browser-ladder

name	browser-ladder
version	1.0.0
description	Climb the browser ladder — start free, escalate only when needed. L1 (fetch) → L2 (local Playwright) → L3 (BrowserCat) → L4 (Browserless.io for CAPTCHA/bot bypass).
metadata	{"clawdbot":{"emoji":"🪜","requires":{"bins":["node","docker"]},"env":[{"name":"BROWSERCAT_API_KEY","description":"BrowserCat API key (free tier) - get at https://browsercat.com","required":false},{"name":"BROWSERLESS_TOKEN","description":"Browserless.io token ($10/mo) - get at https://browserless.io","required":false}]}}

Browser Ladder 🪜

Climb from free to paid only when you need to.

Quick Setup

Run the setup script after installation:

./skills/browser-ladder/scripts/setup.sh

Or manually add to your .env:

# Optional - only needed for Rungs 3-4
BROWSERCAT_API_KEY=your-key    # Free: https://browsercat.com
BROWSERLESS_TOKEN=your-token   # Paid: https://browserless.io

The Ladder

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  🪜 Rung 4: Browserless.io (Cloud Paid)     │
│  • CAPTCHA solving, bot detection bypass    │
│  • Cost: $10+/mo                            │
│  • Requires: BROWSERLESS_TOKEN              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  🪜 Rung 3: BrowserCat (Cloud Free)         │
│  • When local Docker fails                  │
│  • Cost: FREE (limited)                     │
│  • Requires: BROWSERCAT_API_KEY             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  🪜 Rung 2: Playwright Docker (Local)       │
│  • JavaScript rendering, screenshots        │
│  • Cost: FREE (CPU only)                    │
│  • Requires: Docker installed               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  🪜 Rung 1: web_fetch (No browser)          │
│  • Static pages, APIs, simple HTML          │
│  • Cost: FREE                               │
│  • Requires: Nothing                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Start at the bottom. Climb only when needed.