agent-browser

name: agent-browser description: "Automates browser interactions via CLI using agent-browser by Vercel Labs. Covers navigation, clicking, form filling, snapshots, refs-based selectors, agent mode with JSON output, session management, and CDP integration. Use when the user needs to automate web browsing, scrape pages, fill forms, or integrate browser automation into AI agent workflows." license: Complete terms in LICENSE.txt

When to use this skill

Use this skill whenever the user wants to:

• Automate browser interactions (click, fill, navigate, screenshot) via CLI
• Scrape web content or extract data from pages
• Build AI agent workflows that interact with websites
• Use refs-based element selection for deterministic automation
• Run browser automation in agent mode with JSON output
• Manage authenticated sessions with custom headers or CDP

How to use this skill

This skill is organized to match the agent-browser official documentation structure (https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/blob/main/README.md). When working with agent-browser:

Quick-Start Example: Snapshot → Identify → Interact

# 1. Install
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/agent-browser

# 2. Open a page and take a snapshot to get element refs
agent-browser open "https://example.com"
agent-browser snapshot
# Output includes refs like @e1, @e2, @e3 for each element

# 3. Click an element by ref
agent-browser click @e3

# 4. Fill a form field
agent-browser fill @e5 "hello@example.com"

# 5. Agent mode (JSON output for programmatic use)
agent-browser snapshot --json

Detailed Documentation

1. Install agent-browser:

   • Load examples/getting-started/installation.md for installation instructions

2. Quick Start:

   • Load examples/quick-start/quick-start.md for basic workflow examples

3. Learn core commands:

   • Load examples/commands/basic-commands.md for basic commands (open, click, fill, etc.)
   • Load examples/commands/advanced-commands.md for advanced commands (snapshot, eval, etc.)
   • Load examples/commands/get-info/ for information retrieval commands
   • Load examples/commands/check-state/ for state checking commands
   • Load examples/commands/find-elements/ for semantic locator commands
   • Load examples/commands/wait/ for wait commands
   • Load examples/commands/mouse-control/ for mouse control commands
   • Load examples/commands/browser-settings/ for browser configuration
   • Load examples/commands/cookies-storage/ for cookies and storage management
   • Load examples/commands/network/ for network interception
   • Load examples/commands/tabs-windows/ for tab and window management
   • Load examples/commands/frames/ for iframe handling
   • Load examples/commands/dialogs/ for dialog handling
   • Load examples/commands/debug/ for debugging commands
   • Load examples/commands/navigation/ for navigation commands
   • Load examples/commands/setup/ for setup commands

4. Understand selectors:

   • Load examples/selectors/refs.md for refs-based selection (@e1, @e2, etc.)
   • Load examples/selectors/traditional-selectors.md for CSS, XPath, and semantic locators

5. Use agent mode:

   • Load examples/agent-mode/introduction.md for agent mode overview
   • Load examples/agent-mode/optimal-workflow.md for optimal AI workflow
   • Load examples/agent-mode/integration.md for integrating with AI agents

6. Advanced features:

   • Load examples/advanced/sessions.md for session management
   • Load examples/advanced/headed-mode.md for debugging with visible browser
   • Load examples/advanced/authenticated-sessions.md for authentication via headers
   • Load examples/advanced/custom-executable.md for custom browser executable
   • Load examples/advanced/cdp-mode.md for Chrome DevTools Protocol integration
   • Load examples/advanced/streaming.md for browser viewport streaming
   • Load examples/advanced/architecture.md for architecture overview
   • Load examples/advanced/platforms.md for platform support
   • Load examples/advanced/usage-with-agents.md for AI agent integration patterns

7. Configure options:

   • Load examples/options/global-options.md for global CLI options
   • Load examples/options/snapshot-options.md for snapshot-specific options
   • Load examples/options/session-options.md for session management options

8. Reference API documentation when needed:

   • api/commands.md - Complete command reference
   • api/selectors.md - Selector reference
   • api/options.md - Options reference

9. Use templates for quick start:

   • templates/basic-automation.md - Basic automation workflow
   • templates/ai-agent-workflow.md - AI agent workflow template

Doc mapping (one-to-one with official documentation)

• See examples and API files → https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser

Examples and Templates

This skill includes detailed examples organized to match the official documentation structure. All examples are in the examples/ directory (see mapping above).

To use examples:

• Identify the topic from the user's request
• Load the appropriate example file from the mapping above
• Follow the instructions, syntax, and best practices in that file
• Adapt the code examples to your specific use case

To use templates:

• Reference templates in templates/ directory for common scaffolding
• Adapt templates to your specific needs and coding style

API Reference

• Commands API: api/commands.md - Complete command reference with syntax and examples
• Selectors API: api/selectors.md - Selector types and usage reference
• Options API: api/options.md - All options reference

Best Practices

1. Use Refs: Prefer refs (@e1, @e2) over traditional selectors for deterministic automation
2. Snapshot First: Always snapshot before interacting with elements to get refs
3. Agent Mode: Use --json flag for machine-readable output in agent mode
4. Session Management: Use --session to maintain state across commands
5. Interactive Snapshot: Use -i flag for interactive snapshot selection
6. Semantic Locators: Use semantic locators (role/name) when refs are not available
7. Error Handling: Check command exit codes and error messages
8. Wait for Navigation: Commands automatically wait for navigation to complete
9. Headed Mode: Use --headed for debugging, headless for production
10. CDP Integration: Use --cdp for Chrome DevTools Protocol integration
11. Streaming: Use AGENT_BROWSER_STREAM_PORT for live browser preview
12. Authenticated Sessions: Use --headers for authentication without login flows
13. Custom Executable: Use --executable-path for serverless deployments or custom browsers
14. Snapshot Options: Combine -i, -c, -d, -s options to optimize snapshot output

Resources

• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser
• Official README: https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/blob/main/README.md
• Agent Mode Documentation: https://agent-browser.dev/agent-mode
• Issues: https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/issues

Keywords

agent-browser, CLI browser automation, AI agents, browser automation CLI, refs, snapshot, agent mode, semantic locators, browser automation tool, command-line browser, AI agent browser, deterministic selectors, accessibility tree, browser commands, web automation CLI, sessions, headed mode, authenticated sessions, CDP mode, streaming, Chrome DevTools Protocol, Playwright, browser automation for AI