OpenDevBrowser

Script-first browser automation for AI agents. Snapshot → Refs → Actions.

OpenDevBrowser is an agent-agnostic browser automation runtime. You can use it as an OpenCode plugin, as a standalone CLI, or through the Chrome extension relay for logged-in browser sessions. It supports managed sessions, direct CDP attach, and extension-backed Ops sessions.

AI-assisted annotation and browser automation workflow

Use It Your Way

Interface	OpenCode Required	Best For
CLI (`npx opendevbrowser ...`)	No	Any agent/workflow that can run shell commands
Chrome Extension + Relay	No	Reusing existing logged-in tabs without launching a new browser
OpenCode Plugin Tools	Yes	Native tool-calling inside OpenCode (`opendevbrowser_*`)

All core automation flows are available through the CLI command surface and the plugin tool surface.

Why OpenDevBrowser?

Feature	Benefit
Script-first UX	Snapshot → Refs → Actions workflow optimized for AI agents
Accessibility-tree snapshots	Token-efficient page representation (not raw DOM)
Stable refs	Elements identified by `backendNodeId`, not fragile selectors
Security by default	CDP localhost-only, timing-safe auth, HTML sanitization
3 browser modes	Managed, CDP connect, or extension relay for logged-in sessions
Ops + CDP channels	High-level multi-client `/ops` plus legacy `/cdp` compatibility
Relay Hub (FIFO leases)	Single-owner CDP binding with a FIFO queue for multi-client safety
Flat-session routing	Extension relay uses DebuggerSession sessionId routing (Chrome 125+)
5 bundled skill packs	Best practices for login, forms, data extraction
41 tools	Complete browser automation coverage
97% test coverage	Production-ready with strict TypeScript

Installation

For Humans

# Interactive installer (recommended)
npx opendevbrowser

# Or specify location
npx opendevbrowser --global   # ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json
npx opendevbrowser --local    # ./opencode.json

# Full install (config + extension assets)
npx opendevbrowser --full

Use OpenCode only if you want plugin tools. CLI and extension workflows work without OpenCode.

On first successful install, the CLI attempts to install daemon auto-start on supported platforms so the relay is available on login. You can remove it later with npx opendevbrowser daemon uninstall.

OpenCode discovers skills in .opencode/skill (project) and ~/.config/opencode/skill (global) first; .claude/skills is compatibility-only. The CLI installs bundled skills into the OpenCode-native locations by default.

CLI + Extension (No OpenCode)

# Start relay/daemon runtime
npx opendevbrowser serve

# Launch using extension mode (requires extension popup connected)
npx opendevbrowser launch --extension-only --wait-for-extension

# Or force managed mode without extension
npx opendevbrowser launch --no-extension

Agent Installation (OpenCode)

Recommended (CLI, installs plugin + config + bundled skills + extension assets):

npx opendevbrowser --full --global --no-prompt

Explicit flags (config + skills, no prompt):

npx opendevbrowser --global --with-config --skills-global --no-prompt

Manual fallback (edit OpenCode config):

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "plugin": ["opendevbrowser"]
}

Config location: ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json

Restart OpenCode, then run opendevbrowser_status to verify the plugin is loaded (daemon status when hub is enabled).

Quick Start

OpenDevBrowser uses the same automation model across plugin tools and CLI commands:

1. Launch a browser session
2. Navigate to a URL
3. Take a snapshot to get element refs
4. Interact using refs (click, type, select)
5. Re-snapshot after navigation

Core Workflow (Plugin Tools)

Step	Tool	Purpose
1	`opendevbrowser_launch`	Launch a session (extension relay first; managed fallback is explicit)
2	`opendevbrowser_goto`	Navigate to URL
3	`opendevbrowser_snapshot`	Get page structure with refs
4	`opendevbrowser_click` / `opendevbrowser_type`	Interact with elements
5	`opendevbrowser_disconnect`	Clean up session

CLI Automation Quick Start

Run a local daemon for persistent sessions, then drive automation via CLI commands:

# Start daemon
npx opendevbrowser serve

# Install auto-start (recommended for resilience)
npx opendevbrowser daemon install

# Stop/kill the daemon before restarting
npx opendevbrowser serve --stop

# Launch a session
npx opendevbrowser launch --start-url https://example.com

# Capture a snapshot
npx opendevbrowser snapshot --session-id <session-id>

# Interact by ref
npx opendevbrowser click --session-id <session-id> --ref r12

For single-shot scripts:

npx opendevbrowser run --script ./script.json --output-format json

Use --output-format json|stream-json for automation-friendly output.

Recent Features

v0.0.15 (Latest)

Documentation and release readiness refresh across README/CLI/extension guidance.
Extension mode stabilization with stronger native host flow and recovery paths.
Ops/CDP hardening for disconnect cleanup and extension routing reliability.
Coverage expansion for browser/target/native workflows while preserving the 97% threshold.

v0.0.14

Ops parity delivery across daemon, relay, and extension runtime paths.
New automation surface: expanded DOM query + interaction commands/tools.
Multi-client/session improvements in core tracking and extension router behavior.
Security and reliability hardening for relay + daemon connection handling.

See CHANGELOG.md for complete version history.

Features

Browser Control

Launch & Connect - Start managed Chrome or connect to existing browsers
Multi-Tab Support - Create, switch, and manage browser tabs
Profile Persistence - Maintain login sessions across runs
Headless Mode - Run without visible browser window

Page Interaction

Snapshot - Accessibility-tree based page capture (token-efficient)
Click - Click elements by ref
Type - Enter text into inputs
Select - Choose dropdown options
Scroll - Scroll page or elements
Wait - Wait for selectors or navigation

DevTools Integration

Console Capture - Monitor console.log, errors, warnings
Network Tracking - Request/response metadata (method, url, status)
Screenshot - Viewport PNG screenshot (file or base64)
Performance - Page load metrics

Export & Clone

DOM Capture - Extract sanitized HTML with inline styles
React Emitter - Generate React component code from pages
CSS Extraction - Pull computed styles

Tool Reference

OpenDevBrowser provides 41 tools organized by category: Most runtime actions also have CLI command equivalents (see docs/CLI.md).

Session Management

Tool	Description
`opendevbrowser_launch`	Launch a session (extension relay first; managed is explicit)
`opendevbrowser_connect`	Connect to existing Chrome CDP endpoint (or relay `/ops`; legacy `/cdp` via `--extension-legacy`)
`opendevbrowser_disconnect`	Disconnect browser session
`opendevbrowser_status`	Get session status and connection info (daemon status in hub mode)

Tab/Target Management

Tool	Description
`opendevbrowser_targets_list`	List all browser tabs/targets
`opendevbrowser_target_use`	Switch to a specific tab by targetId
`opendevbrowser_target_new`	Open new tab (optionally with URL)
`opendevbrowser_target_close`	Close a tab by targetId

Named Pages

Tool	Description
`opendevbrowser_page`	Open or focus a named page (logical tab alias)
`opendevbrowser_list`	List all named pages in session
`opendevbrowser_close`	Close a named page

Navigation & Interaction

Tool	Description
`opendevbrowser_goto`	Navigate to URL
`opendevbrowser_wait`	Wait for load state or element
`opendevbrowser_snapshot`	Capture page accessibility tree with refs
`opendevbrowser_click`	Click element by ref
`opendevbrowser_hover`	Hover element by ref
`opendevbrowser_press`	Press a keyboard key (optionally focusing a ref)
`opendevbrowser_check`	Check checkbox/toggle by ref
`opendevbrowser_uncheck`	Uncheck checkbox/toggle by ref
`opendevbrowser_type`	Type text into input by ref
`opendevbrowser_select`	Select dropdown option by ref
`opendevbrowser_scroll`	Scroll page or element
`opendevbrowser_scroll_into_view`	Scroll element into view by ref
`opendevbrowser_run`	Execute multiple actions in sequence

DOM Inspection

Tool	Description
`opendevbrowser_dom_get_html`	Get outerHTML of element by ref
`opendevbrowser_dom_get_text`	Get innerText of element by ref
`opendevbrowser_get_attr`	Get attribute value by ref
`opendevbrowser_get_value`	Get input value by ref
`opendevbrowser_is_visible`	Check if element is visible
`opendevbrowser_is_enabled`	Check if element is enabled
`opendevbrowser_is_checked`	Check if element is checked

DevTools & Analysis

Tool	Description
`opendevbrowser_console_poll`	Poll console logs since sequence
`opendevbrowser_network_poll`	Poll network requests since sequence
`opendevbrowser_screenshot`	Capture page screenshot
`opendevbrowser_perf`	Get page performance metrics
`opendevbrowser_prompting_guide`	Get best-practice prompting guidance

Annotation

Tool	Description
`opendevbrowser_annotate`	Capture interactive annotations via extension relay

Export & Cloning

Tool	Description
`opendevbrowser_clone_page`	Export page as React component + CSS
`opendevbrowser_clone_component`	Export element subtree as React component

Skills

Tool	Description
`opendevbrowser_skill_list`	List available skills
`opendevbrowser_skill_load`	Load a skill by name (with optional topic filter)

Bundled Skills

OpenDevBrowser includes 5 task-specific skill packs:

Skill	Purpose
`opendevbrowser-best-practices`	Core prompting patterns and workflow guidance
`opendevbrowser-continuity-ledger`	Long-running task state management
`login-automation`	Authentication flow patterns
`form-testing`	Form validation and submission workflows
`data-extraction`	Structured data scraping patterns

Skills are discovered from (priority order):

.opencode/skill/ (project)
~/.config/opencode/skill/ (global)
.claude/skills/ (compatibility)
~/.claude/skills/ (compatibility)
Custom paths via skillPaths config

Load a skill: opendevbrowser_skill_load with name and optional topic filter.

Browser Modes

Mode	Tool	Use Case
Managed	`opendevbrowser_launch`	Fresh browser, full control, automatic cleanup
CDP Connect	`opendevbrowser_connect`	Attach to existing Chrome with `--remote-debugging-port`
Extension Relay	Chrome Extension	Attach to logged-in tabs via relay server

Default behavior: opendevbrowser_launch prefers Extension Relay when available. Use --no-extension (and --headless if desired) for managed sessions.

Extension relay relies on flat CDP sessions (Chrome 125+) and uses DebuggerSession sessionId routing for multi-tab and child-target support. When hub mode is enabled, the hub daemon is the sole relay owner and there is no local relay fallback.

Relay ops endpoint: ws://127.0.0.1:<relayPort>/ops. The connect command also accepts base relay WS URLs (ws://127.0.0.1:<relayPort> or ws://localhost:<relayPort>) and normalizes them to /ops. Legacy relay /cdp remains available with explicit opt-in (--extension-legacy). When pairing is enabled, both /ops and /cdp require a relay token (?token=<relayToken>). Tools and the CLI auto-fetch relay config and tokens.

Ops vs CDP

Channel	What It Does	When to Use It
`/ops` (default)	High-level automation protocol with session ownership, event streaming, and multi-client handling	Preferred extension relay path for modern workflows
`/cdp` (legacy)	Low-level CDP relay path with compatibility-focused behavior	Opt-in compatibility mode (`--extension-legacy`)
Direct CDP connect	Attach to Chrome started with `--remote-debugging-port`	Existing debug/browser setups without extension relay

Breaking Changes (latest)

opendevbrowser_launch now prefers the extension relay by default. Use --no-extension (and --headless if desired) for managed sessions.
Relay /ops (default) and legacy /cdp both require a token when pairing is enabled; tools/CLI handle this automatically.

Chrome Extension (Optional)

The extension enables Extension Relay mode - attach to existing logged-in browser tabs without launching a new browser.

Requirements: Chrome 125+ (flat CDP sessions). Older versions will fail fast with a clear error.

Auto-Connect + Auto-Pair

The runtime (plugin or CLI daemon) and extension can automatically pair:

Runtime side: Starts a local relay server and config discovery endpoint
Extension side: Enable "Auto-Pair" toggle and click Connect
Extension fetches relay port from discovery, then fetches token from the relay server
Connection established with color indicator (green = connected)

Auto-connect and Auto-pair are enabled by default for a seamless setup. The extension badge shows status (ON/OFF). If the relay is unavailable, the background worker retries /config + /pair with exponential backoff (using chrome.alarms).

Default Settings (Extension)

Setting	Default
Relay port	`8787`
Auto-connect	`true`
Auto-pair	`true`
Require pairing token	`true`
Pairing token	`null` (fetched on connect)

Connection Flow (Extension Relay)

Extension checks the discovery endpoint at http://127.0.0.1:8787/config.
It learns the relay port and whether pairing is required.
If pairing is required and Auto-pair is on, it fetches the token from http://127.0.0.1:<relayPort>/pair.
It connects to ws://127.0.0.1:<relayPort>/extension using the extension origin.

/config and /pair accept loopback requests with no Origin (including Origin: null) to support MV3 + PNA; non-extension origins are still rejected, and preflights include Access-Control-Allow-Private-Network: true.

Troubleshooting: Extension Won't Connect

Ensure the active tab is a normal http(s) page (not chrome:// or extension pages).
Confirm relayPort and relayToken in ~/.config/opencode/opendevbrowser.jsonc match the popup (Auto-pair should fetch the token).
If relayPort is 0, the relay is off.
relayToken: false disables relay/hub behavior entirely.
relayToken: "" (empty string) keeps relay enabled but disables pairing requirements.
Install auto-start with npx opendevbrowser daemon install so the relay is available on login.
Clear extension local data and retry if the token/port seem stuck.
If another process owns the port, change relayPort or stop it; opencode listening is expected.

Manual Setup

Ensure extension assets exist by running either:
- npx opendevbrowser --full (installer path), or
- npm run extension:build (repo/dev path)
Load unpacked from ~/.config/opencode/opendevbrowser/extension (fallback: ~/.cache/opencode/node_modules/opendevbrowser/extension).
Open extension popup
Enter the same relay port and token as the runtime config (if relayToken is missing, either add one to opendevbrowser.jsonc or use Auto-Pair).
Click Connect

Where Extension Assets Live

Extension assets are bundled inside the NPM package and extracted on install/startup:

Primary: ~/.config/opencode/opendevbrowser/extension
Fallback: ~/.cache/opencode/node_modules/opendevbrowser/extension

Extraction is handled by extractExtension() (see src/extension-extractor.ts).

Configuration

Optional config file: ~/.config/opencode/opendevbrowser.jsonc

{
  // Browser settings
  "headless": false,
  "profile": "default",
  "persistProfile": true,
  "chromePath": "/path/to/chrome",  // Custom Chrome executable
  "flags": ["--disable-extensions"],  // Additional Chrome flags

  // Snapshot limits
  "snapshot": { "maxChars": 16000, "maxNodes": 1000 },

  // Export limits
  "export": { "maxNodes": 1000, "inlineStyles": true },

  // DevTools output
  "devtools": { "showFullUrls": false, "showFullConsole": false },

  // Security (all default false for safety)
  "security": {
    "allowRawCDP": false,
    "allowNonLocalCdp": false,
    "allowUnsafeExport": false
  },

  // Skills configuration
  "skills": {
    "nudge": {
      "enabled": true,
      "keywords": ["form", "login", "extract", "scrape"],
      "maxAgeMs": 60000
    }
  },
  "skillPaths": ["./custom-skills"],  // Additional skill directories

  // Continuity ledger
  "continuity": {
    "enabled": true,
    "filePath": "opendevbrowser_continuity.md",
    "nudge": {
      "enabled": true,
      "keywords": ["plan", "multi-step", "refactor", "migration"],
      "maxAgeMs": 60000
    }
  },

  // Extension relay
  "relayPort": 8787,
  "relayToken": "auto-generated-on-first-run",

  // Hub daemon (relay ownership + FIFO queue)
  "daemonPort": 8788,
  "daemonToken": "auto-generated-on-first-run",

  // Updates
  "checkForUpdates": false
}

All fields are optional. OpenDevBrowser works with sensible defaults.

CLI Commands

The CLI is agent-agnostic and supports the full automation surface (session, navigation, interaction, DOM, targets, pages, export, devtools, and annotate). All commands listed in the CLI reference are implemented and available in the current codebase. See docs/CLI.md for the full command and flag matrix.

Install/Management

Command	Description
`npx opendevbrowser`	Interactive install
`npx opendevbrowser --global`	Install to global config
`npx opendevbrowser --local`	Install to project config
`npx opendevbrowser --with-config`	Also create opendevbrowser.jsonc
`npx opendevbrowser --full`	Full install (config + extension assets)
`npx opendevbrowser --update`	Clear cache, trigger reinstall
`npx opendevbrowser --uninstall`	Remove from config
`npx opendevbrowser --version`	Show version

Common Automation Commands (Daemon-backed)

Start the daemon with npx opendevbrowser serve, then use:

Command	Description
`npx opendevbrowser launch`	Launch session (defaults to extension mode when available)
`npx opendevbrowser connect`	Connect via relay or direct CDP endpoint
`npx opendevbrowser disconnect`	Disconnect session
`npx opendevbrowser status`	Show session status
`npx opendevbrowser goto`	Navigate to URL
`npx opendevbrowser wait`	Wait for load or element
`npx opendevbrowser snapshot`	Capture snapshot with refs
`npx opendevbrowser click`	Click element by ref
`npx opendevbrowser type`	Type into element by ref
`npx opendevbrowser select`	Select dropdown option by ref
`npx opendevbrowser scroll`	Scroll page or element
`npx opendevbrowser run`	Run a JSON script

Security

OpenDevBrowser is secure by default with defense-in-depth protections:

Protection	Details
CDP Localhost-Only	Remote endpoints blocked; hostname normalized to prevent bypass
Timing-Safe Auth	`crypto.timingSafeEqual()` for token comparison
Origin Validation	`/extension` requires `chrome-extension://` origin; `/ops`, `/cdp`, `/annotation`, and `/config`/`/status`/`/pair` allow loopback no-Origin requests
PNA Preflights	HTTP preflights include `Access-Control-Allow-Private-Network: true` when requested
Rate Limiting	5 handshake attempts/minute per IP, plus HTTP rate limiting for `/config`, `/status`, `/pair`
Data Redaction	Tokens, API keys, sensitive paths auto-redacted
Export Sanitization	Scripts, event handlers, dangerous CSS stripped
Atomic Writes	Config writes are atomic to prevent corruption
Secure Defaults	`allowRawCDP`, `allowNonLocalCdp`, `allowUnsafeExport` all `false`

Updating

# Option 1: Clear cache (recommended)
rm -rf ~/.cache/opencode/node_modules/opendevbrowser
# Then restart OpenCode

# Option 2: Use CLI
npx opendevbrowser --update

Architecture overview: docs/ARCHITECTURE.md Release checklist: docs/DISTRIBUTION_PLAN.md

Architecture

src/
├── browser/      # BrowserManager, TargetManager, CDP lifecycle
├── cli/          # CLI commands and installers
├── core/         # Bootstrap, runtime wiring
├── devtools/     # Console/network trackers with redaction
├── export/       # DOM capture, React emitter, CSS extraction
├── relay/        # Extension relay server, protocol types
├── skills/       # SkillLoader for skill pack discovery
├── snapshot/     # AX-tree snapshots, ref management
├── tools/        # 41 opendevbrowser_* tool definitions
└── utils/        # Shared utilities

Extension relay uses flat CDP sessions (Chrome 125+) with DebuggerSession sessionId routing for multi-tab support. When hub mode is enabled, the hub daemon is the sole relay owner and enforces a FIFO lease queue for multi-client safety. See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for detailed component diagrams.

Development

npm install
npm run build      # Compile to dist/
npm run test       # Run tests with coverage (97% threshold)
npm run lint       # ESLint checks (strict TypeScript)
npm run extension:build  # Compile extension
npm run version:check    # Verify package/extension version alignment
npm run extension:pack   # Build extension zip for releases

Packaging & Distribution (NPM + GitHub + Extension)

Uniform versioning is required (source of truth: package.json):

Bump package.json version.
Run: npm run extension:sync
Run: npm run version:check
Run: npm run build
Run: npm run extension:build
Run: npm run extension:pack (outputs ./opendevbrowser-extension.zip)
Publish to NPM and attach the zip to the GitHub release tag (vX.Y.Z).

Release checklist: docs/DISTRIBUTION_PLAN.md

Privacy

See Privacy Policy for data handling details.

License

MIT

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 114 Commits
assets/readme-image-candidates/2026-02-08		assets/readme-image-candidates/2026-02-08
docs		docs
extension		extension
scripts		scripts
skills		skills
src		src
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
.ralph-last-branch		.ralph-last-branch
AGENTS.md		AGENTS.md
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
eslint.config.js		eslint.config.js
opendevbrowser-extension.zip		opendevbrowser-extension.zip
package-lock.json		package-lock.json
package.json		package.json
tsconfig.json		tsconfig.json
vitest.config.ts		vitest.config.ts

License

freshtechbro/opendevbrowser

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OpenDevBrowser

Use It Your Way

Why OpenDevBrowser?

Installation

For Humans

CLI + Extension (No OpenCode)

Agent Installation (OpenCode)

Quick Start

Core Workflow (Plugin Tools)

CLI Automation Quick Start

Recent Features

v0.0.15 (Latest)

v0.0.14

Features

Browser Control

Page Interaction

DevTools Integration

Export & Clone

Tool Reference

Session Management

Tab/Target Management

Named Pages

Navigation & Interaction

DOM Inspection

DevTools & Analysis

Annotation

Export & Cloning

Skills

Bundled Skills

Browser Modes

Ops vs CDP

Breaking Changes (latest)

Chrome Extension (Optional)

Auto-Connect + Auto-Pair

Default Settings (Extension)

Connection Flow (Extension Relay)

Troubleshooting: Extension Won't Connect

Manual Setup

Where Extension Assets Live

Configuration

CLI Commands

Install/Management

Common Automation Commands (Daemon-backed)

Security

Updating

Architecture

Development

Packaging & Distribution (NPM + GitHub + Extension)

Privacy

License

About

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