chrome-setup-flyio

name	chrome-setup-flyio
version	0.1.0
description	Install and configure Chrome for headless browser automation on Fly.io. Fixes "Chrome not found" errors from agent-browser. Covers npm global install, Chrome download, AGENT_BROWSER_EXECUTABLE_PATH setup, and PATH configuration.
triggers	["chrome not found","browser not working","agent-browser","install chrome"]

Chrome Setup on Fly.io

Problem

The Hermes browser tool uses agent-browser CLI which requires Chrome/Chromium. On Fly.io, the container runs as non-root user hermes with no apt-get.

Solution

1. Set npm global prefix (no sudo)

npm config set prefix /opt/data/npm-global

2. Install agent-browser

export PATH="/opt/data/npm-global/bin:$PATH"
npm install -g agent-browser

3. Download Chrome

agent-browser install

Chrome installs to: ~/.agent-browser/browsers/chrome-<version>/chrome

4. Set environment variable

Add to /opt/data/.env:

AGENT_BROWSER_EXECUTABLE_PATH=/opt/data/home/.agent-browser/browsers/chrome-<version>/chrome

5. Add npm global to PATH in .env

PATH=/opt/data/npm-global/bin:$PATH

6. Create symlink for cache detection

The browser tool checks /opt/data/.agent-browser/browsers (HERMES_HOME-based path):

mkdir -p /opt/data/.agent-browser
ln -sf /opt/data/home/.agent-browser/browsers /opt/data/.agent-browser/browsers

Pitfalls

• npm install -g fails without setting custom prefix (permission denied)
• agent-browser install --with-deps fails on Fly.io (no apt-get)
• Chrome binary is ~277MB; takes ~30s to download
• .env changes require agent restart to take effect
• Browser tool looks for Chrome in HERMES_HOME path, not HOME path — symlink needed
• Browserbase Launch plan doesn't include residential proxies or advanced stealth. The API returns 402 and Hermes falls back gracefully, but the session is effectively the same as local Chrome from a datacenter IP. StreetEasy/Zillow/Google will still block with captchas. Scale plan required for proxy support.