Browser Hosting Skill

This skill provides comprehensive browser automation capabilities through OpenClaw's managed browser system. It enables safe, isolated web interaction with deterministic UI control.

When to Use This Skill

Web scraping - Extract structured data from websites
UI automation - Automate form filling, clicks, navigation
Web testing - Verify page behavior and functionality
Content extraction - Get text, screenshots, or PDFs from web pages
Browser isolation - Perform web operations without affecting personal browsing
Remote browser control - Control browsers on other machines via nodes

Quick Start

Basic Workflow

# 1. Open a page
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw open https://example.com

# 2. Take a snapshot to see interactive elements
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw snapshot --interactive

# 3. Perform actions using references from snapshot
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw click e12
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw type i23 "search term" --submit

Profile Selection

openclaw: Isolated managed browser (recommended for automation)
chrome: Chrome extension relay (for controlling existing Chrome tabs)

Core Capabilities

Browser Profiles

Isolated instances: Each profile has separate user data directory
Multiple profiles: Run openclaw, work, remote simultaneously
Remote CDP: Connect to browsers on other machines
Browserless integration: Use hosted Chromium services

Snapshot System

Two approaches for reliable UI interaction:

AI Snapshots (--format ai): Numeric references like [1], [2]
- Best for simple, one-off interactions
- Uses Playwright's aria-ref internally
Role Snapshots (--interactive): Semantic references like [ref=e12]
- Recommended for automation - more stable and descriptive
- Role-based naming: e=button, b=link, i=input, s=select
- Supports iframe scoping with --frame

Automation Actions

Navigation: open, navigate, close
Interaction: click, type, press, hover, drag, select
Input: fill (structured form data), file upload
Waiting: Intelligent waits for elements, URLs, network idle, JS conditions
Debugging: highlight, trace, errors, requests

Content Extraction

Text: Structured snapshots with references
Screenshots: Full page or element-specific
PDF: Generate PDFs from web pages
Network: Monitor API calls and responses

Configuration

Browser settings are managed in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. Key options:

{
  "browser": {
    "enabled": true,
    "defaultProfile": "openclaw",
    "profiles": {
      "openclaw": { "cdpPort": 18800 },
      "work": { "cdpPort": 18801 },
      "remote": { "cdpUrl": "http://10.0.0.42:9222" }
    }
  }
}

See configuration.md for complete configuration guide.

Usage Patterns

Simple Web Scraping

# Get page content
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw open https://news-site.com
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw snapshot --interactive --compact

Form Automation

# Fill out a form
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw open https://form-site.com
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw snapshot --interactive
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw type i1 "John Doe"
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw type i2 "john@example.com" 
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw click e5  # Submit button

Multi-step Workflows

# Navigate through multiple pages
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw open https://shop.com
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw wait --load networkidle
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw snapshot --interactive
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw click b12  # Product link
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw wait --load networkidle
openclaw browser --browser-profile openclaw click e8   # Add to cart

Advanced Features

Remote Browser Control

Connect to browsers on other machines:

"profiles": {
  "remote-workstation": {
    "cdpUrl": "http://192.168.1.100:9222",
    "color": "#00AA00"
  }
}

Browserless Integration

Use hosted Chromium:

"profiles": {
  "browserless": {
    "cdpUrl": "https://production-sfo.browserless.io?token=YOUR_TOKEN",
    "color": "#00AA00"
  }
}

Node Proxy

Automatic routing to nodes with browser capability:

No extra config needed if node has browser
Gateway automatically proxies browser commands
Use target="node" to force specific node

Security & Isolation

Complete isolation: Managed browsers never access personal profiles
Loopback only: Browser control restricted to localhost
Authentication required: All access requires Gateway auth
No persistent sessions: Clean state between runs (unless configured otherwise)
JavaScript execution: Can be disabled via browser.evaluateEnabled=false

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

References not working: Always snapshot after navigation - refs change
Element not found: Use --interactive snapshots for better reliability
Browser won't start: Check executablePath and permissions
Playwright errors: Install full Playwright package, not just core

Debugging Workflow

snapshot --interactive to get current state
highlight <ref> to verify target location
errors --clear to check JavaScript errors
requests --filter api --clear to monitor network
trace start → reproduce issue → trace stop for deep debugging

Bundled Resources

Scripts

browser_status.py: Check browser status
browser_snapshot.py: Take snapshots with options
browser_action.py: Perform UI actions

References

profiles.md: Profile management guide
snapshot-system.md: Complete snapshot reference
configuration.md: Full configuration guide

Assets

example-workflow.md: Complete workflow examples

Best Practices

Always use role snapshots (--interactive) for automation
Snapshot before every action - references aren't stable across navigation
Use wait conditions before snapshotting dynamic content
Prefer isolated profiles over extension relay for automation
Validate executable paths on new systems
Use environment variables for sensitive configuration (tokens, passwords)

This skill transforms OpenClaw into a powerful web automation platform while maintaining security and reliability through its snapshot-based, reference-driven approach.