/open-browser-use

name: open-browser-use
description: Platform-neutral guidance for using Open Browser Use, the open-source Chrome automation stack for AI agents. Use when an agent needs to install, verify, troubleshoot, or operate Open Browser Use through its browser extension, native CLI, JavaScript SDK, Python SDK, Go SDK, or Browser Use style JSON-RPC methods; use for tasks involving real Chrome tabs, user tab claiming, CDP commands, downloads, file choosers, clipboard helpers, or session cleanup.

Open Browser Use

Overview

Open Browser Use connects an MV3 Chrome extension, a local native messaging host, a CLI, SDKs, and an optional stdio MCP server so agents can automate a real Chrome profile. It is not Codex.app-specific; adapt the commands, MCP config, and SDK examples to the agent runtime you are operating in.

Core Workflow

1. Check setup with `open-browser-use ping` or `obu ping`. If it fails because setup is missing, read [references/installation.md](references/installation.md). 2. Pick the right browser/profile from the connected targets. See "Browser and profile handling" below before issuing browser commands. 3. Choose a unique browser session id for the current agent task before opening or claiming tabs. Prefer the surrounding runtime's conversation/session id when available; otherwise create a short unique id such as `obu-<task-slug>-<timestamp>`. Reuse that same id for every Open Browser Use command in this task. 4. Name the current browser task group before opening or claiming tabs. Use a short task label followed by ` - OBU`; if no better task label is available, use `Task - OBU`. 5. Before opening a new tab, run `user-tabs` / `user_tabs` and check whether the task continues from an existing tab, including tabs in `✅ Open Browser Use` or an earlier `handoff` task group. If the URL/title/group clearly matches the current task, claim that tab and continue from it instead of opening a duplicate. When verifying or accepting a local change, this also covers a dev server tab the user already has open (for example `localhost`, `127.0.0.1`, or a `*.local` / `*.test` host): claim and reuse it rather than opening a second copy of the same app. 6. Use the CLI for simple inspection or one-shot actions: `info`, `tabs`, `user-tabs`, `history`, `open-tab`, `navigate`, `cdp`, and `call`. 7. Use `open-browser-use run` / `obu run` for CLI-level multi-step orchestration when a small line-oriented action plan is enough and writing SDK code would be unnecessary. 8. If the surrounding agent runtime supports local MCP servers, configure `obu mcp` and call the exposed browser tools directly. Use the `run_action_plan` MCP tool for the same line-oriented orchestration from MCP. Read [references/sdk-and-protocol.md](references/sdk-and-protocol.md). 9. Use the JavaScript, Python, or Go SDK for larger multi-step workflows, event subscriptions, richer control flow, or when the surrounding agent runtime already runs code. Read [references/sdk-and-protocol.md](references/sdk-and-protocol.md). 10. Before ending browser work, release or keep session tabs with `open-browser-use finalize-tabs --session-id "$OBU_SESSION_ID" --keep '<json-array>'`, the MCP `finalize_tabs` tool, or the SDK `finalizeTabs` / `finalize_tabs` / `FinalizeTabs` method. 11. If communication fails after setup, read [references/troubleshooting.md](references/troubleshooting.md).

Operating Rules

• Treat the browser as the user's real Chrome profile. Do not inspect cookies, passwords, session stores, or unrelated browser data.
• Ask the user before installing the extension, opening Chrome for them, enabling extension permissions, uploading local files, reading/writing clipboard data, submitting forms, purchasing, deleting, sending, or making other externally visible changes.
• Do not assume Codex.app helpers, Node REPL globals, or a bundled plugin UI are available. Use the installed `open-browser-use` / `obu` CLI or the published SDKs.
• Do not guess tab ids. List tabs first, then use ids returned by `tabs`, `user-tabs`, `open-tab`, or SDK calls.
• Prefer `claim-tab` / `claimUserTab` for existing user tabs. Claiming should be based on the current `user-tabs` result and visible evidence such as URL, title, recency, or group.
• For follow-up tasks, inspect `user-tabs` before opening a tab and reuse a matching tab from `✅ Open Browser Use` or a previous handoff group. A deliverable tab can be claimed back into the new task session, worked on, and finalized as `deliverable` again when it remains the user-facing result. This keeps repeated work on the same page converged to one live tab.
• Do not claim unrelated deliverable tabs just because they are in `✅ Open Browser Use`. If several tabs plausibly match, prefer the most recent exact URL/title match; ask the user when the match is ambiguous.
• When verifying or accepting a local code change, prefer reusing a dev server tab the user already has open (matching host, port, and app, such as `localhost:<port>`) over opening a new one. Match on host, port, and path or title; if several plausibly match or the match is ambiguous, ask the user instead of opening a duplicate.
• Use `--socket` only when the user or runtime provides an explicit socket. Otherwise let the CLI and SDKs discover the active socket registry.
• Do not rely on the CLI fallback session `obu-cli` for agent tasks. Always pass a task-unique `--session-id` to CLI and MCP commands, or set `sessionId` / `session_id` / `SessionID` in SDK clients. The fallback exists for quick manual use and can reuse stale task groups across unrelated agent sessions.
• Direct CLI subcommands and `open-browser-use run` can share the same browser session only when they use the same explicit `--session-id`. Finalize that same session before ending browser work.
• Use `call --method <method> --params '<json>'` only when no safer convenience command or SDK wrapper exists.

Browser and profile handling

Some users run several supported browsers