RealBrowser by Ceki — real Chrome sessions for AI agents#

Use responsibly. This skill drives a real Chrome browser. Before using it on any site, confirm you have authorization (your own site, your own account, permissive Terms of Service, explicit consent of the site owner). The skill does not enable anything you wouldn't be allowed to do manually.

What this skill does#

It lets your agent open a Chrome session, navigate, click, type, scroll, take screenshots, and read the page — through one of three paths:

1. Self mode — your own Chrome on your own machine, via the Ceki extension. Free for sessions where the host and the renter are the same user.
2. Marketplace — a Chrome session contributed by another user who opted in to host. Settled per minute in USDC.
3. Earn (opt-in) — your own Chrome contributed to the marketplace so other users' agents can rent it. Off by default.

The skill is a thin client to the ceki-sdk CLI and Python SDK. It does not bundle credentials, does not perform any network operation other than CLI invocations you make explicitly, and does not transmit any data outside the API endpoints documented below.

Appropriate use cases#

• QA / E2E testing of your own web apps — drive a real browser through user flows on a staging or production site you own
• Accessibility audits — sites you are responsible for
• Synthetic monitoring — heartbeat your own services as a real user would experience them
• Customer support automation — actions in your own dashboards, on behalf of your own users with their consent
• Personal research / data collection — on sites whose Terms of Service and robots.txt permit it
• Public-data extraction — public-record sites, open APIs presented as HTML, news, etc., respecting robots.txt

NOT appropriate use cases#

• Sites you do not own and whose Terms of Service do not permit automated access
• Account creation on services other than your own
• Filling forms with data that isn't yours or that isn't accurate
• Circumventing access controls, login walls, age gates, or paywalls
• Anything that violates local law where you, the host, or the target site operates
• Banking, payments under another identity, KYC flows for someone else

If you're not sure whether your use case is appropriate, default to: don't use this skill, ask the site owner.

Privacy and consent#

• Marketplace mode shares your task with a real human host. The host can see (and may record/stream) what your agent does in their browser. Do not enter your personal credentials, payment data, or private content into marketplace-mode sessions. Use Self mode for anything sensitive.
• Earn mode shares your Chrome with someone else's agent. They cannot see your other tabs or your saved passwords (the session is sandboxed in a fresh Chrome profile), but they can see what their own session is doing on your machine. Toggle off if you don't want this.
• Screenshots and chat are visible to the host (marketplace mode) and to you (host of an earn-mode session). Don't rely on the skill for confidential workflows.
• Cookies and storage are not retained on the server between rentals (the server is stateless). If you need persistence, use the local profile export / profile import flow to manage it yourself.

Quickstart#

Install#

bash

clawhub skill install realbrowser

Or install the CLI standalone:

bash

pip install --upgrade ceki-sdk --break-system-packages   # v2.18.0+
ceki --help

Sign up for an API key#

1. Go to https://ceki.me and create an account (email only, no KYC for individual hosts and renters)
2. Open your dashboard → API keys → create one
3. Export it in your shell, only when you're about to use the CLI:

bash

export CEKI_API_KEY="your_key_here"

The skill does NOT transmit your API key during installation. Token verification is a separate, opt-in step you run manually after the skill is installed.

Use#

bash

# discover marketplace browsers (does not rent anything; no charges)
ceki search --limit 5

# rent a Chrome (incurs marketplace charges if you're not host_user == renter_user)
SID=$(ceki rent --schedule <schedule_id> | jq -r .session_id)

# drive
ceki navigate $SID https://example.com
ceki snapshot $SID -o /tmp/01.png
ceki click $SID 400 300
ceki type $SID "hello world"

# stop (releases the rental and settles)
ceki stop $SID

Modes#

ModeWhereCostVisibilitySelfYour own Chrome (after installing the Ceki extension)Free when host_user == renter_userOnly youMarketplaceChrome contributed by another opted-in user$0.01/min, USDCThe host can see your sessionEarn (opt-in, off)Your idle Chrome contributed back to the marketplaceYou receive 90% of session priceOther agents you allow can rent your Chrome

Native commands vs CDP#

The CLI splits into native (high-level — server bridges to the host's Chrome) and CDP ( ceki cdp — raw Chrome DevTools Protocol). Different channels.

NeedCommandChannelOpen URLceki navigatenativeCapture state (screen + chat + ts)ceki snapshot -onativeClick / type / scrollceki click / type / scrollnativeCheck whether rental is aliveceki snapshot / ceki sessionsnativeChat with the hostceki chat send/nextnative

Default state probe: ceki snapshot $SID -o PATH. One command returns {chat, screenshot, ts}.

CDP no_session ≠ end of rental#

ceki cdp $SID --method Runtime.evaluate ... may return no_session while the rental itself is alive. Check liveness via native commands ( ceki snapshot, ceki sessions).

Rate limits#

• 20 rents / hour per API key. Plan batches accordingly.
• A full rental cancel ( ceki stop) also counts in the rate bucket. Keep one session open and navigate between sites instead of stop+rent per site.
• CDP rate limit: session capped at 500 commands / 60s.
• Browser exclusivity: one active rental of a browser at a time.

Lifecycle#

text

ceki rent --schedule N       ───►  {session_id, schedule_id, chat_topic_id}
ceki navigate <sid> <url>    ───►  {ok: true}
ceki snapshot <sid> -o path  ───►  {chat:[...], screenshot:path, ts:...}
ceki click/type/scroll/cdp   ───►  {ok: true}
ceki chat <sid> send/next    ───►  {message_id|text|null}
ceki stop <sid>              ───►  {ok: true}

Always stop. Without ceki stop, the rental keeps the meter running until the host disconnects or your balance runs out.

Subcommand reference#

cmdargsresultrent``--schedule N (required) `[--mode incognitomain] [--fingerprint-from profile.json]`search``[--limit N] [--filter key=val]...``[BrowserOption, ...]``snapshot <sid>``-o PATH``{chat, screenshot, ts}``screenshot <sid>`-o file.png [--format pngjpeg] [--full]`navigate <sid> <url>—{ok:true}``click <sid> <x> <y>—{ok:true,pointer:[x,y]}``type <sid> "<text>"``[--no-human] (skip humanizer){ok:true}``scroll <sid> <x> <y> <dy>—{ok:true}``switch-tab <sid>—{ok:true}``chat <sid> send/next/historyvariousmessage or batchcdp <sid>``--method <M> [--params JSON]raw CDP responsewait <sid>—blocking until session endsprofile <sid> export/importvariousprofile JSON (your machine)upload <sid>``--selector ... --file ...``{ok, filename, size}``sessions—your active sessionsstop <sid>—{ok:true}

Worked example: drive your own app for a synthetic monitoring check#

bash

# 1. Rent (or use Self mode if you're hosting your own Chrome)
SID=$(ceki rent --schedule <your_schedule_id> | jq -r .session_id)

# 2. Run through your own user flow
ceki navigate $SID https://my-app.example.com/login
ceki type $SID "test@my-app.example.com"
ceki click $SID 400 500
ceki type $SID "my-test-password"
ceki click $SID 400 600

# 3. Verify the post-login state
ceki snapshot $SID -o /tmp/after-login.png

# 4. Done
ceki stop $SID

Text input — ceki type always#

Fill fields ONLY via ceki type $SID "text". Don't reach into ceki cdp Runtime.evaluate with el.value=... for input — that's the main cause of "field empty / required" on submit (React/Vue value trackers).

After filling async-validated fields (username availability, email-availability), move focus away ( blur) so validation fires:

bash

ceki type $SID "octocat-demo"
ceki cdp $SID --method Runtime.evaluate --params '{"expression":"document.activeElement.blur()"}'

File upload#

bash

ceki upload $SID --selector 'input[type="file"]' --file /tmp/avatar.png

window.open patch (when buttons open new tabs)#

Some web apps open new tabs via window.open(url). The CLI sees this as a tab switch, which can break the sequence. Preemptively redirect window.open before the click:

bash

ceki cdp $SID --method Runtime.evaluate --params '{
  "expression": "window.open=function(url){window.location.href=url;return window;};"
}'

Cookie consent banners#

Always honor the site's consent preferences. When a banner appears, reject non-essential cookies, or click the appropriate "necessary only" / "reject all" option. Do not click "accept all" by default.

bash

ceki cdp $SID --method Runtime.evaluate --params '{
  "expression": "(()=>{const wants=[\"reject all\",\"decline\",\"necessary only\",\"strictly necessary\"];const els=[...document.querySelectorAll(\"button,a,[role=button]\")];for(const t of wants){const b=els.find(e=>(e.textContent||\"\").trim().toLowerCase().includes(t));if(b){b.click();return t}}return null})()"
}'

Saving and restoring a session#

The server does not retain cookies or storage between rentals (stateless by design — privacy / data minimization). You can export them to a local file at the end of a session and import on the next one — but only do this for sites you have authorization to use, and only for accounts that are yours.

bash

SID=$(ceki rent --schedule N --fingerprint-from /tmp/my-app.json | jq -r .session_id)
ceki navigate $SID "https://my-app.example.com"
ceki profile $SID import -i /tmp/my-app.json

Python SDK (for advanced flows)#

python

import asyncio
import os
from pathlib import Path
from ceki_sdk import connect, ConnectOptions

async def main():
    token = os.environ.get("CEKI_API_KEY")
    if not token:
        raise SystemExit("Set CEKI_API_KEY")

    opts = ConnectOptions(
        relay_url="wss://browser.ceki.me/ws/agent",
        api_url="https://api.ceki.me",
        chat_url="https://chat.ceki.me/api/chat",
    )
    client = await connect(token, opts)
    options = await client.search({})
    if not options:
        await client.close()
        return
    browser = await client.rent(options[0].schedule_id)
    try:
        await browser.navigate("https://my-app.example.com")
        png = await browser.screenshot(format="png")
        Path("/tmp/shot.png").write_bytes(png)
    finally:
        await browser.close()
        await client.close()

asyncio.run(main())

Constraints#

• Never create a session manually via raw curl POST /api/sessions + WS connect. Use ceki rent.
• Don't hardcode schedule_id. Discover via /api/browsers/search each time.
• Server is stateless between rentals. Use profile export / import for persistence — and only for your own accounts.
• Stop is mandatory. Without ceki stop, the rental keeps the meter running.
• Billing is real in marketplace mode: $0.01/min, settled in USDC per minute.

Readiness check#

bash

ceki --help | head -1
echo "$CEKI_API_KEY" | head -c 4   # should start with ag_
# Manually verify token (one-off, when you're ready):
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CEKI_API_KEY" https://api.ceki.me/api/auth/introspect | jq '.tokenable_id, .name'
# Discover available browsers
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $CEKI_API_KEY" https://api.ceki.me/api/browsers/search | jq '.meta.total'

When NOT to use#

• Sites you don't own and whose Terms of Service prohibit automated access
• Tests on example.com / httpbin — use a headless Chrome locally
• Pure HTTP API calls — use a regular fetch tool, no browser needed
• Cached static content — use existing scrapers
• Anything you wouldn't be allowed to do manually

Privacy + data handling#

• No personal data is transmitted to Ceki beyond the API key (Bearer auth) and the task payload you explicitly send via the SDK
• Cookies, credentials, browsing history are not transmitted to the server — they live inside the rented Chrome session and are discarded when the session ends
• In marketplace mode, the host of the Chrome can see whatever your session is doing on their screen. Treat the host as a third party. Do not use marketplace sessions for confidential work.
• In earn mode, the renter of your Chrome can see whatever their session is doing in your browser, but not your other tabs, saved passwords, or local files (the session runs in a clean Chrome profile)

License#

MIT. See LICENSE.

Links#

• Homepage
• ClawHub listing
• Source code (GitHub)
• Source code (Codeberg mirror)
• ceki-sdk on PyPI
• Ceki Chrome extension (for Self mode)
• Issue tracker