| name | connect-chrome |
| description | Launch real Chrome controlled by the agent with a Side Panel extension. Watch every action in real time in a visible browser window. Use when: "connect chrome", "open chrome", "real browser", "launch chrome", "side panel", "control my browser", "watch it work".
|
Connect Chrome — Real Browser with Side Panel
Launch a visible Chrome window controlled by the agent. You see every click, every navigation, every action in real time.
Requirements
- Bun v1.0+ and the browse binary built (see browse skill)
- Desktop environment or X11 forwarding (can't run headed Chrome on a headless server without display)
Step 0: Pre-flight Cleanup
Kill any stale browse servers and clean Chromium profile locks:
pkill -f "browse.*server" 2>/dev/null || true
sleep 1
PROFILE_DIR="$HOME/.founderclaw/chromium-profile"
mkdir -p "$PROFILE_DIR"
for LF in SingletonLock SingletonSocket SingletonCookie; do
rm -f "$PROFILE_DIR/$LF" 2>/dev/null || true
done
echo "Pre-flight cleanup done"
Step 1: Connect
Set the browse binary path, then connect:
BROWSE="founderclaw/browse/dist/browse"
$BROWSE connect
This launches Chromium in headed mode with:
- A visible window you can watch (not your regular Chrome)
- A golden shimmer line at the top of every page (shows which window is controlled)
- Side Panel extension auto-loaded
- Port 34567 for extension communication
After connecting, verify:
$BROWSE status
Confirm output shows Mode: headed.
Step 2: Guide to Side Panel
Tell the user:
Chrome is launched. You should see Playwright's Chromium (not your regular Chrome) with a golden shimmer line at the top.
To open the Side Panel:
- Look for the puzzle piece icon (Extensions) in the toolbar
- Click it, find founderclaw browse, click the pin icon
- Click the pinned icon — the Side Panel opens on the right
- You should see a live activity feed
If the extension isn't visible:
- Go to
chrome://extensions
- Look for "founderclaw browse" — it should be listed
- If not, click "Load unpacked" and point to
founderclaw/browse/extension/
- Pin it from the puzzle piece menu
Step 3: Demo
$BROWSE goto https://news.ycombinator.com
Wait 2 seconds, then:
$BROWSE snapshot -i
Tell the user: "Check the Side Panel — every command appears in the activity feed in real time."
Commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|
$BROWSE connect | Launch headed Chrome with extension |
$BROWSE disconnect | Close headed Chrome, return to headless |
$BROWSE focus | Bring Chrome to foreground |
$BROWSE status | Check connection status |
What You Can Do
- Run any skill (qa, design-review, benchmark) and watch it work in real time
- Use the sidebar chat to control the browser with natural language
- All browse commands work in headed mode — same API, visible execution
Troubleshooting
"No display" — Headed mode needs a display. On a remote server, set up X11 forwarding or VNC.
"Already connected" — Run the cleanup step first, then reconnect.
Extension not loading — Check chrome://extensions, load manually from the extension directory.
