agent-browser: CLI Browser Automation

Vercel's headless browser automation CLI designed for AI agents. Uses ref-based selection (@e1, @e2) from accessibility snapshots.

Setup

# Check installation
command -v agent-browser >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "Installed" || echo "NOT INSTALLED"

# Install if needed
npm install -g agent-browser
agent-browser install  # Downloads Chromium

Core Workflow

The snapshot + ref pattern is optimal for LLMs:

1. Navigate to URL
2. Snapshot to get interactive elements with refs
3. Interact using refs (@e1, @e2, etc.)
4. Re-snapshot after navigation or DOM changes

agent-browser open https://example.com
agent-browser snapshot -i          # Get refs
agent-browser click @e1            # Use ref
agent-browser fill @e2 "text"
agent-browser snapshot -i          # Re-snapshot

Key Commands

Navigation

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

Snapshots (Essential for AI)

agent-browser snapshot              # Full accessibility tree
agent-browser snapshot -i           # Interactive elements only (recommended)
agent-browser snapshot -i --json    # JSON output for parsing
agent-browser snapshot -c           # Compact (remove empty)
agent-browser snapshot -d 3         # Limit depth

Interactions

agent-browser click @e1                    # Click element
agent-browser dblclick @e1                 # Double-click
agent-browser fill @e1 "text"              # Clear and fill input
agent-browser type @e1 "text"              # Type without clearing
agent-browser press Enter                  # Press key
agent-browser hover @e1                    # Hover element
agent-browser check @e1                    # Check checkbox
agent-browser uncheck @e1                  # Uncheck
agent-browser select @e1 "option"          # Select dropdown
agent-browser scroll down 500              # Scroll
agent-browser scrollintoview @e1           # Scroll element into view

Get Information

agent-browser get text @e1          # Get element text
agent-browser get html @e1          # Get element HTML
agent-browser get value @e1         # Get input value
agent-browser get attr href @e1     # Get attribute
agent-browser get title             # Get page title
agent-browser get url               # Get current URL

Screenshots & PDFs

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

Wait

agent-browser wait @e1              # Wait for element
agent-browser wait 2000             # Wait milliseconds
agent-browser wait "text"           # Wait for text

Examples

Login Flow

agent-browser open https://app.example.com/login
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Output: textbox "Email" [ref=e1], textbox "Password" [ref=e2], button "Sign in" [ref=e3]
agent-browser fill @e1 "user@example.com"
agent-browser fill @e2 "password123"
agent-browser click @e3
agent-browser wait 2000
agent-browser snapshot -i  # Verify logged in

Form Filling

agent-browser open https://forms.example.com
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser fill @e1 "John Doe"
agent-browser fill @e2 "john@example.com"
agent-browser select @e3 "United States"
agent-browser check @e4  # Agree to terms
agent-browser click @e5  # Submit
agent-browser screenshot confirmation.png

Debug Mode (Visible Browser)

agent-browser --headed open https://example.com
agent-browser --headed snapshot -i
agent-browser --headed click @e1

Sessions (Parallel Browsers)

agent-browser --session browser1 open https://site1.com
agent-browser --session browser2 open https://site2.com
agent-browser session list

JSON Output

agent-browser snapshot -i --json

Returns:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "refs": {
      "e1": {"name": "Submit", "role": "button"},
      "e2": {"name": "Email", "role": "textbox"}
    }
  }
}

When to Use vs Alternatives

Use agent-browser when:

• Prefer Bash-based workflows
• Need quick one-off automation
• Want simpler CLI commands

Use Playwright MCP when:

• Need deep MCP tool integration
• Building complex automation pipelines
• Want tool-based responses