t1k:web:testing:agent-browser

Field	Value
Module	`testing`
Version	`1.7.0`
Effort	`high`
Tools	—

Keywords: agent-browser, automation, browser, playwright, testing

How to invoke

/t1k:web:testing:agent-browser
[url or task]

agent-browser Skill

Browser automation CLI designed for AI agents. Uses “snapshot + refs” paradigm for 93% less context than Playwright MCP.

Quick Start

# Install globally
npm install -g agent-browser

# Download Chromium (one-time)
agent-browser install

# Linux: include system deps
agent-browser install --with-deps

# Verify
agent-browser --version

Core Workflow

The 4-step pattern for all browser automation:

# 1. Navigate
agent-browser open https://example.com

# 2. Snapshot (get interactive elements with refs)
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Output: button "Sign In" @e1, textbox "Email" @e2, ...

# 3. Interact using refs
agent-browser fill @e2 "[email protected]"
agent-browser click @e1

# 4. Re-snapshot after page changes
agent-browser snapshot -i

When to Use (vs chrome-devtools)

Use agent-browser	Use chrome-devtools
Long autonomous AI sessions	Quick one-off screenshots
Context-constrained workflows	Custom Puppeteer scripts needed
Video recording for debugging	WebSocket full frame debugging
Cloud browsers (Browserbase)	Existing workflow integration
Multi-tab handling	Need Sharp auto-compression
Self-verifying build loops	Session with auth injection

Token efficiency: ~280 chars/snapshot vs 8K+ for Playwright MCP.

Command Reference

Full command reference (navigate, click, type, screenshot, wait, etc.): see references/command-reference.md.

Global Options

Option	Description
`--session <name>`	Named session for parallel testing
`--json`	JSON output for parsing
`--headed`	Show browser window
`--cdp <port>`	Connect via Chrome DevTools Protocol
`-p <provider>`	Cloud browser provider
`--proxy <url>`	Proxy server
`--headers <json>`	Custom HTTP headers
`--executable-path`	Custom browser binary
`--extension <path>`	Load browser extension

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`AGENT_BROWSER_SESSION`	Default session name
`AGENT_BROWSER_PROVIDER`	Cloud provider (e.g., browserbase)
`AGENT_BROWSER_EXECUTABLE_PATH`	Browser binary location
`AGENT_BROWSER_EXTENSIONS`	Comma-separated extension paths
`AGENT_BROWSER_STREAM_PORT`	WebSocket streaming port
`AGENT_BROWSER_HOME`	Custom installation directory
`AGENT_BROWSER_PROFILE`	Browser profile directory
`BROWSERBASE_API_KEY`	Browserbase API key
`BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID`	Browserbase project ID

Common Patterns

Full common patterns (form submission, auth flows, SPAs): see references/common-patterns.md.

Cloud Browsers (Browserbase)

For CI/CD or environments without local browser:

# Set credentials
export BROWSERBASE_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID="your-project-id"

# Use cloud browser
agent-browser -p browserbase open https://example.com

See references/browserbase-cloud-setup.md for detailed setup.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Command not found	Run `npm install -g agent-browser`
Chromium missing	Run `agent-browser install`
Linux deps missing	Run `agent-browser install --with-deps`
Session stale	Close browser: `agent-browser close`
Element not found	Re-run `snapshot -i` after page changes

Resources

Gotchas

BROWSERBASE_API_KEY exported to env IS a credential leak — wrap in per-instance closure, rotate quarterly.
Headless browser sessions have a default timeout — long-running automation needs explicit keep-alive.
CDP (Chrome DevTools Protocol) version drift between local and remote — pin Chrome major in both.