| name | showrun-browser-setup |
| description | Help users connect a browser profile for ShowRun skills, using local Chrome CDP or Browser Use Cloud persistent profiles/CDP, including login readiness checks and troubleshooting. |
ShowRun Browser Setup
Use this when a user needs to set up, verify, or troubleshoot browser access for ShowRun skills.
ShowRun skills often need an authenticated browser session for sources such as PitchBook, Crunchbase, LinkedIn, GovTribe, or similar products. The goal is simple: give ShowRun a usable browser/profile, then verify the target source works.
Choose the connection mode
Prefer the simplest working option:
- Browser Use Cloud persistent profile — use this when
~/.config/showrun/browser-use.env has BROWSER_USE_API_KEY and BROWSER_USE_PROFILE_ID, especially when local Chrome is headless. If the env file or vars are missing, skip this mode rather than asking the user to set up Browser Use Cloud.
- Local Chrome/Chromium with CDP — good when a visible local browser is available or login is already complete.
Do not ask for raw passwords.
Core invariant: human login handoff → exact live browser CDP endpoint. Background collection without an active human live tab → profile connector/helper.
The user should log in inside the browser/profile.
Browser Use Cloud setup
Use this when the user provides a Browser Use API key and profile ID, or when local visible browser login is unavailable.
Before accepting local CDP, always check for Browser Use credentials:
set -a; source ~/.config/showrun/browser-use.env; set +a
test -n "${BROWSER_USE_API_KEY:-}" && test -n "${BROWSER_USE_PROFILE_ID:-}" && echo browser-use-ready
Expected local config:
~/.config/showrun/browser-use.env
with:
BROWSER_USE_API_KEY=bu_...
BROWSER_USE_PROFILE_ID=...
Browser Use supports connecting raw automation through CDP:
wss://connect.browser-use.com?apiKey=<key>&profileId=<profile-id>&timeout=15
Useful query params:
apiKey — required.profileId — loads saved browser cookies/localStorage.timeout — minutes; default 15, max 240.proxyCountryCode — optional.browserScreenWidth / browserScreenHeight — optional.
Optional helper
If the workspace ships a Browser Use CDP helper at ~/bin/showrun-browser-use-cdp, use it before touching local CDP. If it isn't there, skip this section and go straight to exporting CDP_URL below.
if [ -x ~/bin/showrun-browser-use-cdp ]; then
~/bin/showrun-browser-use-cdp https://www.linkedin.com/sales/
fi
When connecting (with or without the helper), export CDP_URL before using ShowRun source skills so their chrome-cdp calls use Browser Use instead of local 127.0.0.1:9222:
set -a; source ~/.config/showrun/browser-use.env; set +a
export CDP_URL="wss://connect.browser-use.com?apiKey=${BROWSER_USE_API_KEY}&profileId=${BROWSER_USE_PROFILE_ID}&timeout=15"
skills/chrome-cdp/scripts/cdp.mjs supports CDP_URL, CHROME_CDP_URL, and BROWSER_CDP_URL; with explicit remote CDP it keeps a browser-level daemon alive so separate CLI calls share the same Browser Use session. If a source skill still fails, report the concrete source-level error. Do not fall back to public web search for gated-source requirements without labeling this as a blocker.
Login flow
- Start/open a Browser Use browser session with the persistent
profileId.
- Navigate to the target URL, for example LinkedIn Sales Navigator or Crunchbase.
- Give the user the live browser URL if available, or otherwise tell them where to log in.
- Wait for the user to finish login.
- Verify logged-in state with CDP or the relevant ShowRun skill.
- Stop/close the Browser Use session cleanly when done so profile state persists.
Important: Browser Use profile state is saved when the session is stopped. Do not leave sessions dangling after login/work if the new cookies should persist.
During verification after a human login handoff, if the user is looking at a Browser Use live URL, connect automation to that exact live session, not the profile connector. A live URL usually looks like:
https://live.browser-use.com/?wss=https%3A%2F%2F<session>.free-cdp*.browser-use.com
Decode the wss= parameter and use its HTTPS origin as CDP:
export CDP_URL="https://abc.free-cdp0.browser-use.com"
export CHROME_CDP_URL="$CDP_URL"
export BROWSER_CDP_URL="$CDP_URL"
cd "$SHOWRUN_ROOT/skills/chrome-cdp"
node scripts/cdp.mjs list
Do not rerun the Browser Use profile helper while checking a just-completed login unless intentionally attaching to/recreating the persistent profile session. Reconnecting through connect.browser-use.com?profileId=... can attach to or create a different browser and falsely miss cookies from the live session.
For LinkedIn/Sales Nav, verify browser-wide cookies before running Sales Nav scripts. Use Storage.getCookies and confirm at least li_at and JSESSIONID exist, then confirm the Sales Nav tab is not on /sales/login.
CDP support requirement
If the ShowRun chrome-cdp helper cannot use direct wss://... CDP URLs yet, report that as the blocker and add/ask for CDP_URL support. Do not build source-specific hacks.
Local Chrome CDP setup
Use a dedicated persistent profile so ShowRun auth does not interfere with the user's normal browser.
macOS
"/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" \
--remote-debugging-port=9222 \
--user-data-dir="$HOME/Library/Application Support/showrun/chrome-profile" \
--no-first-run \
"<target-url>" &
Linux
Try whichever browser binary exists: google-chrome-stable, google-chrome, chromium, chromium-browser, brave, or microsoft-edge.
google-chrome-stable \
--remote-debugging-port=9222 \
--user-data-dir="$HOME/.local/share/showrun/chrome-profile" \
--no-first-run \
"<target-url>" &
Replace <target-url> with the source login/home page, for example:
- PitchBook:
https://my.pitchbook.com
- Crunchbase:
https://www.crunchbase.com
- LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator:
https://www.linkedin.com/sales/
After launch, ask the user to log in if needed, then verify with the relevant ShowRun skill.
Readiness checks
A browser setup is ready when:
- CDP is reachable.
- The target source opens in a tab.
- The user is logged in, or the login page is visible and awaiting user action.
- The relevant ShowRun skill can list/read enough page state to proceed.
For local CDP, a quick check is usually:
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:9222/json/version
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:9222/json/list
For ShowRun's chrome-cdp skill, read its SKILL.md and use its scripts/cdp.mjs list command when available.
Troubleshooting
- CDP port unreachable: browser is not running with
--remote-debugging-port, wrong port, or blocked by environment.
- No useful tabs: open the target URL in the CDP browser/profile.
- Not logged in: ask the user to log in inside the browser window, then retry.
- Wrong profile: confirm local
--user-data-dir or Browser Use profileId points to the intended persistent ShowRun profile.
- Browser Use changes not persisting: ensure the Browser Use session is stopped cleanly after login/work.
- Remote/cloud CDP unsupported: add direct
CDP_URL=wss://... support to the CDP helper or use a Playwright/Puppeteer bridge temporarily.
- Source skill still fails: read the source skill's
SKILL.md, check required helper files, and run the smallest diagnostic command.
Output to caller
Report concisely:
- connection mode used,
- browser/profile location or CDP endpoint type, without secrets,
- live browser URL if the user needs to log in,
- target source tested,
- whether login is complete,
- verification command/result,
- remaining blocker if not ready.
