vercel-labs/agent-browser

Browser automation for AI agents: open pages, read them as an accessibility tree, and act on elements from the shell.
agent-browser is a native Rust CLI that gives an AI agent a browser it can drive one command at a time. snapshot returns the page as compact text with a ref such as @e1 for each element. The agent acts on a ref, reads the page again to check the result, and repeats. The browser stays open between commands, so each step is one short shell call.
## Install
bash
npm install -g agent-browser
agent-browser install # download Chrome for Testing (first time only)
Homebrew: brew install agent-browser, then agent-browser install.
Linux: agent-browser install --with-deps also installs the browser's system libraries.
No install: npx agent-browser open example.com.
Project installs, building from source, upgrade, and doctor are covered in Installation.
## Quick start
bash
agent-browser open example.com
agent-browser snapshot -i # interactive elements, each with a ref
agent-browser click @e1 # act on a ref from that snapshot
agent-browser get url # check the result
agent-browser close
The snapshot for example.com:
link "Learn more" [ref=e1]
Refs describe the page at the time of the snapshot. After navigation or a DOM change, take a new snapshot before using refs again.
CSS selectors, text, XPath, and semantic locators also work, for example agent-browser find role button click --name "Submit". See Selectors.
A click fails, instead of reporting success, when the target is hidden, disabled, outside the viewport, or covered by another element such as a consent banner. Dismiss the covering element, take a new snapshot, and retry.
The full walkthrough is in the quick start.
## How it works
The CLI sends each command to a background daemon that starts on the first command and controls the browser over the Chrome DevTools Protocol. Each --session gets its own daemon and browser. By default, the daemon closes a headless browser and exits after one hour without commands, saving state first when session persistence is configured.
Chrome for Testing is the default browser. You can also attach to a running Chrome with --cdp or --auto-connect (CDP mode), select the Lightpanda or Obscura engine with --engine, drive Mobile Safari in the iOS Simulator, or use a cloud browser provider such as Browserbase, Browserless, Browser Use, Kernel, or AgentCore.
## For AI agents
The CLI ships skills that match its version:
bash
agent-browser skills get core # the core loop, refs, waiting, and common workflows
agent-browser skills get core --ref commands # one reference, such as the full command list
agent-browser skills get core --full # adds the full command reference and templates
agent-browser skills list # specialized skills: electron, slack, dogfood, and more
Install the discovery skill into an agent harness from skills.sh:
bash
npx skills add vercel-labs/agent-browser
The installed skill is a thin stub that tells the agent to load agent-browser skills get core, so its instructions always match the installed CLI. Or add this to your AGENTS.md: