browser-use

Overview of browser-use skill

What browser-use does

browser-use is a browser automation skill built around the browser-use CLI. It lets an agent open a page, inspect the current browser state, click indexed elements, type into fields, take screenshots, and keep the same browser session alive across commands. The practical value is speed: instead of re-launching a browser for every step, it uses a persistent daemon so multi-step flows feel much faster.

Who should install the browser-use skill

This browser-use skill is best for users who need repeatable web actions from an AI assistant, especially:

• form filling
• website navigation
• screenshot capture
• lightweight data extraction
• logged-in browser workflows using an existing Chrome profile

If your tasks depend on seeing the current page state and acting step by step, browser-use is a better fit than a generic “browse the web” prompt.

Real job-to-be-done

Most users do not just want “browser automation.” They want an agent that can reliably:

1. open the right site
2. inspect what is actually on the page now
3. act on specific elements
4. verify the result before continuing

That inspect-act-verify loop is the core reason to use browser-use for Browser Automation.

What makes browser-use different

The main differentiators are practical:

• persistent browser session across commands
• explicit state inspection before clicking or typing
• element indices for targeted interaction
• support for headless, headed, Chrome profile, and CDP connection modes

This makes browser-use more controllable than vague natural-language browsing, especially on dynamic pages.

Best-fit and poor-fit cases

Good fit:

• multi-step internal tools
• login-required sites when using a real Chrome profile
• deterministic UI workflows
• agent-guided screenshot and extraction tasks

Poor fit:

• tasks needing full test-suite abstractions
• large-scale scraping pipelines by themselves
• sites with heavy anti-bot defenses
• workflows where the user cannot provide the target URL, intended action, or success criteria

How to Use browser-use skill

Install browser-use skill in your agent workflow

Add the skill to your skills-enabled environment with:

npx skills add https://github.com/browser-use/browser-use --skill browser-use

Then verify the underlying CLI is available:

browser-use doctor

The skill itself assumes the browser-use command is installed and working. If doctor fails, fix the local CLI setup before debugging prompts.

Read this file first in the repository

Start with:

• skills/browser-use/SKILL.md

Because this repository path is small and focused, SKILL.md is the main source of truth. For environment setup details, follow the linked CLI setup documentation referenced from that file.

Understand the core browser-use command pattern

The browser-use usage model is simple and worth following closely:

1. browser-use open <url>
2. browser-use state
3. interact using returned indices
4. verify with browser-use state or browser-use screenshot
5. browser-use close when done

That sequence matters. Many failures come from trying to click or input before checking the latest page state.

Choose the right browser mode

Use the mode that matches your task:

browser-use open https://example.com
browser-use --headed open https://example.com
browser-use --profile "Default" open https://example.com
browser-use --connect open https://example.com

Practical guidance:

• default headless mode: fastest for routine automation
• --headed: best when you need to watch what happens
• --profile: best for sites requiring your existing cookies or login
• --connect or a CDP URL: best if you already have Chrome running and want the agent to attach to it

For many real-world browser-use install decisions, profile support is the deciding feature.

What input the skill needs from you

The browser-use skill performs much better when your request includes:

• exact URL or starting page
• goal in one sentence
• whether login is already available
• whether to run headless or visible
• what counts as success
• any fields or labels to look for

Weak input:

• “Go use the website and get the data.”

Strong input:

• “Use browser-use to open https://app.example.com/reports, use my Chrome Default profile, click the ‘Monthly Summary’ report, export it if available, and save a screenshot of the final page showing the selected date range.”

Turn a rough request into a strong browser-use prompt

A good browser-use guide for prompting is to include page intent, interaction hints, and verification.

Example:

Use browser-use for Browser Automation.
Open https://example.com/contact in headed mode.
Inspect state before every interaction.
Find the name, email, and message fields, enter the provided values, but do not submit until you confirm the submit button text and page state.
Take a screenshot before submission.

Why this works:

• it names the tool
• it forces state inspection
• it prevents blind clicking
• it defines a stop condition

Use the inspect-act-verify loop

The best workflow is not “do everything at once.” It is:

• open page
• inspect state
• act on one or two clear elements
• inspect again
• verify outcome
• continue

This keeps the agent grounded in actual page structure instead of guessing selectors or button positions.

Practical commands users care about most

These are the high-value commands surfaced in the skill:

browser-use open <url>
browser-use state
browser-use click <index>
browser-use input <index> "text"
browser-use screenshot
browser-use close

Use state frequently. It is the command that makes later clicks and inputs reliable.

How to handle logged-in sites safely

For authenticated workflows, prefer a local Chrome profile:

browser-use --profile "Default" open https://app.example.com

This is often easier than rebuilding login flows inside a prompt. It is especially useful for dashboards, admin tools, and internal SaaS pages where session cookies already exist in your normal browser.

Common first-run blockers

Before judging browser-use install quality, check these likely blockers:

• the CLI is not installed or not on PATH
• browser-use doctor reports setup issues
• you tried to interact before calling state
• the task really needs a visible browser, but you stayed headless
• the page depends on an existing login, but you did not use --profile or --connect

A realistic starter workflow

A high-signal first task for browser-use usage is:

browser-use --headed open https://example.com
browser-use state
browser-use click 5
browser-use state
browser-use input 3 "test value"
browser-use screenshot
browser-use close

This quickly tells you whether the environment, page rendering, state inspection, and indexed interaction all work on your machine.

browser-use skill FAQ

Is browser-use better than a normal web-browsing prompt?

For stepwise UI automation, yes. browser-use gives the agent a concrete command model and persistent session, which is much more reliable than asking an assistant to “navigate a website” abstractly.

Is browser-use suitable for beginners?

Yes, if you can follow CLI steps. The main mental model is simple: open, inspect, interact, verify. Beginners usually succeed faster when they run in --headed mode first.

When should I not use the browser-use skill?

Skip browser-use if you need:

• a full end-to-end testing framework
• massive scraping infrastructure
• purely API-accessible data with no browser need
• one-shot browsing answers with no interaction

If the task has a stable API, use that instead of browser automation.

Does browser-use work for logged-in apps?

Yes, that is one of its strongest use cases, especially with --profile "Default" or connection to an already running Chrome session.

Do I need to know selectors or DOM details?

Not usually. The workflow is based on browser-use state, which returns clickable elements with indices. That lowers the barrier compared with raw automation frameworks.

What is the biggest limitation to expect?

The skill does not remove the usual uncertainty of modern websites. Dynamic UIs, popups, auth walls, and anti-bot behavior can still break flows. The agent performs best when you give a narrow goal and require state checks between actions.

How to Improve browser-use skill

Give browser-use narrower goals

The fastest way to improve browser-use output is to reduce ambiguity. Instead of:

• “Use the site and get what I need”

say:

• “Open this URL, find this report, click this tab if present, and stop after taking a screenshot of the final result”

Narrow goals reduce wrong clicks and unnecessary exploration.

Tell the agent when to inspect state

Explicitly ask for browser-use state before major actions:

• after page load
• after navigation
• before submitting a form
• after a click that changes content

This one instruction materially improves browser-use usage quality.

Specify mode, session, and stop condition

Include all three when relevant:

• mode: headless or headed
• session source: fresh browser, profile, or connected Chrome
• stop condition: screenshot, extracted value, or confirmed page text

Example:

Use browser-use in headed mode with my Default Chrome profile. Open the billing page, inspect state before each click, and stop once you capture a screenshot showing the current invoice total.

Recover from common failure modes

If the first run fails:

• rerun in --headed mode
• use state again after every page change
• attach a real profile for login-dependent sites
• break one large prompt into smaller checkpoints
• ask the agent to report the current page state before deciding the next action

These changes usually fix more issues than adding more natural-language detail.

Improve extraction tasks with verification

For data extraction, ask for both the extracted value and evidence:

• the page section used
• a screenshot
• the state after navigation

That makes browser-use for Browser Automation more auditable and easier to retry when results look wrong.

Iterate after the first output

After an initial run, improve your prompt using what the page actually exposed:

• name the correct button text
• mention the field labels the agent found
• clarify which result page is the endpoint
• remove unnecessary actions

browser-use gets better when the second prompt reflects observed UI structure, not just your original assumption.

Use browser-use where persistence matters

If your workflow spans several actions on the same site, lean into the persistent daemon model instead of restarting from scratch. Reusing the open session is one of the biggest practical advantages of browser-use install and daily usage.