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Peter Steinberger 9b8a4d0c76 docs(browser): simplify control contract

2025-12-20 03:27:17 +00:00

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Spec: integrated browser control server + action commands

Adding agent-controlled browser automation

Debugging why clawd is interfering with your own Chrome

Implementing browser settings + lifecycle in the macOS app

Browser (integrated) — clawd-managed Chrome

Status: draft spec · Date: 2025-12-20

Goal: give the clawd persona its own browser that is:

Visually distinct (lobster-orange, profile labeled "clawd").
Fully agent-manageable (start/stop, list tabs, focus/close tabs, open URLs, screenshot).
Non-interfering with the user's own browser (separate profile + dedicated ports).

This doc covers the macOS app/gateway side. It intentionally does not mandate Playwright vs Puppeteer; the key is the contract and the separation guarantees.

User-facing settings

Add a dedicated settings section (preferably under Tools or its own "Browser" tab):

Enable clawd browser (default: on)
- When off: no browser is launched, and browser tools return "disabled".
Browser control URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:18791)
- Interpreted as the base URL of the local/remote browser-control server.
- If the URL host is not loopback, Clawdis must not attempt to launch a local browser; it only connects.
Accent color (default: #FF4500, "lobster-orange")
- Used to theme the clawd browser profile (best-effort) and to tint UI indicators in Clawdis.

Optional (advanced, can be hidden behind Debug initially):

Use headless browser (default: off)
Attach to existing only (default: off) — if on, never launch; only connect if already running.

Port convention

Clawdis already uses:

Gateway WebSocket: 18789
Bridge (voice/node): 18790

For the clawd browser-control server, use "family" ports:

Browser control HTTP API: 18791 (bridge + 1)
Browser CDP/debugging port: 18792 (control + 1)
Canvas host HTTP (optional): 18793 (next free port; see docs/configuration.md)

The user usually only configures the control URL (port 18791). CDP is an internal detail.

Browser isolation guarantees (non-negotiable)

Dedicated user data dir
- Never attach to or reuse the user's default Chrome profile.
- Store clawd browser state under an app-owned directory, e.g.:
  - ~/Library/Application Support/Clawdis/browser/clawd/ (mac app)
  - or ~/.clawdis/browser/clawd/ (gateway/CLI)
Dedicated ports
- Never use 9222 (reserved for ad-hoc dev workflows; avoids colliding with agent-tools/browser-tools).
- Default ports are 18791/18792 unless overridden.
Named tab/page management
- The agent must be able to enumerate and target tabs deterministically (by stable targetId or equivalent), not "last tab".

Browser selection (macOS)

On startup (when enabled + local URL), Clawdis chooses the browser executable in this order:

Google Chrome Canary (if installed)
Chromium (if installed)
Google Chrome (fallback)

Implementation detail: detection is by existence of the .app bundle under /Applications (and optionally ~/Applications), then using the resolved executable path.

Rationale:

Canary/Chromium are easy to visually distinguish from the user's daily driver.
Chrome fallback ensures the feature works on a stock machine.

Visual differentiation ("lobster-orange")

The clawd browser should be obviously different at a glance:

Profile name: clawd
Profile color: #FF4500

Preferred behavior:

Seed/patch the profile's preferences on first launch so the color + name persist.

Fallback behavior:

If preferences patching is not reliable, open with the dedicated profile and let the user set the profile color/name once via Chrome UI; it must persist because the userDataDir is persistent.

Control server contract (vNext)

Expose a small local HTTP API (and/or gateway RPC surface) so the agent can manage state without touching the user's Chrome.

Basics:

GET / status payload (enabled/running/pid/cdpPort/etc)
POST /start start browser
POST /stop stop browser
GET /tabs list tabs
POST /tabs/open open a new tab
POST /tabs/focus focus a tab by id/prefix
DELETE /tabs/:targetId close a tab by id/prefix

Inspection:

POST /screenshot { targetId?, fullPage?, ref?, element?, type? }
GET /snapshot ?format=aria|ai&targetId?&limit?
GET /console ?level?&targetId?
POST /pdf { targetId? }

Actions:

POST /navigate
POST /act { kind, targetId?, ... } where kind is one of:
- click, type, press, hover, drag, select, fill, wait, resize, close, evaluate

Hooks (arming):

POST /hooks/file-chooser { targetId?, paths, timeoutMs? }
POST /hooks/dialog { targetId?, accept, promptText?, timeoutMs? }

"Is it open or closed?"

"Open" means:

the control server is reachable at the configured URL and
it reports a live browser connection.

"Closed" means:

control server not reachable, or server reports no browser.

Clawdis should treat "open/closed" as a health check (fast path), not by scanning global Chrome processes (avoid false positives).

Interaction with the agent (clawd)

The agent should use browser tools only when:

enabled in settings
control URL is configured

If disabled, tools must fail fast with a friendly error ("Browser disabled in settings").

The agent should not assume tabs are ephemeral. It should:

call browser.tabs.list to discover existing tabs first
reuse an existing tab when appropriate (e.g. a persistent "main" tab)
avoid opening duplicate tabs unless asked

CLI quick reference (one example each)