Browser automation using Vercel's agent-browser CLI. Use when you need to interact with web pages, fill forms, take screenshots, or scrape data. Alternative to Playwright MCP - uses Bash commands with ref-based element selection. Triggers on "browse website", "fill form", "click button", "take screenshot", "scrape page", "web automation".
Automates web browsing with CLI commands for navigation, form filling, and data extraction.
/plugin marketplace add everyinc/compound-engineering-plugin/plugin install compound-engineering@compound-engineering-pluginThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
Vercel's headless browser automation CLI designed for AI agents. Uses ref-based selection (@e1, @e2) from accessibility snapshots.
# Check installation
command -v agent-browser >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "Installed" || echo "NOT INSTALLED - run: npm install -g agent-browser && agent-browser install"
npm install -g agent-browser
agent-browser install # Downloads Chromium
The snapshot + ref pattern is optimal for LLMs:
# Step 1: Open URL
agent-browser open https://example.com
# Step 2: Get interactive elements with refs
agent-browser snapshot -i --json
# Step 3: Interact using refs
agent-browser click @e1
agent-browser fill @e2 "search query"
# Step 4: Re-snapshot after changes
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser open <url> # Navigate to URL
agent-browser back # Go back
agent-browser forward # Go forward
agent-browser reload # Reload page
agent-browser close # Close browser
agent-browser snapshot # Full accessibility tree
agent-browser snapshot -i # Interactive elements only (recommended)
agent-browser snapshot -i --json # JSON output for parsing
agent-browser snapshot -c # Compact (remove empty elements)
agent-browser snapshot -d 3 # Limit depth
agent-browser click @e1 # Click element
agent-browser dblclick @e1 # Double-click
agent-browser fill @e1 "text" # Clear and fill input
agent-browser type @e1 "text" # Type without clearing
agent-browser press Enter # Press key
agent-browser hover @e1 # Hover element
agent-browser check @e1 # Check checkbox
agent-browser uncheck @e1 # Uncheck checkbox
agent-browser select @e1 "option" # Select dropdown option
agent-browser scroll down 500 # Scroll (up/down/left/right)
agent-browser scrollintoview @e1 # Scroll element into view
agent-browser get text @e1 # Get element text
agent-browser get html @e1 # Get element HTML
agent-browser get value @e1 # Get input value
agent-browser get attr href @e1 # Get attribute
agent-browser get title # Get page title
agent-browser get url # Get current URL
agent-browser get count "button" # Count matching elements
agent-browser screenshot # Viewport screenshot
agent-browser screenshot --full # Full page
agent-browser screenshot output.png # Save to file
agent-browser screenshot --full output.png # Full page to file
agent-browser pdf output.pdf # Save as PDF
agent-browser wait @e1 # Wait for element
agent-browser wait 2000 # Wait milliseconds
agent-browser wait "text" # Wait for text to appear
agent-browser find role button click --name "Submit"
agent-browser find text "Sign up" click
agent-browser find label "Email" fill "user@example.com"
agent-browser find placeholder "Search..." fill "query"
# Run multiple independent browser sessions
agent-browser --session browser1 open https://site1.com
agent-browser --session browser2 open https://site2.com
# List active sessions
agent-browser session list
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/login
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Output shows: textbox "Email" [ref=e1], textbox "Password" [ref=e2], button "Sign in" [ref=e3]
agent-browser fill @e1 "user@example.com"
agent-browser fill @e2 "password123"
agent-browser click @e3
agent-browser wait 2000
agent-browser snapshot -i # Verify logged in
agent-browser open https://news.ycombinator.com
agent-browser snapshot -i --json
# Parse JSON to find story links
agent-browser get text @e12 # Get headline text
agent-browser click @e12 # Click to open story
agent-browser open https://forms.example.com
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser fill @e1 "John Doe"
agent-browser fill @e2 "john@example.com"
agent-browser select @e3 "United States"
agent-browser check @e4 # Agree to terms
agent-browser click @e5 # Submit button
agent-browser screenshot confirmation.png
# Run with visible browser window
agent-browser --headed open https://example.com
agent-browser --headed snapshot -i
agent-browser --headed click @e1
Add --json for structured output:
agent-browser snapshot -i --json
Returns:
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"refs": {
"e1": {"name": "Submit", "role": "button"},
"e2": {"name": "Email", "role": "textbox"}
},
"snapshot": "- button \"Submit\" [ref=e1]\n- textbox \"Email\" [ref=e2]"
}
}
| Feature | agent-browser (CLI) | Playwright MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Bash commands | MCP tools |
| Selection | Refs (@e1) | Refs (e1) |
| Output | Text/JSON | Tool responses |
| Parallel | Sessions | Tabs |
| Best for | Quick automation | Tool integration |
Use agent-browser when:
Use Playwright MCP when:
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