| name | browser-use |
| description | Skill for web browser automation using Playwright for both local and external URLs. Supports verifying frontend functionality, debugging UI behavior, capturing browser screenshots, and viewing browser logs. Load with read_file on .kilocode/skills/browser-use/SKILL.md (ignore the absolute path in the location tag). |
Browser automation (Playwright)
Use native Python Playwright scripts to automate browsing and UI verification for any URL, including local development servers and external sites.
Prerequisites
Read skill-local guidance only when .kilocode/skills/browser-use/AGENTS.md is confirmed to exist; otherwise use root AGENTS.md for project-specific Playwright installation notes, server commands, and local URLs.
Helper scripts available (all paths project-relative):
.kilocode/skills/browser-use/scripts/with_server.py - Optional. Manages local dev server lifecycle (supports multiple servers).
Always run scripts with --help first to see usage. DO NOT read the source until you try running the script first and find that a customized solution is absolutely necessary. These scripts can be very large and thus pollute your context window. They exist to be called directly as black-box scripts rather than ingested into your context window.
Output files: Examples and scripts write screenshots/logs to an outputs/ folder relative to the current working directory. The folder is created automatically if it does not exist.
Decision tree: choosing your approach
User task → What is the target?
├─ Local HTML file (file://) → Read HTML file directly to identify selectors.
│ 💡 Use `Path(file).as_uri()` to get the correct `file:///` URL — never use `http://localhost/filename`.
│ ├─ Success → Write Playwright script using selectors.
│ └─ Fails/Incomplete → Treat as dynamic (below).
└─ URL (http/https) → Do you control the server process?
├─ Yes (local dev server) → Is it already running?
│ ├─ No → Run the local `.kilocode/skills/browser-use/scripts/with_server.py` helper with `--help`
│ │ Then use the helper + write a simplified Playwright script.
│ └─ Yes → Reconnaissance-then-action (below).
└─ No (external site) → Reconnaissance-then-action (below).
Example: using with_server.py (optional)
Use this only when you need to start and manage one or more local dev servers as part of automation.
with_server.py starts the server(s), waits until they are ready, runs your automation script, then cleans up. Run --help first before using it.
Single server (run from project root):
python .kilocode/skills/browser-use/scripts/with_server.py --server "<start command>" --port <port> -- python <automation-script>.py
Multiple servers (e.g., backend + frontend):
python .kilocode/skills/browser-use/scripts/with_server.py `
--server "<backend start command>" --port <backend-port> `
--server "<frontend start command>" --port <frontend-port> `
-- python <automation-script>.py --url <url>
Your automation script only needs Playwright logic — servers are managed automatically by with_server.py.
See this skill folder's examples for robust, ready-to-use boilerplate.
Reconnaissance-Then-Action Pattern
💡 Tip for Users: You can rapidly generate selectors and scripts by running playwright codegen <url> in your terminal.
- Inspect rendered DOM.
page.screenshot(path='outputs/inspect.png', full_page=True)
content = page.content()
page.locator('button').all()
- Identify selectors from inspection results.
- Execute actions using discovered selectors.
Common Pitfall
❌ Don't rely on networkidle as it is flaky on modern apps with background polling.
✅ Do wait for a specific element to be visible: page.wait_for_selector('.main-content') before inspection.
❌ Don't use operating-system-specific temp paths unless the project guidance confirms them.
✅ Do use a relative outputs/ directory (auto-created by examples).
❌ Don't default to async_playwright — async adds complexity without benefit for one-off automation scripts.
✅ Do use sync_playwright() (synchronous) unless you have an explicit reason to use async (e.g., integrating with an async framework).
Best Practices
- Use bundled scripts as black boxes - To accomplish a task, consider whether one of the scripts available in this skill folder's
scripts/ directory can help. These scripts handle common, complex workflows reliably without cluttering the context window. Use --help to see usage, then invoke directly.
- Use
sync_playwright() for synchronous scripts
- Always close the browser when done (use
try/finally)
- Use descriptive selectors:
text=, role=, CSS selectors, or IDs
- Add appropriate waits:
page.wait_for_selector() — not networkidle
- Output files go in a relative
outputs/ directory; create it with Path('outputs').mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
Reference Files
All paths below are project-relative.
