open-browser-use

Open Browser Use

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[!TIP] Interested in Computer Use? Check out open-computer-use.

open-browser-use is a browser automation layer that stays neutral across agent runtimes. It is also an open-source alternative to the Chrome Browser Use capability recently shipped in Codex.app. For the story behind it, see the Browser Use Deep Dive.

Under the hood, it pairs a browser extension with the open-browser-use CLI. You can integrate it through the JavaScript SDK, Python SDK, Go SDK, or the CLI.

For an embedded Electron browser, the workspace now includes open-browser-use-electron: multi-tab task scopes, named profiles, private tool channels and authenticated local sockets. Run pnpm install && pnpm example:iab to try the reference app, or pnpm smoke:iab for real Electron integration checks. This source feature is not yet published to npm.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/bcfba878-f6a8-44b9-b84b-29c7e0285687

Quick Start

npm i -g open-browser-use
open-browser-use setup

Install the CLI

# npm (macOS, Linux, Windows)
npm i -g open-browser-use

# Homebrew (macOS, Linux)
brew tap iFurySt/open-browser-use && brew install open-browser-use

# Upgrade
npm update -g open-browser-use

Set Up Chrome

Register the native host for the extension. The setup command also opens the Chrome Web Store page so you can install or enable the matching Chrome extension, then restart Chrome if needed.

open-browser-use setup

If the Chrome Web Store item is temporarily unavailable, use open-browser-use setup beta to prepare a keyed release ZIP for manual installation from chrome://extensions/.

To use an extension ZIP that is already available locally, pass its path directly to setup. This skips the GitHub Release download while keeping the same keyed manual-install flow:

open-browser-use setup --zip /absolute/path/to/open-browser-use-chrome-extension.zip

Use It

SDK

# JavaScript / TypeScript
npm install open-browser-use-sdk

# Python
pip install open-browser-use-sdk

# Go
go get github.com/ifuryst/open-browser-use/packages/open-browser-use-go

The SDK package name is open-browser-use-sdk on both npm and PyPI. Python code imports it as open_browser_use; Go code imports the SDK package as obu.

Skill

Install the skill directly:

# Install for Codex
npx skills add iFurySt/open-browser-use -g -a codex --skill open-browser-use -y
npx skills ls -g -a codex | rg 'open-browser-use'
codex exec --skip-git-repo-check "Use open-browser-use to check today’s Hacker News and summarize the most worth-reading posts."

# Install for Claude Code
npx skills add iFurySt/open-browser-use -g -a claude-code --skill open-browser-use -y

Update an existing global install, including the Codex install created above:

npx skills update open-browser-use -g -y

# `upgrade` is an alias for `update`
npx skills upgrade open-browser-use -g -y

You can also manually download and install the open-browser-use skill, then start using it from your agent.

Downloadable .skill and .zip packages are available in GitHub Releases.

MCP

Install the MCP server into all supported global agent configs:

npx add-mcp "obu mcp" --name open_browser_use --all -g -y
npx add-mcp list -g

You can also configure an agent runtime with local MCP stdio support manually:

[mcp_servers.open_browser_use]
command = "obu"
args = ["mcp"]

The server exposes browser tools for tab listing, opening, claiming, navigation, CDP, action plans, and cleanup.

For an embedded Electron browser, use the host-authorized obu iab mcp route instead. See the Electron IAB MCP integration for private/socket authorization, tools and managed stdio setup.

License

MIT