DEV Community: Double CHEN

We just shipped browser-act CLI — browser automation without writing code

Double CHEN — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:16:15 +0000

We built BrowserAct because we kept running into the same wall: every time we needed to automate something in a browser, we had to start a whole project.

npm init -y
npm install playwright
npx playwright install chromium
# ... now write 25 lines of async/await just to load a page

That's fine when you're building a test suite. Most of the time, you just want to grab a page's content, click something, or take a screenshot — from the terminal, in 30 seconds.

So we built browser-act CLI. Browser automation as terminal commands. No code, no project setup, no framework.

What it looks like

This is a real run. Three commands against Hacker News:

browser-act --session s1 navigate "https://news.ycombinator.com"
browser-act --session s1 wait stable
browser-act --session s1 get markdown

Full page extracted as clean structured markdown — 3 commands, no code written.

Output: 15,547 characters of clean markdown from 78,320 chars of raw HTML. browser-act automatically strips ads, nav bars, and irrelevant noise.

Why not just use Playwright?

Playwright's getting started page: npm init, install, then download ~400MB of browser binaries — before a single line of automation.

	Playwright / Puppeteer	browser-act CLI
First-time setup	npm init + install + ~400MB browser download	`npx skills add browser-act/skills --skill browser-act` — once, global
Navigate + extract content	~25 lines of async/await boilerplate	3 commands
Session state	Manual context management in every script	`--session` persists automatically between commands
Shell integration	Requires Node.js or Python runtime	Pipe output directly to `grep` / `jq` / anything

Playwright is still the right choice for full E2E test suites with parallel workers, trace viewers, and CI pipelines. browser-act CLI is for everything else.

Get started

Install once:

npx skills add browser-act/skills --skill browser-act

Core commands:

# Open a page and extract its content
browser-act --session s1 navigate "https://example.com"
browser-act --session s1 wait stable
browser-act --session s1 get markdown      # clean text output
browser-act --session s1 get html          # raw HTML

# Interact
browser-act --session s1 click 3           # click element by index
browser-act --session s1 input 2 "query"   # fill a field
browser-act --session s1 keys "Enter"

# Capture
browser-act --session s1 screenshot ./out.png

# Stealth mode (bypasses bot detection)
browser-act --session s1 browser list      # pick a stealth profile

Sessions persist between commands — build multi-step automations in shell scripts without managing state yourself.

What people are using it for

Web scraping — no boilerplate, just commands and output
Shell pipelines — get markdown | grep | jq — works with every Unix tool you already use
AI agents — give an LLM direct browser access via CLI commands
Deployment verification — navigate → get markdown → assert expected content
n8n / Make / Zapier integrations — use as a step in no-code workflows

browser-act CLI is live today

→ browseract.com · Free to use · No credit card required

GitHub: github.com/browser-act/skills · AWS Marketplace available

Questions? Drop them in the comments — we read everything.

Looking for Experienced Make.com & Browser Act Creators!

Double CHEN — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 11:48:21 +0000

We’re seeking skilled individuals to:

Build public, non-customizable Browser Act workflows.
Publish them to the Make community via your creator account.

What’s in it for you:

Competitive pay for each workflow.
Keep all platform revenue and consulting fees.
If you’re interested, message me to discuss the details.

Let’s create something amazing together!

BrowserAct —Node Configuration & Best Practices for Web Scraping Automation

Double CHEN — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 08:25:45 +0000

🎯 What is BrowserAct ?

BrowserAct is an innovative web automation platform that combines AI-powered browser interaction with structured data extraction capabilities. It empowers users to create advanced web scraping workflows without any coding skills.

Core Features & Purpose

🚫 No Coding Required: Build workflows with a zero-code interface using visual nodes.
🎯 Precise Data Extraction: Achieve higher accuracy than traditional AI Agents.
🧠 Smart Page Understanding: Leverages AI for better recognition than standard RPA tools.
💰 Cost-Effective: Save up to 90% of costs compared to agent-based scraping solutions.

Revolutionary Advantages of BrowserAct Workflow

Natural Language-Driven Smart Operations

Simplify Workflow Creation: Simply describe your intentions in natural language — no technical expertise required.
AI-Driven Translation: Automatically converts descriptions into precise page operations.
User-Friendly: Business users can easily create, understand, and modify workflows.

Zero Exception Handling Burden

Built-in Smart Fault Tolerance: Automatically handles common exceptions during scraping tasks.
Backup Operation Methods: Single nodes support multiple fallback strategies to ensure success.
Graceful Degradation: Intelligent handling when critical steps fail, minimizing disruptions.

Cost-Effectiveness Breakthrough

90% Cost Savings vs Agent Scraping: Significantly reduce expenses without sacrificing precision.
80% Less Configuration Time: Compared to traditional RPA tools, setup is much faster.
Low Maintenance: Adaptive algorithms reduce the need for manual updates when pages change.

Precision and Intelligence Combined

Higher Accuracy than Agents: Professional extraction algorithms ensure data precision.
Smarter than RPA: AI-powered understanding adapts to complex web pages.
Dynamic Adaptation: Automatically adjusts to changes in page structure, ensuring reliability.

Quick Start Guide：Create Your First Workflow in Minutes

Ready to build your first scraping workflow? Follow these six simple steps:

Create a Workflow - Start with a blank template.
Set Parameters - Configure parameter variables, or delete parameter settings for more flexible data searching
Add Nodes - Click the plus sign below nodes to add new nodes

Use Natural Language: - Describe the operation for each node in plain language (e.g., “Click on the login button”).
Run the Workflow - Click the run button to see scraping results
Data Export - Automatically generate structured data files

Don’t Know How to Set Up a Workflow?

No problem! The BrowserAct Template Marketplace has a wide variety of ready-to-use templates. With just one click, you can experience pre-built workflows tailored to common use cases.

Why Choose BrowserAct?

Experience the Future of Web Scraping Today!

📈 Boost Efficiency: Projects that traditionally take weeks now complete in hours
💰 Reduce Costs: No need for professional development teams - business users can operate directly
🎯 Reliable and Accurate: AI-powered smart scraping with over 95% accuracy rate
🚀 Rapid Iteration: Adjust workflows in minutes when requirements change

🎉 Start Your Zero-Code Data Scraping Journey Now!
Register now and unlock the potential of intelligent data scraping with BrowserAct.

BrowserAct Integration with Make

Double CHEN — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 10:09:21 +0000

BrowserAct App has officially launched on Make, bringing AI-powered automation to your data collection workflows. This integration allows you to supercharge your data processes with intelligent automation capabilities.