browser-use

name	browser-use
description	Automates browser interactions for web testing, form filling, screenshots, and data extraction. Use when the user needs to navigate websites, interact with web pages, fill forms, take screenshots, or extract information from web pages.
allowed-tools	Bash(browser-use:*)

Browser Automation with browser-use CLI

The browser-use command provides fast, persistent browser automation. A background daemon keeps the browser open across commands, giving ~50ms latency per call.

Prerequisites

browser-use doctor    # Verify installation

For setup details, see https://github.com/browser-use/browser-use/blob/main/browser_use/skill_cli/README.md

Core Workflow

1. Navigate: browser-use open <url> — launches headless browser and opens page
2. Inspect: browser-use state — returns clickable elements with indices
3. Interact: use indices from state (browser-use click 5, browser-use input 3 "text")
4. Verify: browser-use state or browser-use screenshot to confirm
5. Repeat: browser stays open between commands

If a command fails, run browser-use close first to clear any broken session, then retry.

To use the user's existing Chrome (preserves logins/cookies): run browser-use connect first. To use a cloud browser instead: run browser-use cloud connect first. After either, commands work the same way.

If browser-use connect fails

When browser-use connect cannot find a running Chrome with remote debugging, prompt the user with two options:

1. Use their real Chrome browser — they need to enable remote debugging first:
   • Open chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging in Chrome, or relaunch Chrome with --remote-debugging-port=9222
   • Then retry browser-use connect
2. Use managed Chromium with their Chrome profile — no Chrome setup needed:
   • Run browser-use profile list to show available profiles
   • Ask which profile they want, then use browser-use --profile "ProfileName" open <url>
   • This launches a separate Chromium instance with their profile data (cookies, logins, extensions)

Let the user choose — don't assume one path over the other.

Browser Modes

browser-use open <url>                         # Default: headless Chromium (no setup needed)
browser-use --headed open <url>                # Visible window (for debugging)
browser-use connect                            # Connect to user's Chrome (preserves logins/cookies)
browser-use cloud connect                      # Cloud browser (zero-config, requires API key)
browser-use --profile "Default" open <url>     # Real Chrome with specific profile

After connect or cloud connect, all subsequent commands go to that browser — no extra flags needed.

Commands

# Navigation
browser-use open <url>                    # Navigate to URL
browser-use back                          # Go back in history
browser-use scroll down                   # Scroll down (--amount N for pixels)
browser-use scroll up                     # Scroll up
browser-use tab list                      # List all tabs
browser-use tab new [url]                 # Open a new tab (blank or with URL)
browser-use tab switch <index>            # Switch to tab by index
browser-use tab close <index> [index...]  # Close one or more tabs

# Page State — always run state first to get element indices
browser-use state                         # URL, title, clickable elements with indices
browser-use screenshot [path.png]         # Screenshot (base64 if no path, --full for full page)

# Interactions — use indices from state
browser-use click <index>                 # Click element by index
browser-use click <x> <y>                 # Click at pixel coordinates
browser-use type "text"                   # Type into focused element
browser-use input <index> "text"          # Click element, clear existing text, then type
browser-use input <index> ""              # Clear a field without typing new text
browser-use keys "Enter"                  # Send keyboard keys (also "Control+a", etc.)
browser-use select <index> "option"       # Select dropdown option
browser-use upload <index> <path>         # Upload file to file input
browser-use hover <index>                 # Hover over element
browser-use dblclick <index>              # Double-click element
browser-use rightclick <index>            # Right-click element

# Data Extraction
browser-use                  
browser-use get title                     
browser-use get html [--selector ]    
browser-use get text <index>              
browser-use get value <index>             
browser-use get attributes <index>        
browser-use get bbox <index>              


browser-use  selector            
browser-use  text               


browser-use cookies get [--url <url>]     
browser-use cookies  <name> <value>    
browser-use cookies clear [--url <url>]   
browser-use cookies  <file>         
browser-use cookies import <file>         


browser-use close                         
browser-use sessions                      
browser-use close --all                   

Cloud API

browser-use cloud connect                 # Provision cloud browser and connect (zero-config)
browser-use cloud login <api-key>         # Save API key (or set BROWSER_USE_API_KEY)
browser-use cloud logout                  # Remove API key
browser-use cloud v2 GET /browsers        # REST passthrough (v2 or v3)
browser-use cloud v2 POST /tasks '{"task":"...","url":"..."}'
browser-use cloud v2 poll <task-id>       # Poll task until done
browser-use cloud v2 --help               # Show API endpoints

Tunnels

browser-use tunnel <port>                 # Start Cloudflare tunnel (idempotent)
browser-use tunnel list                   # Show active tunnels
browser-use tunnel stop <port>            # Stop tunnel
browser-use tunnel stop --all             # Stop all tunnels

Profile Management

browser-use profile list                  # List detected browsers and profiles
browser-use profile sync --all            # Sync profiles to cloud
browser-use profile update                # Download/update profile-use binary

Common Workflows

Authenticated Browsing

When a task requires an authenticated site, use Chrome profiles:

browser-use profile list                           # Check available profiles
browser-use --profile "Default" open https://arnav.tech  # Already logged in

Global Options

Option	Description
--headed	Show browser window
--profile [NAME]	Use real Chrome (bare --profile uses "Default")
--cdp-url <url>	Connect via CDP URL (http:// or ws://)
--session NAME	Target a named session (default: "default")
--json	Output as JSON
--mcp	Run as MCP server via stdin/stdout

Tips

1. Always run state first to see available elements and their indices
2. Use --headed for debugging to see what the browser is doing
3. Sessions persist — browser stays open between commands
4. CLI aliases: bu, browser, and browseruse all work
5. If commands fail, run browser-use close first, then retry

Troubleshooting

• Browser won't start? browser-use close then browser-use --headed open <url>
• Element not found? browser-use scroll down then browser-use state
• Run diagnostics: browser-use doctor

Cleanup

browser-use close                         # Close browser session
browser-use tunnel stop --all             # Stop tunnels (if any)