Browser Automation with browser-use CLI#

The browser-use command provides fast, persistent browser automation. A background daemon keeps the browser open across commands, giving ~50ms latency per call.

Prerequisites#

bash

browser-use doctor    # Verify installation

For setup details, see https://github.com/browser-use/browser-use/blob/main/browser_use/skill_cli/README.md

Core Workflow#

1. Navigate: browser-use open <url> — starts browser if needed
2. Inspect: browser-use state — returns clickable elements with indices
3. Interact: use indices from state ( browser-use click 5, browser-use input 3 "text")
4. Verify: browser-use state or browser-use screenshot to confirm
5. Repeat: browser stays open between commands
6. Cleanup: browser-use close when done

Browser Modes#

bash

browser-use open <url>                         # Default: headless Chromium
browser-use --headed open <url>                # Visible window
browser-use --profile "Default" open <url>      # Real Chrome with Default profile (existing logins/cookies)
browser-use --profile "Profile 1" open <url>   # Real Chrome with named profile
browser-use --connect open <url>               # Auto-discover running Chrome via CDP
browser-use --cdp-url ws://localhost:9222/... open <url>  # Connect via CDP URL

--connect, --cdp-url, and --profile are mutually exclusive.

Commands#

bash

# Navigation
browser-use open <url>                    # Navigate to URL
browser-use back                          # Go back in history
browser-use scroll down                   # Scroll down (--amount N for pixels)
browser-use scroll up                     # Scroll up
browser-use switch <tab>                  # Switch to tab by index
browser-use close-tab [tab]              # Close tab (current if no index)

# Page State — always run state first to get element indices
browser-use state                         # URL, title, clickable elements with indices
browser-use screenshot [path.png]         # Screenshot (base64 if no path, --full for full page)

# Interactions — use indices from state
browser-use click <index>                 # Click element by index
browser-use click <x> <y>                 # Click at pixel coordinates
browser-use type "text"                   # Type into focused element
browser-use input <index> "text"          # Click element, then type
browser-use keys "Enter"                  # Send keyboard keys (also "Control+a", etc.)
browser-use select <index> "option"       # Select dropdown option
browser-use upload <index> <path>         # Upload file to file input
browser-use hover <index>                 # Hover over element
browser-use dblclick <index>              # Double-click element
browser-use rightclick <index>            # Right-click element

# Data Extraction
browser-use eval "js code"                # Execute JavaScript, return result
browser-use get title                     # Page title
browser-use get html [--selector "h1"]    # Page HTML (or scoped to selector)
browser-use get text <index>              # Element text content
browser-use get value <index>             # Input/textarea value
browser-use get attributes <index>        # Element attributes
browser-use get bbox <index>              # Bounding box (x, y, width, height)

# Wait
browser-use wait selector "css"           # Wait for element (--state visible|hidden|attached|detached, --timeout ms)
browser-use wait text "text"              # Wait for text to appear

# Cookies
browser-use cookies get [--url <url>]     # Get cookies (optionally filtered)
browser-use cookies set <name> <value>    # Set cookie (--domain, --secure, --http-only, --same-site, --expires)
browser-use cookies clear [--url <url>]   # Clear cookies
browser-use cookies export <file>         # Export to JSON
browser-use cookies import <file>         # Import from JSON

# Python — persistent session with browser access
browser-use python "code"                 # Execute Python (variables persist across calls)
browser-use python --file script.py       # Run file
browser-use python --vars                 # Show defined variables
browser-use python --reset                # Clear namespace

# Session
browser-use close                         # Close browser and stop daemon
browser-use sessions                      # List active sessions
browser-use close --all                   # Close all sessions

The Python browser object provides: browser.url, browser.title, browser.html, browser.goto(url), browser.back(), browser.click(index), browser.type(text), browser.input(index, text), browser.keys(keys), browser.upload(index, path), browser.screenshot(path), browser.scroll(direction, amount), browser.wait(seconds).

Cloud API#

bash

browser-use cloud connect                 # Provision cloud browser and connect
browser-use cloud connect --timeout 120 --proxy-country US  # With options
browser-use cloud login <api-key>         # Save API key (or set BROWSER_USE_API_KEY)
browser-use cloud logout                  # Remove API key
browser-use cloud v2 GET /browsers        # REST passthrough (v2 or v3)
browser-use cloud v2 POST /tasks '{"task":"...","url":"..."}'
browser-use cloud v2 poll <task-id>       # Poll task until done
browser-use cloud v2 --help               # Show API endpoints

cloud connect provisions a cloud browser, connects via CDP, and prints a live URL. browser-use close disconnects AND stops the cloud browser.

Tunnels#

bash

browser-use tunnel <port>                 # Start Cloudflare tunnel (idempotent)
browser-use tunnel list                   # Show active tunnels
browser-use tunnel stop <port>            # Stop tunnel
browser-use tunnel stop --all             # Stop all tunnels

Profile Management#

bash

browser-use profile list                  # List detected browsers and profiles
browser-use profile sync --all            # Sync profiles to cloud
browser-use profile update                # Download/update profile-use binary

Command Chaining#

Commands can be chained with &&. The browser persists via the daemon, so chaining is safe and efficient.

bash

browser-use open https://example.com && browser-use state
browser-use input 5 "user@example.com" && browser-use input 6 "password" && browser-use click 7

Chain when you don't need intermediate output. Run separately when you need to parse state to discover indices first.

Common Workflows#

Authenticated Browsing#

When a task requires an authenticated site (Gmail, GitHub, internal tools), use Chrome profiles:

bash

browser-use profile list                           # Check available profiles
# Ask the user which profile to use, then:
browser-use --profile "Default" open https://github.com  # Already logged in

Connecting to Existing Chrome#

bash

browser-use --connect open https://example.com     # Auto-discovers Chrome's CDP endpoint

Requires Chrome with remote debugging enabled. Falls back to probing ports 9222/9229.

Exposing Local Dev Servers#

bash

browser-use tunnel 3000                            # → https://abc.trycloudflare.com
browser-use open https://abc.trycloudflare.com     # Browse the tunnel

Global Options#

OptionDescription--headedShow browser window--profile [NAME]Use real Chrome (bare --profile uses "Default")--connectAuto-discover running Chrome via CDP--cdp-url <url>Connect via CDP URL ( http:// or ws://)--session NAMETarget a named session (default: "default")--jsonOutput as JSON--mcpRun as MCP server via stdin/stdout

Tips#

1. Always run state first to see available elements and their indices
2. Use --headed for debugging to see what the browser is doing
3. Sessions persist — browser stays open between commands
4. CLI aliases: bu, browser, and browseruse all work

Troubleshooting#

• Browser won't start? browser-use close then browser-use --headed open <url>
• Element not found? browser-use scroll down then browser-use state
• Run diagnostics: browser-use doctor

Cleanup#

bash

browser-use close                         # Close browser session
browser-use tunnel stop --all             # Stop tunnels (if any)