Browser Control

Browser Control is a driver, not an agent. The calling agent decides what to do; Browser Control runs deterministic Playwright code in the user's visible browser.

Use one loop throughout: inspect, act, verify. Inspect the real page before choosing locators, act through the narrowest stable control, then verify the result through a URL or fresh page read. Never treat a successful click or human acknowledgment as proof that the task succeeded.

Core Workflow

1. Run The Task Directly

Start with the requested browser work. Relay-backed commands start the detached relay and wait for the extension; do not start browser-control serve first.

browser-control execute 'return { url: page.url(), title: await page.title() }'

Use browser-control doctor only when setup or runtime behavior is unclear. status and doctor are observational and never start the relay.

browser-control doctor
browser-control status --json

Completion: one execute returns a page result and a readable session id, or doctor identifies the concrete setup failure.

2. Choose The Page Deliberately

A bare CLI execute creates a fresh session-owned page and prints the exact --session <id> continuation command. Every later CLI call must pass that id or set BROWSER_CONTROL_SESSION; bare execute never guesses from human-shell current state.

browser-control execute 'return page.url()'
browser-control execute --session cosmic-otter-866 'return page.url()'

MCP keeps one implicit process session. Omit session for that normal path, or call session_new and pass an explicit id when one MCP process needs multiple sessions.

To control a tab already open in the user's browser, ask the user to click the Browser Control toolbar button on that tab. Select it for one execute or adopt it for sticky reuse:

browser-control execute --target-url github.com 'return page.url()'
browser-control session adopt --target-url github.com --session github

targetUrl and targetIndex select existing attached pages; they never navigate. A URL selector must match exactly one page, and URL and index selectors cannot be combined. Adoption makes that tab the session default, closes the session's previous relay-created page, and is exclusive to one Browser Control session. Reset or delete releases an adopted user tab without closing it.

Prefer adoption for authenticated browser state rather than reproducing login in a fresh page.

Completion: the selected page URL is the intended page, and later work either retains the returned session id or intentionally uses the MCP process session.

3. Inspect, Act, Verify

Inspect before guessing roles or selectors:

return await snapshot()

Then act from the returned structure and verify the destination:

await ref("e12").click()
await page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Settings" }).waitFor()
if (!page.url().includes("/settings")) {
  throw new Error(`Unexpected destination: ${page.url()}`)
}
return { url: page.url(), heading: await page.getByRole("heading").first().innerText() }

Use normal Playwright first. Keep dependent interactions in one execute when they rely on transient UI such as an open menu, selected rows, hover state, or an in-progress form.

If native locator.fill() hangs because a browser extension interferes with focus, use the explicit input/textarea fallback:

await fillInput(page.getByPlaceholder("Username"), "standard_user")

Completion: the final return value contains evidence of the requested outcome, not merely evidence that an action was attempted.

4. Continue Or Finish Cleanly

Named sessions preserve their default page across short-lived CLI and MCP processes. They also survive relay restarts: Browser Control restores the id, read-only mode, and exact default target. JavaScript state and snapshot refs are process-local and reset after a relay restart with an explicit warning.

browser-control session list
browser-control session reset github
browser-control session delete github

Every execute is journaled under ~/.browser-control/sessions/<id>/journal.jsonl. The journal records code, status, duration, URL movement, warnings, handoffs, and bounded diagnostics. Never place credentials directly in execute source.

browser-control journal --session github --limit 50

Completion: retain the session only when follow-up work is expected; otherwise reset or delete session-owned pages and report any warnings that affect later work.

Canonical Authenticated Flow

The distinguishing Browser Control workflow is an authenticated tab plus a human-only prompt:

Attach and adopt the existing tab, inspect its real UI, fill ordinary fields, then register handoff before triggering WebAuthn, 2FA, CAPTCHA, or payment UI. After the user completes it, verify the authenticated destination. The same session can continue after an MCP process or relay restart.

When the prompt-triggering action may itself block, put only that action in start. Browser Control presents and acknowledges WAIT before invoking it:

await handoff("Complete the security-key prompt, then continue", {
  timeoutMs: 600_000,
  start: () => page
    .getByRole("button", { name: /passkey|security key|sign in/i })
    .click({ timeout: 600_000 }),
})

await page.waitForURL((url) => !url.pathname.startsWith("/login"))
await page.getByRole("heading", { name: /account|dashboard/i }).waitFor()
return { authenticatedUrl: page.url(), title: await page.title() }

Tell the user what action is waiting. Human acknowledgment is not verification: always assert the expected URL or stable element after handoff. If the action was already completed and only the human step remains, call handoff(message) without start. The default timeout is ten minutes.

Completion: the prompt was presented only after WAIT was registered, the action settled, and the authenticated result was independently verified.

Inspection Tools

Use the least expensive view that answers the question:

• snapshot() is the compact read-before-act default. It prioritizes semantic groups, alerts, lists, tables, headings, links, and controls. Text input and textarea values are omitted.
• ref("e12") resolves a control from the latest snapshot. Refs fail closed after navigation or incompatible DOM drift.
• snapshot({ diff: true }) reports semantic changes from the compatible prior baseline. A diff invalidates earlier refs and exposes refs only for added or changed current lines.
• ariaSnapshot(target?, { timeout }) returns Playwright's detailed YAML aria tree when the compact snapshot omits needed structure.
• screenshotWithLabels({ page, path? }) adds visual labels and metadata when layout matters.

return await snapshot({ within: "main", maxItems: 200 })
// When layout matters, return the image through MCP so it can be inspected.
return await screenshotWithLabels({ page })

Saving an image and returning only "ok" proves file creation, not visual correctness. Return screenshot buffers through MCP when visual evidence matters.

Execute Interface

Execute code can use page, context, browser, persistent state, selected Node modules through modules and aliases such as fs and path, plus the Browser Control helpers documented here. Single expressions auto-return; multi-statement scripts need return. Use --file for longer scripts:

browser-control execute --session github --file ./perform-flow.js

Human CLI output includes logs, warnings, and a concise aftermath. Use --json when another command needs to branch on ok, value, error, warnings, or aftermath:

browser-control execute --json --session github '({ url: page.url() })' | jq .value.url

Playwright downloads are unavailable through extension-backed tabs because Chromium blocks download artifact control through chrome.debugger. If the page exposes the payload through fetch or an API response, read the bytes in the page and write them with fs. Do not retry page.waitForEvent("download").

Safety

Browser Control blocks CDP commands that would destroy shared browser state, including browser close and cookie/cache clearing. Never work around those guardrails.

For inspect-only work, use a read-only session:

browser-control session new inspect-prod --read-only
browser-control execute --session inspect-prod 'await page.goto("https://example.com"); return page.title()'

Read-only sessions reject Input.*, so they cannot click or type through Playwright. page.evaluate can still mutate the DOM; read-only prevents trusted mistakes, not malicious code.

For destructive UI work, use a two-phase read, confirm, verify flow:

1. Read candidates and return exact stable identifiers or row text.
2. Obtain user approval for those exact items.
3. Re-select only approved items and assert the selected count.
4. Read the confirmation dialog and throw unless it matches the approved action.
5. Confirm, then verify through a fresh page read or independent CLI/API path.

Do not discover and confirm destructive candidates in one script unless the user already approved exact stable identifiers. Never globally auto-accept native dialogs; wait for the expected dialog and assert its type and message before accepting it.

TypeScript Client

Applications can import BrowserControlClient for schema-decoded, same-origin requests authenticated by a session page. Use sensitive: true for token-bearing responses and reveal them through Browser Control's API, not the application's own Effect Redacted import; package-manager layouts may resolve separate Effect runtimes.

import { BrowserControlClient } from "@opencode-ai/browser-control"

const sensitive = yield* origin.json({
  path: "/api/session",
  method: "POST",
  body: {},
  response: SessionResponse,
  sensitive: true,
})
const session = BrowserControlClient.reveal(sensitive)

Authenticated Network Capture

Use network capture when the browser is needed to authenticate or discover a workflow, but repeated direct HTTP calls would be faster and more reliable. Capture each flow at least twice with different inputs so constants and parameters can be distinguished.

browser-control network start --session github --url /api/ \
  --resource-type fetch --resource-type xhr
browser-control execute --session github --file ./perform-flow.js
browser-control network status --session github
browser-control network stop --session github \
  --output ./github.har --secrets github

Written artifacts replace credential-bearing headers, cookies, query fields, and structured body fields with stable references such as ${BC_SECRET_1}. --secrets github stores lossless values separately in a mode-0600 Secret Profile. Never copy profile values into source, output, diagnostics, or journals, and never deliberately return or log credentials.

Inspect the redacted artifact offline, generate one typed function per observed flow, then verify each function with a harmless live request. Run generated clients without exposing values:

browser-control secrets status github
browser-control secrets run github -- ./github-cli repositories

Refresh credentials normally renewed by a page reload with:

browser-control secrets refresh github --session github --url /api/

If refresh requires login or a human prompt, reauthenticate in the adopted tab and repeat capture with the same profile. MCP exposes equivalent network_* and secrets_* tools.

Completion: the artifact contains references rather than credential values, the generated operation passes a harmless live check, and no secret value appears in source or output.

Recording

Record an attached or session-owned tab with:

browser-control recording start ./tmp/demo.mp4 --session github --mode cdp
browser-control recording status --session github
browser-control recording stop --session github

--mode auto uses tab capture for user-owned tabs and CDP for relay-owned tabs. Tab capture can include audio; CDP requires ffmpeg and has no audio. Use the command's --help for format and cursor options.

Completion: stop the recorder, inspect the resulting media rather than only its existence, and report the viewport, state, and interaction path actually tested.

Troubleshooting

1. Run browser-control doctor; it checks package metadata, CLI/relay build identity, extension protocol compatibility, sessions, targets, and artifacts.
2. Use status --json to inspect exact sessions and target ownership.
3. Reproduce once with the smallest execute before changing code.

Common diagnoses:

• connected:false: run a relay-backed command, then reload the unpacked extension only if its reconnect loop does not recover.
• Incompatible extension protocol: update either the extension or npm package; exact extension and relay release versions do not need to match.
• Stale relay build: operational commands reject it with restart guidance; rebuild the CLI and restart the relay.
• Target not found: attach the intended tab, then select or adopt it using a unique URL substring or explicit index.
• All targets disappeared: dismissing Chromium's debugging banner detaches every tab. Reattach through the toolbar.
• Relay restarted: named sessions reclaim exact targets, but JavaScript state and snapshot refs reset. Continue after the warning.
• Reset/delete after an extension update may wait briefly for target re-announcement; if the old relay-owned target is absent from the completed inventory, Browser Control forgets the dead identity without closing a guessed tab.
• Repeated execution-context errors: run one short follow-up so Browser Control can health-check the page. It may recreate a relay-owned page, but it never replaces an unhealthy adopted user tab; reset or re-adopt that tab.
• Fill timeout on login fields: inspect first, then try fillInput after confirming the selector or locator resolves. String selectors search open shadow roots recursively; closed shadow roots remain unavailable.
• Download wait fails: use fetch plus fs; extension-backed Playwright cannot retain a native download artifact.

For deeper relay diagnosis, restart with BROWSER_CONTROL_DEBUG=1. Debug traces must never include expressions, arguments, results, headers, cookies, or form values.

Whenever Browser Control fails, wedges, replaces a page/session, or behaves unexpectedly, create or update a browser-control project todo with the Browser Control version, safe session/page context, exact error, deterministic reproduction, expected versus actual behavior, and recovery attempted. Never include credentials, form values, or private account data.