browser-automation

name	browser-automation
description	Local Python-based browser automation toolkit using Playwright. Provides command-line tools for navigating, interacting with, and testing web applications without using MCP protocols. Supports clicking, typing, hovering, screenshots, content extraction, and JavaScript execution.
license	ISC

Browser Automation Skill

This skill provides local browser automation capabilities using Python and Playwright. All browser automation is performed locally via CLI commands - no MCP servers required.

Prerequisites

Install Playwright Python library:

pip install playwright
playwright install chromium

Available Tools

All tools are implemented as subcommands in assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py. Run any command with --help to see detailed usage.

browser_navigate

Navigate to a URL and wait for the page to load.

Usage:

python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_navigate <url>

Example:

python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_navigate https://example.com

browser_click

Click an element on a page using a CSS selector or text match.

Usage:

python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_click <url> <selector> [--text TEXT]

Parameters:

• url: URL to navigate to
• selector: CSS selector for the element
• --text: (Optional) Text to match instead of using selector

Examples:

# Click by selector
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_click https://example.com "#submit-button"

# Click by text
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_click https://example.com "button" --text "Submit"

browser_type

Type text into an input field, with optional form submission.

Usage:

python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_type <url> <selector> <text> [--submit]

Parameters:

• url: URL to navigate to
• selector: CSS selector for the input field
• text: Text to type
• --submit: (Optional) Press Enter after typing

Examples:

# Type into field
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_type https://example.com "#email" "[e-mail]"

# Type and submit
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_type https://example.com "#search" "query" --submit

browser_screenshot

Capture a screenshot of the current page.

Usage:

python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_screenshot <url> <path> [--full_page]

Parameters:

• url: URL to navigate to
• path: Output file path for the screenshot
• --full_page: (Optional) Capture the entire scrollable page

Examples:

# Viewport screenshot
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_screenshot https://example.com /tmp/screenshot.png

# Full page screenshot
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_screenshot https://example.com /tmp/full.png --full_page

browser_get_content

Extract text or HTML content from the page or a specific element.

Usage:

python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_get_content <url> [--selector SELECTOR] [--html]

Parameters:

• url: URL to navigate to
• --selector: (Optional) CSS selector, defaults to 'body'
• --html: (Optional) Return HTML instead of text

Examples:

# Get all page text
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_get_content https://example.com

# Get specific element text
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_get_content https://example.com --selector "#main-content"

# Get HTML
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_get_content https://example.com --selector "article" --html

browser_hover

Hover over an element to trigger hover states or tooltips.

Usage:

python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_hover <url> <selector>

Parameters:

• url: URL to navigate to
• selector: CSS selector for the element

Example:

python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_hover https://example.com ".menu-item"

browser_evaluate

Execute custom JavaScript code in the browser context.

Usage:

python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_evaluate <url> <script>

Parameters:

• url: URL to navigate to
• script: JavaScript code to execute

Examples:

# Get page title
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_evaluate https://example.com "document.title"

# Get element count
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_evaluate https://example.com "document.querySelectorAll('button').length"

# Manipulate DOM
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_evaluate https://example.com "document.body.style.backgroundColor = 'red'"

Best Practices

1. Always use full URLs: Include the protocol (http:// or https://)
2. Wait for content: The tool automatically waits for 'networkidle' state
3. Use robust selectors: Prefer ID selectors (#id) or specific CSS classes
4. Error handling: All commands exit with non-zero status on failure and print errors to stderr
5. Headless mode: All operations run in headless Chromium by default

Common Patterns

Form Automation

# Fill out a multi-field form
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_type https://example.com "#name" "John Doe"
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_type https://example.com "#email" "[e-mail]"
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_click https://example.com "#submit"

Visual Testing

# Note: Each command runs in a separate browser instance (stateless).
# The after screenshot won't show the toggled state from the click command.
# For stateful testing, combine actions in a custom Playwright script.

# Capture initial state
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_screenshot https://example.com /tmp/before.png

# Compare different pages or states (each is independent)
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_screenshot https://example.com/page1 /tmp/page1.png
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_screenshot https://example.com/page2 /tmp/page2.png

Content Extraction

# Extract and process page content
python assets/skills/browser-automation/scripts/browser_tools.py browser_get_content https://example.com --selector "article" > article.txt

Architecture

• Stateless design: Each command launches a new browser instance
• No persistent sessions: Browser closes after each operation
• Local execution: All automation runs locally, no remote MCP servers
• Simple I/O: Results printed to stdout, errors to stderr

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

1. Install Playwright browsers: Run playwright install chromium
2. Check Python version: Requires Python 3.8+
3. Verify URL accessibility: Ensure the target URL is reachable
4. Inspect selectors: Use browser DevTools to verify CSS selectors

Related Resources

• Examples: assets/skills/webapp-testing/examples/
• Playwright Documentation: https://playwright.dev/python/