browser-use
Browser Automation with browser-use CLI
The browser-use command provides fast, persistent browser automation. It maintains browser sessions across commands, enabling complex multi-step workflows.
Installation
# Run without installing (recommended for one-off use)
uvx "browser-use[cli]" open https://example.com
# Or install permanently
uv pip install "browser-use[cli]"
# Install browser dependencies (Chromium)
browser-use install
Setup
One-line install (recommended)
curl -fsSL https://browser-use.com/cli/install.sh | bash
This interactive installer lets you choose your installation mode and configures everything automatically.
Installation modes:
curl -fsSL https://browser-use.com/cli/install.sh | bash -s -- --remote-only # Cloud browser only
curl -fsSL https://browser-use.com/cli/install.sh | bash -s -- --local-only # Local browser only
curl -fsSL https://browser-use.com/cli/install.sh | bash -s -- --full # All modes
| Install Mode | Available Browsers | Default | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
--remote-only |
remote | remote | Sandboxed agents, CI, no GUI |
--local-only |
chromium, real | chromium | Local development |
--full |
chromium, real, remote | chromium | Full flexibility |
When only one mode is installed, it becomes the default and no --browser flag is needed.
Pass API key during install:
curl -fsSL https://browser-use.com/cli/install.sh | bash -s -- --remote-only --api-key bu_xxx
Verify installation:
browser-use doctor
Setup wizard (first-time configuration):
browser-use setup # Interactive setup
browser-use setup --mode local # Configure for local browser only
browser-use setup --mode remote # Configure for cloud browser only
browser-use setup --mode full # Configure all modes
browser-use setup --api-key bu_xxx # Set API key during setup
browser-use setup --yes # Skip interactive prompts
Generate template files:
browser-use init # Interactive template selection
browser-use init --list # List available templates
browser-use init --template basic # Generate specific template
browser-use init --output my_script.py # Specify output file
browser-use init --force # Overwrite existing files
Manual cloudflared install (for tunneling):
# macOS:
brew install cloudflared
# Linux:
curl -L https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared/releases/latest/download/cloudflared-linux-amd64 -o ~/.local/bin/cloudflared && chmod +x ~/.local/bin/cloudflared
# Windows:
winget install Cloudflare.cloudflared
Quick Start
browser-use open https://example.com # Navigate to URL
browser-use state # Get page elements with indices
browser-use click 5 # Click element by index
browser-use type "Hello World" # Type text
browser-use screenshot # Take screenshot
browser-use close # Close browser
Core Workflow
- Navigate:
browser-use open <url>- Opens URL (starts browser if needed) - Inspect:
browser-use state- Returns clickable elements with indices - Interact: Use indices from state to interact (
browser-use click 5,browser-use input 3 "text") - Verify:
browser-use stateorbrowser-use screenshotto confirm actions - Repeat: Browser stays open between commands
Browser Modes
browser-use --browser chromium open <url> # Default: headless Chromium
browser-use --browser chromium --headed open <url> # Visible Chromium window
browser-use --browser real open <url> # User's Chrome with login sessions
browser-use --browser remote open <url> # Cloud browser (requires API key)
- chromium: Fast, isolated, headless by default
- real: Uses your Chrome with cookies, extensions, logged-in sessions
- remote: Cloud-hosted browser with proxy support (requires BROWSER_USE_API_KEY)
Commands
Navigation
browser-use open <url> # Navigate to URL
browser-use back # Go back in history
browser-use scroll down # Scroll down
browser-use scroll up # Scroll up
browser-use scroll down --amount 1000 # Scroll by specific pixels (default: 500)
Page State
browser-use state # Get URL, title, and clickable elements
browser-use screenshot # Take screenshot (outputs base64)
browser-use screenshot path.png # Save screenshot to file
browser-use screenshot --full path.png # Full page screenshot
Interactions (use indices from browser-use state)
browser-use click <index> # Click element
browser-use type "text" # Type text into focused element
browser-use input <index> "text" # Click element, then type text
browser-use keys "Enter" # Send keyboard keys
browser-use keys "Control+a" # Send key combination
browser-use select <index> "option" # Select dropdown option
Tab Management
browser-use switch <tab> # Switch to tab by index
browser-use close-tab # Close current tab
browser-use close-tab <tab> # Close specific tab
JavaScript & Data
browser-use eval "document.title" # Execute JavaScript, return result
browser-use extract "all product prices" # Extract data using LLM (requires API key)
Cookies
browser-use cookies get # Get all cookies
browser-use cookies get --url <url> # Get cookies for specific URL
browser-use cookies set <name> <value> # Set a cookie
browser-use cookies set name val --domain .example.com --secure --http-only
browser-use cookies set name val --same-site Strict # SameSite: Strict, Lax, or None
browser-use cookies set name val --expires 1735689600 # Expiration timestamp
browser-use cookies clear # Clear all cookies
browser-use cookies clear --url <url> # Clear cookies for specific URL
browser-use cookies export <file> # Export all cookies to JSON file
browser-use cookies export <file> --url <url> # Export cookies for specific URL
browser-use cookies import <file> # Import cookies from JSON file
Wait Conditions
browser-use wait selector "h1" # Wait for element to be visible
browser-use wait selector ".loading" --state hidden # Wait for element to disappear
browser-use wait selector "#btn" --state attached # Wait for element in DOM
browser-use wait text "Success" # Wait for text to appear
browser-use wait selector "h1" --timeout 5000 # Custom timeout in ms
Additional Interactions
browser-use hover <index> # Hover over element (triggers CSS :hover)
browser-use dblclick <index> # Double-click element
browser-use rightclick <index> # Right-click element (context menu)
Information Retrieval
browser-use get title # Get page title
browser-use get html # Get full page HTML
browser-use get html --selector "h1" # Get HTML of specific element
browser-use get text <index> # Get text content of element
browser-use get value <index> # Get value of input/textarea
browser-use get attributes <index> # Get all attributes of element
browser-use get bbox <index> # Get bounding box (x, y, width, height)
Python Execution (Persistent Session)
browser-use python "x = 42" # Set variable
browser-use python "print(x)" # Access variable (outputs: 42)
browser-use python "print(browser.url)" # Access browser object
browser-use python --vars # Show defined variables
browser-use python --reset # Clear Python namespace
browser-use python --file script.py # Execute Python file
The Python session maintains state across commands. The browser object provides:
browser.url- Current page URLbrowser.title- Page titlebrowser.html- Get page HTMLbrowser.goto(url)- Navigatebrowser.click(index)- Click elementbrowser.type(text)- Type textbrowser.input(index, text)- Click element, then typebrowser.keys(keys)- Send keyboard keys (e.g., "Enter", "Control+a")browser.screenshot(path)- Take screenshotbrowser.scroll(direction, amount)- Scroll pagebrowser.back()- Go back in historybrowser.wait(seconds)- Sleep/pause executionbrowser.extract(query)- Extract data using LLM
Agent Tasks (Requires API Key)
browser-use run "Fill the contact form with test data" # Run AI agent
browser-use run "Extract all product prices" --max-steps 50
Agent tasks use an LLM to autonomously complete complex browser tasks. Requires BROWSER_USE_API_KEY or configured LLM API key (OPENAI_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, etc).
Remote Mode Agent Options
When using --browser remote, additional options are available:
# Basic remote task (uses US proxy by default)
browser-use -b remote run "Search for AI news"
# Specify LLM model
browser-use -b remote run "task" --llm gpt-4o
browser-use -b remote run "task" --llm claude-sonnet-4-20250514
browser-use -b remote run "task" --llm gemini-2.0-flash
# Proxy configuration (default: us)
browser-use -b remote run "task" --proxy-country gb # UK proxy
browser-use -b remote run "task" --proxy-country de # Germany proxy
# Session reuse (run multiple tasks in same browser session)
browser-use -b remote run "task 1" --keep-alive
# Returns: session_id: abc-123
browser-use -b remote run "task 2" --session-id abc-123
# Execution modes
browser-use -b remote run "task" --no-wait # Async, returns task_id immediately
browser-use -b remote run "task" --stream # Stream status updates
browser-use -b remote run "task" --flash # Fast execution mode
# Advanced options
browser-use -b remote run "task" --thinking # Extended reasoning mode
browser-use -b remote run "task" --vision # Enable vision (default)
browser-use -b remote run "task" --no-vision # Disable vision
browser-use -b remote run "task" --wait # Wait for completion (default: async)
# Use cloud profile (preserves cookies across sessions)
browser-use -b remote run "task" --profile <cloud-profile-id>
# Task configuration
browser-use -b remote run "task" --start-url https://example.com # Start from specific URL
browser-use -b remote run "task" --allowed-domain example.com # Restrict navigation (repeatable)
browser-use -b remote run "task" --metadata key=value # Task metadata (repeatable)
browser-use -b remote run "task" --secret API_KEY=xxx # Task secrets (repeatable)
browser-use -b remote run "task" --skill-id skill-123 # Enable skills (repeatable)
# Structured output and evaluation
browser-use -b remote run "task" --structured-output '{"type":"object"}' # JSON schema for output
browser-use -b remote run "task" --judge # Enable judge mode
browser-use -b remote run "task" --judge-ground-truth "expected answer" # Expected answer for judge
Task Management (Remote Mode)
Manage cloud tasks when using remote mode:
browser-use task list # List recent tasks
browser-use task list --limit 20 # Show more tasks
browser-use task list --status running # Filter by status
browser-use task list --session <id> # Filter by session ID
browser-use task list --json # JSON output
browser-use task status <task-id> # Get task status (token efficient)
browser-use task status <task-id> -c # Show all steps with reasoning
browser-use task status <task-id> -v # Show all steps with URLs + actions
browser-use task status <task-id> --last 5 # Show only last 5 steps
browser-use task status <task-id> --step 3 # Show specific step number
browser-use task status <task-id> --reverse # Show steps newest first
browser-use task stop <task-id> # Stop a running task
browser-use task logs <task-id> # Get task execution logs
Token-efficient monitoring: Default task status shows only the latest step. Use -c (compact) or -v (verbose) only when you need more context.
Cloud Session Management (Remote Mode)
Manage cloud browser sessions:
browser-use session list # List cloud sessions
browser-use session list --limit 20 # Show more sessions
browser-use session list --status active # Filter by status
browser-use session list --json # JSON output
browser-use session get <session-id> # Get session details
browser-use session get <session-id> --json
browser-use session stop <session-id> # Stop a session
browser-use session stop --all # Stop all active sessions
# Create a new cloud session manually
browser-use session create # Create with defaults
browser-use session create --profile <id> # With cloud profile
browser-use session create --proxy-country gb # With geographic proxy
browser-use session create --start-url https://example.com # Start at URL
browser-use session create --screen-size 1920x1080 # Custom screen size
browser-use session create --keep-alive # Keep session alive
browser-use session create --persist-memory # Persist memory between tasks
# Share session publicly (for collaboration/debugging)
browser-use session share <session-id> # Create public share URL
browser-use session share <session-id> --delete # Delete public share
Exposing Local Dev Servers
If you're running a dev server locally and need a cloud browser to reach it, use Cloudflare tunnels:
# Start your dev server
npm run dev & # localhost:3000
# Expose it via Cloudflare tunnel
browser-use tunnel 3000
# → url: https://abc.trycloudflare.com
# Now the cloud browser can reach your local server
browser-use --browser remote open https://abc.trycloudflare.com
Tunnel commands:
browser-use tunnel <port> # Start tunnel (returns URL)
browser-use tunnel <port> # Idempotent - returns existing URL
browser-use tunnel list # Show active tunnels
browser-use tunnel stop <port> # Stop tunnel
browser-use tunnel stop --all # Stop all tunnels
Note: Tunnels are independent of browser sessions. They persist across browser-use close and can be managed separately.
Cloudflared is installed by install.sh. If missing, install manually (see Setup section).
Running Subagents (Remote Mode)
Cloud sessions and tasks provide a powerful model for running subagents - autonomous browser agents that execute tasks in parallel.
Key Concepts
- Session = Agent: Each cloud session is a browser agent with its own state (cookies, tabs, history)
- Task = Work: Tasks are jobs given to an agent. An agent can run multiple tasks sequentially
- Parallel agents: Run multiple sessions simultaneously for parallel work
- Session reuse: While a session is alive, you can assign it more tasks
- Session lifecycle: Once stopped, a session cannot be revived - start a new one
Basic Subagent Workflow
# 1. Start a subagent task (creates new session automatically)
browser-use -b remote run "Search for AI news and summarize top 3 articles" --no-wait
# Returns: task_id: task-abc, session_id: sess-123
# 2. Check task progress
browser-use task status task-abc
# Shows: Status: running, or finished with output
# 3. View execution logs
browser-use task logs task-abc
Running Parallel Subagents
Launch multiple agents to work simultaneously:
# Start 3 parallel research agents
browser-use -b remote run "Research competitor A pricing" --no-wait
# → task_id: task-1, session_id: sess-a
browser-use -b remote run "Research competitor B pricing" --no-wait
# → task_id: task-2, session_id: sess-b
browser-use -b remote run "Research competitor C pricing" --no-wait
# → task_id: task-3, session_id: sess-c
# Monitor all running tasks
browser-use task list --status running
# Shows all 3 tasks with their status
# Check individual task results as they complete
browser-use task status task-1
browser-use task status task-2
browser-use task status task-3
Reusing an Agent for Multiple Tasks
Keep a session alive to run sequential tasks in the same browser context:
# Start first task, keep session alive
browser-use -b remote run "Log into example.com" --keep-alive --no-wait
# → task_id: task-1, session_id: sess-123
# Wait for login to complete...
browser-use task status task-1
# → Status: finished
# Give the same agent another task (reuses login session)
browser-use -b remote run "Navigate to settings and export data" --session-id sess-123 --no-wait
# → task_id: task-2, session_id: sess-123 (same session!)
# Agent retains cookies, login state, etc. from previous task
Managing Active Agents
# List all active agents (sessions)
browser-use session list --status active
# Shows: sess-123 [active], sess-456 [active], ...
# Get details on a specific agent
browser-use session get sess-123
# Shows: status, started time, live URL for viewing
# Stop a specific agent
browser-use session stop sess-123
# Stop all agents at once
browser-use session stop --all
Stopping Tasks vs Sessions
# Stop a running task (session may continue if --keep-alive was used)
browser-use task stop task-abc
# Stop an entire agent/session (terminates all its tasks)
browser-use session stop sess-123
Custom Agent Configuration
# Default: US proxy, auto LLM selection
browser-use -b remote run "task" --no-wait
# Explicit configuration
browser-use -b remote run "task" \
--llm gpt-4o \
--proxy-country gb \
--keep-alive \
--no-wait
# With cloud profile (preserves cookies across sessions)
browser-use -b remote run "task" --profile <profile-id> --no-wait
Monitoring Subagents
Task status is designed for token efficiency. Default output is minimal - only expand when needed:
| Mode | Flag | Tokens | Use When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default | (none) | Low | Polling progress |
| Compact | -c |
Medium | Need full reasoning |
| Verbose | -v |
High | Debugging actions |
Recommended workflow:
# 1. Launch task
browser-use -b remote run "task" --no-wait
# → task_id: abc-123
# 2. Poll with default (token efficient) - only latest step
browser-use task status abc-123
# ✅ abc-123... [finished] $0.009 15s
# ... 1 earlier steps
# 2. I found the information and extracted...
# 3. ONLY IF task failed or need context: use --compact
browser-use task status abc-123 -c
# 4. ONLY IF debugging specific actions: use --verbose
browser-use task status abc-123 -v
For long tasks (50+ steps):
browser-use task status <id> -c --last 5 # Last 5 steps only
browser-use task status <id> -c --reverse # Newest first
browser-use task status <id> -v --step 10 # Inspect specific step
Live view: Watch an agent work in real-time:
browser-use session get <session-id>
# → Live URL: https://live.browser-use.com?wss=...
# Open this URL in your browser to watch the agent
Detect stuck tasks: If cost/duration stops increasing, the task may be stuck:
browser-use task status <task-id>
# 🔄 abc-123... [started] $0.009 45s ← if cost doesn't change, task is stuck
Logs: Only available after task completes:
browser-use task logs <task-id> # Works after task finishes
Cleanup
Always clean up sessions after parallel work:
# Stop all active agents
browser-use session stop --all
# Or stop specific sessions
browser-use session stop <session-id>
Troubleshooting Subagents
Session reuse fails after task stop:
If you stop a task and try to reuse its session, the new task may get stuck at "created" status. Solution: create a new agent instead.
# This may fail:
browser-use task stop <task-id>
browser-use -b remote run "new task" --session-id <same-session> # Might get stuck
# Do this instead:
browser-use -b remote run "new task" --profile <profile-id> # Fresh session
Task stuck at "started":
- Check cost with
task status- if not increasing, task is stuck - View live URL with
session getto see what's happening - Stop the task and create a new agent
Sessions persist after tasks complete: Tasks finishing doesn't auto-stop sessions. Clean up manually:
browser-use session list --status active # See lingering sessions
browser-use session stop --all # Clean up
Session Management
browser-use sessions # List active sessions
browser-use close # Close current session
browser-use close --all # Close all sessions
Profile Management
Local Chrome Profiles (--browser real)
browser-use -b real profile list # List local Chrome profiles
Before opening a real browser (--browser real), always ask the user if they want to use a specific Chrome profile or no profile. Use profile list to show available profiles:
browser-use -b real profile list
# Output: Default: Person 1 (user@gmail.com)
# Profile 1: Work (work@company.com)
# With a specific profile (has that profile's cookies/logins)
browser-use --browser real --profile "Profile 1" open https://gmail.com
# Without a profile (fresh browser, no existing logins)
browser-use --browser real open https://gmail.com
# Headless mode (no visible window) - useful for cookie export
browser-use --browser real --profile "Default" cookies export /tmp/cookies.json
Each Chrome profile has its own cookies, history, and logged-in sessions. Choosing the right profile determines whether sites will be pre-authenticated.
Cloud Profiles (--browser remote)
Cloud profiles store browser state (cookies) in Browser-Use Cloud, persisting across sessions. Requires BROWSER_USE_API_KEY.
browser-use -b remote profile list # List cloud profiles
browser-use -b remote profile list --page 2 --page-size 50 # Pagination
browser-use -b remote profile get <id> # Get profile details
browser-use -b remote profile create # Create new cloud profile
browser-use -b remote profile create --name "My Profile" # Create with name
browser-use -b remote profile update <id> --name "New" # Rename profile
browser-use -b remote profile delete <id> # Delete profile
Use a cloud profile with --browser remote --profile <id>:
browser-use --browser remote --profile abc-123 open https://example.com
Syncing Cookies to Cloud
⚠️ IMPORTANT: Before syncing cookies from a local browser to the cloud, the agent MUST:
- Ask the user which local Chrome profile to use (
browser-use -b real profile list) - Ask which domain(s) to sync - do NOT default to syncing the full profile
- Confirm before proceeding
Default behavior: Create a NEW cloud profile for each domain sync. This ensures clear separation of concerns for cookies. Users can add cookies to existing profiles if needed.
Step 1: List available profiles and cookies
# List local Chrome profiles
browser-use -b real profile list
# → Default: Person 1 (user@gmail.com)
# → Profile 1: Work (work@company.com)
# See what cookies are in a profile
browser-use -b real profile cookies "Default"
# → youtube.com: 23
# → google.com: 18
# → github.com: 2
Step 2: Sync cookies (three levels of control)
1. Domain-specific sync (recommended default)
browser-use profile sync --from "Default" --domain youtube.com
# Creates new cloud profile: "Chrome - Default (youtube.com)"
# Only syncs youtube.com cookies
This is the recommended approach - sync only the cookies you need.
2. Full profile sync (use with caution)
browser-use profile sync --from "Default"
# Syncs ALL cookies from the profile
⚠️ Warning: This syncs ALL cookies including sensitive data, tracking cookies, session tokens for every site, etc. Only use when the user explicitly needs their entire browser state.
3. Fine-grained control (advanced)
# Export cookies to file
browser-use --browser real --profile "Default" cookies export /tmp/cookies.json
# Manually edit the JSON to keep only specific cookies
# Import to cloud profile
browser-use --browser remote --profile <id> cookies import /tmp/cookies.json
For users who need individual cookie-level control.
Step 3: Use the synced profile
browser-use --browser remote --profile <id> open https://youtube.com
Adding cookies to existing profiles:
# Sync additional domain to existing profile
browser-use --browser real --profile "Default" cookies export /tmp/cookies.json
browser-use --browser remote --profile <existing-id> cookies import /tmp/cookies.json
Managing profiles:
browser-use profile update <id> --name "New Name" # Rename
browser-use profile delete <id> # Delete
Server Control
browser-use server status # Check if server is running
browser-use server stop # Stop server
browser-use server logs # View server logs
Setup
browser-use install # Install Chromium and system dependencies
Global Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--session NAME |
Use named session (default: "default") |
--browser MODE |
Browser mode: chromium, real, remote |
--headed |
Show browser window (chromium mode) |
--profile NAME |
Browser profile (local name or cloud ID) |
--json |
Output as JSON |
--api-key KEY |
Override API key |
--mcp |
Run as MCP server via stdin/stdout |
Session behavior: All commands without --session use the same "default" session. The browser stays open and is reused across commands. Use --session NAME to run multiple browsers in parallel.
API Key Configuration
Some features (run, extract, --browser remote) require an API key. The CLI checks these locations in order:
--api-keycommand line flagBROWSER_USE_API_KEYenvironment variable~/.config/browser-use/config.jsonfile
To configure permanently:
mkdir -p ~/.config/browser-use
echo '{"api_key": "your-key-here"}' > ~/.config/browser-use/config.json
Examples
Form Submission
browser-use open https://example.com/contact
browser-use state
# Shows: [0] input "Name", [1] input "Email", [2] textarea "Message", [3] button "Submit"
browser-use input 0 "John Doe"
browser-use input 1 "john@example.com"
browser-use input 2 "Hello, this is a test message."
browser-use click 3
browser-use state # Verify success
Multi-Session Workflows
browser-use --session work open https://work.example.com
browser-use --session personal open https://personal.example.com
browser-use --session work state # Check work session
browser-use --session personal state # Check personal session
browser-use close --all # Close both sessions
Data Extraction with Python
browser-use open https://example.com/products
browser-use python "
products = []
for i in range(20):
browser.scroll('down')
browser.screenshot('products.png')
"
browser-use python "print(f'Captured {len(products)} products')"
Using Real Browser (Logged-In Sessions)
browser-use --browser real open https://gmail.com
# Uses your actual Chrome with existing login sessions
browser-use state # Already logged in!
Common Patterns
Test a Local Dev Server with Cloud Browser
# Start dev server
npm run dev & # localhost:3000
# Tunnel it
browser-use tunnel 3000
# → url: https://abc.trycloudflare.com
# Browse with cloud browser
browser-use --browser remote open https://abc.trycloudflare.com
browser-use state
browser-use screenshot
Screenshot Loop for Visual Verification
browser-use open https://example.com
for i in 1 2 3 4 5; do
browser-use scroll down
browser-use screenshot "page_$i.png"
done
Tips
- Always run
browser-use statefirst to see available elements and their indices - Use
--headedfor debugging to see what the browser is doing - Sessions persist - the browser stays open between commands
- Use
--jsonfor parsing output programmatically - Python variables persist across
browser-use pythoncommands within a session - Real browser mode preserves your login sessions and extensions
- CLI aliases:
bu,browser, andbrowseruseall work identically tobrowser-use
Troubleshooting
Run diagnostics first:
browser-use doctor # Check installation status
Browser won't start?
browser-use install # Install/reinstall Chromium
browser-use server stop # Stop any stuck server
browser-use --headed open <url> # Try with visible window
Element not found?
browser-use state # Check current elements
browser-use scroll down # Element might be below fold
browser-use state # Check again
Session issues?
browser-use sessions # Check active sessions
browser-use close --all # Clean slate
browser-use open <url> # Fresh start
Cleanup
Always close the browser when done. Run this after completing browser automation:
browser-use close