Browser Automation

Automate browser interactions using the browse CLI with Claude.

Setup check

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

which browse || npm install -g @browserbasehq/browse-cli

Environment Selection (Local vs Remote)

The CLI supports explicit per-session environment overrides. If you do nothing, the next session defaults to Browserbase when

BROWSERBASE_API_KEY

Local mode

• browse env local

  starts a clean isolated local browser

• browse env local --auto-connect

  reuses an already-running debuggable Chrome and falls back to isolated if nothing is available

• browse env local <port|url>

  attaches to a specific CDP target
• Best for: development, localhost, trusted sites, and reproducible runs

Remote mode (Browserbase)

• browse env remote

  switches the current session to Browserbase
• Without a local override, Browserbase is also the default when

  BROWSERBASE_API_KEY

  is set
• Provides: anti-bot stealth, 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 env local

• Reuse your local login/cookies:

  browse env local --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

All commands work identically in both modes. The daemon auto-starts on first command.

Navigation

browse open <url>                        # Go to URL (aliases: goto)
browse open <url> --context-id <id>      # Load Browserbase context (remote only)
browse open <url> --context-id <id> --persist  # Load context + save changes back
browse reload                            # Reload current page
browse back                              # Go back in history
browse forward                           # Go forward in history

Page state (prefer snapshot over screenshot)

browse snapshot                          # Get accessibility tree with element refs (fast, structured)
browse screenshot [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

browse screenshot

Interaction

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 and press Enter
browse select <selector> <values...>     # Select dropdown option(s)
browse press <key>                       # Press key (Enter, Tab, Escape, Cmd+A, etc.)
browse drag <fromX> <fromY> <toX> <toY>  # Drag from one point to another
browse 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

browse stop                              # Stop the browser daemon (also clears env override)
browse status                            # Check daemon status (includes env)
browse env                               # Show current environment (local or remote)
browse env local                         # Use clean isolated local browser
browse env local --auto-connect          # Reuse existing Chrome, fallback to isolated
browse env local <port|url>              # Attach to a specific CDP target
browse env remote                        # Switch to Browserbase (requires API keys)
browse pages                             # List all open tabs
browse tab_switch <index>                # Switch to tab by index
browse tab_close [index]                 # Close tab

Typical workflow

If the environment matters, set it first with

browse env local

browse env local --auto-connect

browse env remote

1. browse open <url>

   — 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

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

browse env local --auto-connect

Best Practices

1. Choose the local strategy deliberately: use

   browse env local

   for clean state,

   browse env local --auto-connect

   for existing local credentials, and

   browse env 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 env local --auto-connect

  if you already have a debuggable Chrome running, or switch to

  browse env 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).

browse env local             # clean isolated local browser
browse env local --auto-connect  # reuse existing Chrome state
browse env remote            # switch to Browserbase

Overrides are scoped per session and stay in effect until you switch again or run

browse stop

browse stop

browse status

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