chaining

Commands can be chained with `&&` in a single shell invocation. The browser persists between commands via a background daemon, so chaining is safe and more efficient than separate calls.

```bash
# Chain open + wait + snapshot in one call
agent-browser open https://example.com && agent-browser wait --load networkidle && agent-browser snapshot -i

# Chain multiple interactions
agent-browser fill @e1 "user@example.com" && agent-browser fill @e2 "password123" && agent-browser click @e3

# Navigate and capture
agent-browser open https://example.com && agent-browser wait --load networkidle && agent-browser screenshot page.png
```

**When to chain:** Use `&&` when you don't need to read the output of an intermediate command before proceeding (e.g., open + wait + screenshot). Run commands separately when you need to parse the output first (e.g., snapshot to discover refs, then interact using those refs).

## Handling Authentication

When automating a site that requires login, choose the approach that fits:

**Option 1: Import auth from the user's browser (fastest for one-off tasks)**

```bash
# Connect to the user's running Chrome (they're already logged in)
agent-browser --auto-connect state save ./auth.json
# Use that auth state
agent-browser --state ./auth.json open https://app.example.com/dashboard
```

State files contain session tokens in plaintext -- add to `.gitignore` and delete when no longer needed. Set `AGENT_BROWSER_ENCRYPTION_KEY` for encryption at rest.

**Option 2: Persistent profile (simplest for recurring tasks)**

```bash
# First run: login manually or via automation
agent-browser --profile ~/.myapp open https://app.example.com/login
# ... fill credentials, submit ...

# All future runs: already authenticated
agent-browser --profile ~/.myapp open https://app.example.com/dashboard
```

**Option 3: Session name (auto-save/restore cookies + localStorage)**

```bash
agent-browser --session-name myapp open https://app.example.com/login
# ... login flow ...
agent-browser close  # State auto-saved

# Next time: state auto-restored
agent-browser --session-name myapp open https://app.example.com/dashboard
```

**Option 4: Auth vault (credentials stored encrypted, login by name)**

```bash
echo "$PASSWORD" | agent-browser auth save myapp --url https://app.example.com/login --username user --password-stdin
agent-browser auth login myapp
```

**Option 5: State file (manual save/load)**

```bash
# After logging in:
agent-browser state save ./auth.json
# In a future session:
agent-browser state load ./auth.json
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/dashboard
```

See [references/authentication.md](references/authentication.md) for OAuth, 2FA, cookie-based auth, and token refresh patterns.

## Essential Commands

```bash
# 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 -i -C          # Include cursor-interactive elements (divs with onclick, cursor:pointer)
agent-browser snapshot -s "#selector" # Scope to CSS selector

# Interaction (use @refs from snapshot)
agent-browser click @e1               # Click element
agent-browser click @e1 --new-tab     # Click and open in new tab
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 keyboard type "text"    # Type at current focus (no selector)
agent-browser keyboard inserttext "text"  # Insert without key events
agent-browser scroll down 500         # Scroll page
agent-browser scroll down 500 --selector "div.content"  # Scroll within a specific container

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

# 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
agent-browser wait --text "Welcome"    # Wait for text to appear (substring match)
agent-browser wait --fn "!document.body.innerText.includes('Loading...')"  # Wait for text to disappear
agent-browser wait "#spinner" --state hidden  # Wait for element to disappear

# Downloads
agent-browser download @e1 ./file.pdf          # Click element to trigger download
agent-browser wait --download ./output.zip     # Wait for any download to complete
agent-browser --download-path ./downloads open <url>  # Set default download directory

# Viewport & Device Emulation
agent-browser set viewport 1920 1080          # Set viewport size (default: 1280x720)
agen