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Browser Automation

Automate browser interactions using the browse CLI with Claude.

Setup check

Before running any browser commands, verify the CLI is available:

bash
which browse || npm install -g browse

Environment Selection (Local vs Remote)

The CLI supports explicit per-command environment flags. If you do nothing, the next session defaults to Browserbase when BROWSERBASE_API_KEY is set and to local otherwise.

Local mode

• browse open <url> --local starts a clean isolated local browser
• browse open <url> --auto-connect attaches to an already-running debuggable Chrome; use --local when no debuggable Chrome is available
• browse open <url> --cdp <port|url> attaches to a specific CDP target
• Best for: development, localhost, trusted sites, and reproducible runs

Remote mode (Browserbase)

• browse open <url> --remote starts a Browserbase session
• Without a local flag, Browserbase is also the default when BROWSERBASE_API_KEY is set
• Provides: Browserbase Identity, Verified browsers, automatic CAPTCHA solving, residential proxies, session persistence
• Use remote mode when: the target site has bot detection, CAPTCHAs, IP rate limiting, Cloudflare protection, or requires geo-specific access
• Get credentials at https://browserbase.com/settings

When to choose which

• Repeatable local testing / clean state: browse open <url> --local
• Reuse your local login/cookies: browse open <url> --auto-connect
• Simple browsing (docs, wikis, public APIs): local mode is fine
• Protected sites (login walls, CAPTCHAs, anti-scraping): use remote mode
• If local mode fails with bot detection or access denied: switch to remote mode

Commands

Most driver commands work across local, remote, and CDP sessions after the daemon starts.

Navigation

bash
browse open <url>                        # Go to URL
browse open <url> --local                # Go to URL in a clean local browser
browse open <url> --remote               # Go to URL in a Browserbase session
browse reload                            # Reload current page
browse back                              # Go back in history
browse forward                           # Go forward in history

Page state (prefer snapshot over screenshot)

bash
browse snapshot                          # Get accessibility tree with element refs (fast, structured)
browse screenshot --path <path>          # Take visual screenshot (slow, uses vision tokens)
browse get url                           # Get current URL
browse get title                         # Get page title
browse get text <selector>               # Get text content (use "body" for all text)
browse get html <selector>               # Get HTML content of element
browse get value <selector>              # Get form field value

Use browse snapshot as your default for understanding page state — it returns the accessibility tree with element refs you can use to interact. Only use browse screenshot when you need visual context (layout, images, debugging).

Interaction

bash
browse click <ref>                       # Click element by ref from snapshot (e.g., @0-5)
browse type <text>                       # Type text into focused element
browse fill <selector> <value>           # Fill input; add --press-enter if Enter is needed
browse select <selector> <values...>     # Select dropdown option(s)
browse press <key>                       # Press key (Enter, Tab, Escape, Cmd+A, etc.)
browse mouse drag <fromX> <fromY> <toX> <toY>  # Drag from one point to another
browse mouse scroll <x> <y> <deltaX> <deltaY>  # Scroll at coordinates
browse highlight <selector>              # Highlight element on page
browse is visible <selector>             # Check if element is visible
browse is checked <selector>             # Check if element is checked
browse wait <type> [arg]                 # Wait for: load, selector, timeout

Session management

bash
browse stop                              # Stop the browser daemon
browse status                            # Check daemon status and resolved mode
browse tab list                          # List all open tabs
browse tab switch <index-or-target-id>   # Switch to tab by index or target ID
browse tab close [index-or-target-id]    # Close tab

Typical workflow

If the environment matters, put --local, --remote, --auto-connect, or --cdp <port|url> on the first browser command.

1. browse open <url> --local or browse open <url> --remote — navigate to the page
2. browse snapshot — read the accessibility tree to understand page structure and get element refs
3. browse click <ref> / browse type <text> / browse fill <selector> <value> — interact using refs from snapshot
4. browse snapshot — confirm the action worked
5. Repeat 3-4 as needed
6. browse stop — close the browser when done

Quick Example

bash
browse open https://example.com
browse snapshot                          # see page structure + element refs
browse click @0-5                        # click element with ref 0-5
browse get title
browse stop

Mode Comparison

| Feature | Local | Browserbase | |---------|-------|-------------| | Speed | Faster | Slightly slower | | Setup | Chrome required | API key required | | Reuse existing local cookies | With browse open <url> --auto-connect | N/A | | Verified browser | No | Yes (Browserbase Verified browser via Identity) | | CAPTCHA solving | No | Yes (automatic reCAPTCHA/hCaptcha) | | Residential proxies | No | Yes (201 countries, geo-targeting) | | Session persistence | No | Yes (cookies/auth persist via contexts) | | Best for | Development/simple pages | Protected sites, Browserbase Identity + Verified access, production scraping |

Best Practices

1. Choose the local strategy deliberately: use browse open <url> --local for clean state, browse open <url> --auto-connect for existing local credentials, and browse open <url> --remote for protected sites
2. Always browse open first before interacting
3. Use browse snapshot to check page state — it's fast and gives you element refs
4. Only screenshot when visual context is needed (layout checks, images, debugging)
5. Use refs from snapshot to click/interact — e.g., browse click @0-5
6. browse stop when done to clean up the browser session and clear the env override

Troubleshooting

• "No active page": Run browse stop, then check browse status. If it still says running, kill the zombie daemon with pkill -f "browse.*daemon", then retry browse open
• Chrome not found: Install Chrome, use browse open <url> --auto-connect if you already have a debuggable Chrome running, or switch to browse open <url> --remote
• Action fails: Run browse snapshot to see available elements and their refs
• Browserbase fails: Verify API key is set

Switching to Remote Mode

Switch to remote when you detect: CAPTCHAs (reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Turnstile), bot detection pages ("Checking your browser..."), HTTP 403/429, empty pages on sites that should have content, or the user asks for it.

Don't switch for simple sites (docs, wikis, public APIs, localhost).

bash
browse open <url> --local          # clean isolated local browser
browse open <url> --auto-connect   # attach to existing debuggable Chrome
browse open <url> --remote         # Browserbase session

Mode flags are applied when a session starts. After browse stop, the next start falls back to env-var-based auto detection. Use browse status to inspect the resolved mode and target while the daemon is running.

For detailed examples, see EXAMPLES.md. For API reference, see REFERENCE.md.