Automate browser tasks in the user's real Chrome session via the agent-browser CLI.
Prerequisite : agent-browser must be installed and Chrome must have remote debugging enabled. See references/agent-browser-setup.md if unsure.
Core Principle: Reuse the User's Existing Chrome
This skill operates on a single Chrome process — the user's real browser. There is no session management, no separate profiles, no launching a fresh Playwright browser.
Always Start by Listing Tabs
Before opening any new page, always list existing tabs first :
agent-browser --auto-connect tab list
This returns all open tabs with their index numbers, titles, and URLs. Check if the page you need is already open:
If the target page is already open → switch to that tab directly instead of opening a new one. The user likely has it open because they are already logged in and the page is in the right state.
You are automating a browser task on [PLATFORM].
First, read these files for context:
- /absolute/path/to/skills/chrome-automation/references/[platform].md
- /absolute/path/to/.claude/skills/agent-browser/SKILL.md (agent-browser command reference)
Then connect to the user's Chrome browser using `agent-browser --auto-connect` and perform the following task:
[TASK DESCRIPTION]
Content to publish:
[CONTENT]
Important:
- Always list tabs first (`tab list`) and reuse existing logged-in tabs
- Re-snapshot after every navigation or action
- Confirm with the user before submitting/publishing (destructive action)
- If login is required or a CAPTCHA appears, stop and explain
If the target page is NOT open → open it in the current tab or a new tab.
agent-browser --auto-connect open <url>
Why This Matters
The user's Chrome has their cookies, login sessions, and browser state
Opening a new page when one is already available wastes time and may lose login state
Many marketing platforms (social media dashboards, ad managers, CMS tools) require login — reusing an existing logged-in tab avoids re-authentication
Connection
Always use --auto-connect to connect to the user's running Chrome instance:
agent-browser --auto-connect <command>
This auto-discovers Chrome with remote debugging enabled. If connection fails, guide the user through enabling remote debugging (see references/agent-browser-setup.md).
Common Workflows
1. Navigate and Interact
# List tabs to find existing pages
agent-browser --auto-connect tab list
# Switch to an existing tab (if found)
agent-browser --auto-connect tab <index>
# Or open a new page
agent-browser --auto-connect open https://example.com
agent-browser --auto-connect wait --load networkidle
# Take a snapshot to see interactive elements
agent-browser --auto-connect snapshot -i
# Click, fill, etc.
agent-browser --auto-connect click @e3
agent-browser --auto-connect fill @e5 "some text"
2. Extract Data from a Page
# Get all text content
agent-browser --auto-connect get text body
# Take a screenshot for visual inspection
agent-browser --auto-connect screenshot
# Execute JavaScript for structured data
agent-browser --auto-connect eval "JSON.stringify(document.querySelectorAll('table tr').length)"
3. Replay a Chrome DevTools Recording
The user may provide a recording exported from Chrome DevTools Recorder (JSON, Puppeteer JS, or @puppeteer/replay JS format). See Replaying Recordings below.
Step-by-Step Interaction Guide
Taking Snapshots
Use snapshot -i to see all interactive elements with refs (@e1, @e2, ...):
agent-browser --auto-connect snapshot -i
The output lists each interactive element with its role, text, and ref. Use these refs for subsequent actions.
Step Type Mapping
Action
Command
Navigate
agent-browser --auto-connect open <url> (optionally wait --load networkidle, but some sites like Reddit never reach networkidle — skip if open already shows the page title)
Click
snapshot -i → find ref → click @eN
Fill standard input
click @eN → fill @eN "text"
Fill rich text editor
click @eN → keyboard inserttext "text"
Press key
press <key> (Enter, Tab, Escape, etc.)
Scroll
scroll down <amount> or scroll up <amount>
Wait for element
wait @eN or wait "<css-selector>"
Screenshot
screenshot or screenshot --annotate
Get page text
get text body
Get current URL
get url
Run JavaScript
eval <js>
How to Distinguish Input Types
Standard input/textarea → use fill
Contenteditable div / rich text editor (LinkedIn message box, Gmail compose, Slack, CMS editors) → click/focus first, then use keyboard inserttext
Ref Lifecycle
Refs (@e1, @e2, ...) are invalidated when the page changes. Always re-snapshot after:
Parse the recording — understand the full intent before acting. Summarize what the recording does.
List tabs first — check if the target page is already open.
Navigate — execute navigate steps, reusing existing tabs when possible.
For each interaction step :
Take a snapshot (snapshot -i) to see current interactive elements
Match the recording's aria/... selectors against the snapshot
Fall back to text/..., then CSS class hints, then screenshot
Do not rely on ember IDs, numeric IDs, or exact XPaths — these change every page load
Verify after each step — snapshot or screenshot to confirm
Iframe-Heavy Sites
snapshot -i operates on the main frame only and cannot penetrate iframes. Sites like LinkedIn, Gmail, and embedded editors render content inside iframes.
Detecting Iframe Issues
snapshot -i returns unexpectedly short or empty results
Recording references elements not appearing in snapshot output
get text body content doesn't match what a screenshot shows
Usekeyboard for blind input: If the iframe element has focus, keyboard inserttext "..." sends text regardless of frame boundaries.
Useget text body to read full page content including iframes.
Usescreenshot for visual verification when snapshot is unreliable.
When to Ask the User
If workarounds fail after 2 attempts on the same step, pause and explain:
The page uses iframes that cannot be accessed via snapshot
Which element you need and what you expected
Ask the user to perform that step manually, then continue
Handling Unexpected Situations
Handle Automatically (do not stop):
Popups or banners → dismiss them (find text "Dismiss" click or find text "Close" click)
Cookie consent dialogs → accept or dismiss
Tooltip overlays → close them first
Element not in snapshot → try find text "..." click, or scroll to reveal with scroll down 300
Pause and Ask the User:
Login / authentication is required
A CAPTCHA appears
Page structure is completely different from expected
A destructive action is about to happen (deleting data, sending real content) — confirm first
Stuck for more than 2 attempts on the same step
All iframe workarounds have failed
When pausing, explain clearly: what step you are on, what you expected, and what you see.
Key Commands Reference
Command
Description
tab list
List all open tabs with index, title, and URL
tab <index>
Switch to an existing tab by index
tab new
Open a new empty tab
tab close
Close the current tab
open <url>
Navigate to URL
snapshot -i
List interactive elements with refs
click @eN
Click element by ref
fill @eN "text"
Clear and fill standard input/textarea
type @eN "text"
Type without clearing
keyboard inserttext "text"
Insert text (best for contenteditable)
press <key>
Press keyboard key
scroll down/up <amount>
Scroll page in pixels
wait @eN
Wait for element to appear
wait --load networkidle
Wait for network to settle
wait <ms>
Wait for a duration
screenshot [path]
Take screenshot
screenshot --annotate
Screenshot with numbered labels
eval <js>
Execute JavaScript in page
get text body
Get all text content
get url
Get current URL
set viewport <w> <h>
Set viewport size
find text "..." click
Semantic find and click
close
Close browser session
Known Limitations
Iframe blindness : snapshot -i cannot see inside iframes. See Iframe-Heavy Sites.
find text strict mode: Fails when multiple elements match. Use snapshot -i to locate the specific ref instead.
fill vs contenteditable: fill only works on <input> and <textarea>. For rich text editors, use keyboard inserttext.
eval is main-frame only: To interact with iframe content, traverse via document.querySelector('iframe').contentDocument...
Multi-Platform Operations
When the user requests an action across multiple platforms (e.g., "publish this article to Dev.to, LinkedIn, and X"), do NOT attempt all platforms in a single conversation. Instead, launch sequential Agent subagents , one per platform.
Why Subagents
Each platform operation consumes ~25-40K tokens (reference file + snapshots + interactions). Running 3-5 platforms in one context risks hitting the 200K token limit and degrading late-platform accuracy. Each subagent gets its own fresh 200K context window.
How to Execute
Prepare the content — confirm the post text, title, tags, and any platform-specific adaptations with the user.
For each platform , launch a general-purpose Agent subagent with a prompt that includes:
The full content to publish
Instructions to read the relevant reference file (e.g., Read /path/to/skills/chrome-automation/references/x.md)
Instructions to read the agent-browser skill file for command reference
The specific task (post, comment, reply, etc.)
Any platform-specific instructions (e.g., "use these hashtags on LinkedIn")
Run subagents sequentially (one at a time), because they all share the same Chrome browser via --auto-connect. Parallel subagents would cause tab conflicts.
After each subagent completes , report the result to the user before launching the next one.
Prompt Template for Subagents
You are automating a browser task on [PLATFORM].
First, read these files for context:
- /absolute/path/to/skills/chrome-automation/references/[platform].md
- /absolute/path/to/.claude/skills/agent-browser/SKILL.md (agent-browser command reference)
Then connect to the user's Chrome browser using `agent-browser --auto-connect` and perform the following task:
[TASK DESCRIPTION]
Content to publish:
[CONTENT]
Important:
- Always list tabs first (`tab list`) and reuse existing logged-in tabs
- Re-snapshot after every navigation or action
- Confirm with the user before submitting/publishing (destructive action)
- If login is required or a CAPTCHA appears, stop and explain
When NOT to Use Subagents
Single platform — just do it directly in the current conversation.
Read-only tasks (browsing, searching, extracting data) — context usage is lighter; a single conversation can handle 2-3 platforms.
Platform References
When automating tasks on specific platforms, consult the relevant reference document for page structure details, common operations, and known quirks:
open often times out (use tab list to reuse existing tabs); click timestamp for post detail (not username); DraftJS contenteditable input (data-testid="tweetTextarea_0"); avoid networkidle
Ember.js SPA; Enter submits comments (use Shift+Enter for newlines); comment box and compose box share the same label; avoid networkidle; messaging overlay may block content
Fast server-rendered HTML (Forem/Rails); standard <textarea> for comments/posts (Markdown); 5 reaction types; Algolia-powered search; networkidle works normally
Minimal plain HTML; all form fields are unlabeled; link "reply" navigates to separate page; networkidle works instantly; rate limiting on posts/comments
