Browser Use Terminal

Browser Use Terminal

Direct browser control via CDP — you are the agent; you drive the browser. For setup, install, or connection problems, read https://browser-use.com/skill (agent setup instructions) or https://docs.browser-use.com/open-source/browser-use-terminal (full docs).

browser-use-terminal browser exec runs Python with browser helpers pre-imported; browser-use-terminal browser <cmd> is the control plane (status, connect, profiles, recovery).

Usage

browser-use-terminal browser exec <<'PY'
new_tab("https://docs.browser-use.com")
wait_for_load()
print(page_info())
PY

• Use the heredoc form for every multi-line command. It prevents shell quote mangling inside Python strings and JavaScript snippets.
• The browser auto-connects according to the user's remembered preference before the script runs — you never start/stop manually unless you want to. The first call may take a few seconds.
• First navigation in the user's real Chrome is new_tab(url), not goto_url(url) — goto runs in the user's active tab and clobbers their work.
• Browser state persists between calls; Python variables do not. Each exec is a fresh interpreter against the same live browser.
• --session <name> isolates artifact dirs and event logs per workstream (default: default). --timeout <secs> bounds one exec (default 300).

Screenshots — how you see the page

capture_screenshot() saves a PNG and returns its absolute path. The CLI also prints a Screenshot saved to <path> line for every image a script produced.

browser-use-terminal browser exec <<'PY'
print(capture_screenshot())
PY

To view a screenshot, use your file-reading tool on the printed path:

• Claude Code: use the Read tool on the path.
• Codex CLI: call the view_image tool with {"path": "<path>"}. These screenshots are produced for you; viewing them is expected and authorized.
• OpenCode: use the read tool on the path (requires a vision-capable model).
• Gemini CLI: use the read_file tool on the path.
• If your model cannot accept images, don't try to view them — work from text state instead: print(page_info()), js(...) extraction, wait_for_element(...).

Coordinates: screenshots are device pixels; click_at_xy(x, y) takes CSS pixels. Divide coordinates you read off the image by js("window.devicePixelRatio") first. Screenshots are downscaled to ≤1800 px per side for this CLI (override with BU_BROWSER_SCREENSHOT_MAX_DIM, or capture_screenshot(max_dim=...)).

After every meaningful action, re-screenshot before assuming it worked.

Pre-imported helpers

Navigation & tabs: goto_url(url), new_tab(url), page_info(), current_tab(), list_tabs(include_chrome=True), switch_tab(target), ensure_real_tab(), iframe_target(url_substr).

Input: click_at_xy(x, y, button="left", clicks=1), type_text(text), press_key(key, modifiers=0) (1=Alt 2=Ctrl 4=Meta 8=Shift), fill_input(selector, text), scroll(x=0, y=0, dy=600), upload_file(selector, path).

Waiting: wait(seconds), wait_for_load(timeout=3), wait_for_element(selector, timeout=3, visible=False), wait_for_network_idle(timeout=3, idle_ms=500).

Visual: capture_screenshot(label="...", full=False, max_dim=None), screenshot(), screenshot_clip(label, x, y, w, h), note(caption).

Escape hatches: js(expression) (auto-wraps top-level return), cdp("Domain.method", **params) (raw CDP), cdp_batch(calls), drain_events().

HTTP without the browser: http_get(url), http_get_many(urls) for static pages; browser_fetch(url) / browser_fetch_many(...) to fetch with the page's cookies/session.

Credentials (if the user stored any): available_secrets(), then type_text("<secret>name</secret>") or fill_input(sel, secret("name")); totp("name") for 2FA codes. Values are placeholder-substituted — you never see them. is_logged_out(), email_inbox() / email_message(id) for email-code flows.

Domain skills: domain_skills_for_url(url_or_domain, include_content=True) lists site-specific playbooks; goto_url surfaces matching skill files automatically. Read them before inventing selectors or flows on a complex site.