BrowserWing Executor API
Overview
BrowserWing Executor provides comprehensive browser automation capabilities through HTTP APIs. You can control browser navigation, interact with page elements, extract data, and analyze page structure.
Configuration
API Base URL: The BrowserWing Executor API address is configurable via environment variable.
- Environment Variable:
BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL
- Default Value:
http://127.0.0.1:8080
- How to get the URL: Read from environment variable
$BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL, if not set, use default http://127.0.0.1:8080
Base URL Format: ${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor or http://127.0.0.1:8080/api/v1/executor (if env var not set)
Authentication: Use X-BrowserWing-Key: <api-key> header or Authorization: Bearer <token> if required.
Important: Always construct the API URL by reading the environment variable first. In shell commands, use: ${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}
Core Capabilities
- Page Navigation: Navigate to URLs, go back/forward, reload
- Element Interaction: Click, type, select, hover on page elements
- Data Extraction: Extract text, attributes, values from elements
- Accessibility Analysis: Get accessibility snapshot to understand page structure
- Advanced Operations: Screenshot, JavaScript execution, keyboard input
- Batch Processing: Execute multiple operations in sequence
API Endpoints
1. Discover Available Commands
IMPORTANT: Always call this endpoint first to see all available commands and their parameters.
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X GET "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/help"
Response: Returns complete list of all commands with parameters, examples, and usage guidelines.
Query specific command:
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X GET "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/help?command=extract"
2. Get Accessibility Snapshot
CRITICAL: Always call this after navigation to understand page structure and get element RefIDs.
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X GET "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/snapshot"
Response Example:
{
"success": true,
"snapshot_text": "Clickable Elements:\n @e1 Login (role: button)\n @e2 Sign Up (role: link)\n\nInput Elements:\n @e3 Email (role: textbox) [placeholder: your@email.com]\n @e4 Password (role: textbox)"
}
Use Cases:
- Understand what interactive elements are on the page
- Get element RefIDs (@e1, @e2, etc.) for precise identification
- See element labels, roles, and attributes
- The accessibility tree is cleaner than raw DOM and better for LLMs
- RefIDs are stable references that work reliably across page changes
3. Common Operations
Note: All examples below use EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}" to read the API address from environment variable, with http://127.0.0.1:8080 as fallback default.
Navigate to URL
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/navigate" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"url": "https://example.com"}'
Click Element
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/click" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"identifier": "@e1"}'
Identifier formats:
- RefID (Recommended):
@e1, @e2 (from snapshot)
- CSS Selector:
#button-id, .class-name
- XPath:
//button[@type='submit']
- Text:
Login (text content)
Type Text
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/type" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"identifier": "@e3", "text": "user@example.com"}'
Extract Data
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/extract" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"selector": ".product-item",
"fields": ["text", "href"],
"multiple": true
}'
Wait for Element
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/wait" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"identifier": ".loading", "state": "hidden", "timeout": 10}'
Batch Operations
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/batch" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"operations": [
{"type": "navigate", "params": {"url": "https://example.com"}, "stop_on_error": true},
{"type": "click", "params": {"identifier": "@e1"}, "stop_on_error": true},
{"type": "type", "params": {"identifier": "@e3", "text": "query"}, "stop_on_error": true}
]
}'
Instructions
Step-by-step workflow:
-
Get API URL: First, read the API base URL from environment variable $BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL. If not set, use default http://127.0.0.1:8080. In shell commands, use: EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
-
Discover commands: Call GET /help to see all available operations and their parameters (do this first if unsure).
-
Navigate: Use POST /navigate to open the target webpage.
-
Analyze page: Call GET /snapshot to understand page structure and get element RefIDs.
-
Interact: Use element RefIDs (like @e1, @e2) or CSS selectors to:
- Click elements:
POST /click
- Input text:
POST /type
- Select options:
POST /select
- Wait for elements:
POST /wait
-
Extract data: Use POST /extract to get information from the page.
-
Present results: Format and show extracted data to the user.
Complete Example
User Request: "Search for 'laptop' on example.com and get the first 5 results"
Your Actions:
- Navigate to search page:
curl -X POST 'http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/navigate' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"url": "https://example.com/search"}'
- Get page structure to find search input:
curl -X GET 'http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/snapshot'
Response shows: @e3 Search (role: textbox) [placeholder: Search...]
- Type search query:
curl -X POST 'http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/type' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"identifier": "@e3", "text": "laptop"}'
- Press Enter to submit:
curl -X POST 'http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/press-key' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"key": "Enter"}'
- Wait for results to load:
curl -X POST 'http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/wait' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"identifier": ".search-results", "state": "visible", "timeout": 10}'
- Extract search results:
curl -X POST 'http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/extract' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"selector": ".result-item",
"fields": ["text", "href"],
"multiple": true
}'
- Present the extracted data:
Found 15 results for 'laptop':
1. Gaming Laptop - $1299 (https://...)
2. Business Laptop - $899 (https://...)
...
Key Commands Reference
Navigation
POST /navigate - Navigate to URLPOST /go-back - Go back in historyPOST /go-forward - Go forward in historyPOST /reload - Reload current page
Element Interaction
POST /click - Click element (supports: RefID @e1, CSS selector, XPath, text content)POST /type - Type text into input (supports: RefID @e3, CSS selector, XPath)POST /select - Select dropdown optionPOST /hover - Hover over elementPOST /wait - Wait for element state (visible, hidden, enabled)POST /press-key - Press keyboard key (Enter, Tab, Ctrl+S, etc.)
Data Extraction
POST /extract - Extract data from elements (supports multiple elements, custom fields)POST /get-text - Get element text contentPOST /get-value - Get input element valueGET /page-info - Get page URL and titleGET /page-text - Get all page textGET /page-content - Get full HTML
Page Analysis
GET /snapshot - Get accessibility snapshot (⭐ ALWAYS call after navigation)GET /clickable-elements - Get all clickable elementsGET /input-elements - Get all input elements
Advanced
POST /screenshot - Take page screenshot (base64 encoded)POST /evaluate - Execute JavaScript codePOST /batch - Execute multiple operations in sequencePOST /scroll-to-bottom - Scroll to page bottomPOST /resize - Resize browser windowPOST /tabs - Manage browser tabs (list, new, switch, close)POST /fill-form - Intelligently fill multiple form fields at once
Debug & Monitoring
GET /console-messages - Get browser console messages (logs, warnings, errors)GET /network-requests - Get network requests made by the pagePOST /handle-dialog - Configure JavaScript dialog (alert, confirm, prompt) handlingPOST /file-upload - Upload files to input elementsPOST /drag - Drag and drop elementsPOST /close-page - Close the current page/tab
Element Identification
You can identify elements using:
-
RefID (Recommended): @e1, @e2, @e3
- Most reliable method - stable across page changes
- Get RefIDs from
/snapshot endpoint
- Valid for 5 minutes after snapshot
- Example:
"identifier": "@e1"
- Works with multi-strategy fallback for robustness
-
CSS Selector: #id, .class, button[type="submit"]
- Standard CSS selectors
- Example:
"identifier": "#login-button"
-
XPath: //button[@id='login'], //a[contains(text(), 'Submit')]
- XPath expressions for complex queries
- Example:
"identifier": "//button[@id='login']"
-
Text Content: Login, Sign Up, Submit
- Searches buttons and links with matching text
- Example:
"identifier": "Login"
-
ARIA Label: Elements with aria-label attribute
Guidelines
Before starting:
- Get API URL first: Read from
$BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL environment variable, or use http://127.0.0.1:8080 as default
- Call
GET /help if you're unsure about available commands or their parameters
- Ensure browser is started (if not, it will auto-start on first operation)
During automation:
- Always call
/snapshot after navigation to get page structure and RefIDs
- Prefer RefIDs (like
@e1) over CSS selectors for reliability and stability
- Re-snapshot after page changes to get updated RefIDs
- Use
/wait for dynamic content that loads asynchronously
- Check element states before interaction (visible, enabled)
- Use
/batch for multiple sequential operations to improve efficiency
Error handling:
- If operation fails, check element identifier and try different format
- For timeout errors, increase timeout value
- If element not found, call
/snapshot again to refresh page structure
- Explain errors clearly to user with suggested solutions
Data extraction:
- Use
fields parameter to specify what to extract: ["text", "href", "src"]
- Set
multiple: true to extract from multiple elements
- Format extracted data in a readable way for user
Complete Workflow Example
Scenario: User wants to login to a website
User: "Please log in to example.com with username 'john' and password 'secret123'"
Your Actions:
Step 1: Navigate to login page
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/navigate" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"url": "https://example.com/login"}'
Step 2: Get page structure
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X GET "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/snapshot"
Response:
Clickable Elements:
@e1 Login (role: button)
Input Elements:
@e2 Username (role: textbox)
@e3 Password (role: textbox)
Step 3: Enter username
POST http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/type
{"identifier": "@e2", "text": "john"}
Step 4: Enter password
POST http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/type
{"identifier": "@e3", "text": "secret123"}
Step 5: Click login button
POST http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/click
{"identifier": "@e1"}
Step 6: Wait for login success (optional)
POST http://127.0.0.1:18085/api/v1/executor/wait
{"identifier": ".welcome-message", "state": "visible", "timeout": 10}
Step 7: Inform user
"Successfully logged in to example.com!"
Batch Operation Example
Scenario: Fill out a form with multiple fields
Instead of making 5 separate API calls, use one batch operation:
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/batch" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"operations": [
{
"type": "navigate",
"params": {"url": "https://example.com/form"},
"stop_on_error": true
},
{
"type": "type",
"params": {"identifier": "#name", "text": "John Doe"},
"stop_on_error": true
},
{
"type": "type",
"params": {"identifier": "#email", "text": "john@example.com"},
"stop_on_error": true
},
{
"type": "select",
"params": {"identifier": "#country", "value": "United States"},
"stop_on_error": true
},
{
"type": "click",
"params": {"identifier": "#submit"},
"stop_on_error": true
}
]
}'
Best Practices
- Discovery first: If unsure, call
/help or /help?command=<name> to learn about commands
- Structure first: Always call
/snapshot after navigation to understand the page
- Use accessibility indices: They're more reliable than CSS selectors (elements might have dynamic classes)
- Wait for dynamic content: Use
/wait before interacting with elements that load asynchronously
- Batch when possible: Use
/batch for multiple sequential operations
- Handle errors gracefully: Provide clear explanations and suggestions when operations fail
- Verify results: After operations, check if desired outcome was achieved
Common Scenarios
Form Filling
- Navigate to form page
- Get accessibility snapshot to find input elements and their RefIDs
- Use
/type for each field: @e1, @e2, etc.
- Use
/select for dropdowns
- Click submit button using its RefID
Data Scraping
- Navigate to target page
- Wait for content to load with
/wait
- Use
/extract with CSS selector and multiple: true
- Specify fields to extract:
["text", "href", "src"]
Search Operations
- Navigate to search page
- Get accessibility snapshot to locate search input
- Type search query into input
- Press Enter or click search button
- Wait for results
- Extract results data
Login Automation
- Navigate to login page
- Get accessibility snapshot to find RefIDs
- Type username:
@e2
- Type password:
@e3
- Click login button:
@e1
- Wait for success indicator
Important Notes
- Browser must be running (it will auto-start on first operation if needed)
- Operations are executed on the currently active browser tab
- Accessibility snapshot updates after each navigation and click operation
- All timeouts are in seconds
- Use
wait_visible: true (default) for reliable element interaction
- API address: Always read from
$BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL environment variable, fallback to http://127.0.0.1:8080 if not set
- Authentication required: use
X-BrowserWing-Key header or JWT token if configured
Troubleshooting
Element not found:
- Call
/snapshot to see available elements
- Try different identifier format (accessibility index, CSS selector, text)
- Check if page has finished loading
Timeout errors:
- Increase timeout value in request
- Check if element actually appears on page
- Use
/wait with appropriate state before interaction
Extraction returns empty:
- Verify CSS selector matches target elements
- Check if content has loaded (use
/wait first)
- Try different extraction fields or type
Quick Reference
EXECUTOR_URL="${BROWSERWING_EXECUTOR_URL:-http://127.0.0.1:8080}"
curl -X GET "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/help"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/navigate" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"url": "..."}'
curl -X GET "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/snapshot"
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/click" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"identifier": "@e1"}'
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/type" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"identifier": "@e3", "text": "..."}'
curl -X POST "${EXECUTOR_URL}/api/v1/executor/extract" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"selector": "...", "fields": [...], "multiple": true}'
Response Format
All operations return:
{
"success": true,
"message": "Operation description",
"timestamp": "2026-01-15T10:30:00Z",
"data": {
}
}
Error response:
{
"error": "error.operationFailed",
"detail": "Detailed error message"
}
