The latest articles on DEV Community by Ilyas (@ilyas_4103f68b4a150ad2abf). https://dev.to/ilyas_4103f68b4a150ad2abf https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F2343225%2F454d6f38-4d32-4da5-b930-39de3fa9ffa2.png https://dev.to/ilyas_4103f68b4a150ad2abf en Ilyas Tue, 03 Nov 2026 20:07:48 +0000 https://dev.to/ilyas_4103f68b4a150ad2abf/bruster-a-faster-starting-lighter-browser-for-ai-agents-568d https://dev.to/ilyas_4103f68b4a150ad2abf/bruster-a-faster-starting-lighter-browser-for-ai-agents-568d <p>I've been building <strong><a href="https://github.com/aliilyas/bruster" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bruster</a></strong> - an open-source browser automation tool written in Rust, designed for AI agents and scripts.</p> <p>The goal is simple: fast startup, lower memory usage, and a straightforward way to control a real browser.</p> <h2> Native webviews, built-in MCP </h2> <p>Bruster uses your platform’s native webview:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>macOS:</strong> WKWebView</li> <li> <strong>Linux:</strong> WebKitGTK</li> <li> <strong>Windows:</strong> WebView2</li> </ul> <p>The controller runs without Node.js and exposes two interfaces: <strong>MCP</strong> for compatible AI clients and <strong>JSON lines over stdin/stdout</strong> for scripts.</p> <p>You can connect it to Claude Code, Cursor, or another MCP-compatible client.</p> <h2> What can an agent do? </h2> <ul> <li>Navigate websites and inspect page content.</li> <li>Click elements, fill forms, and submit them.</li> <li>Capture screenshots.</li> <li>Manage tabs and persistent sessions.</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1mjbtwpgl57j88mh0g01.gif" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1mjbtwpgl57j88mh0g01.gif" alt="Bruster inspecting and filling a form through MCP" width="800" height="500"></a></p> <p><em>The demo is a scripted MCP session showing navigation, form interaction, and screenshots.</em></p> <h2> How much faster and lighter? </h2> <p>Here’s one published Linux benchmark comparing Bruster with <strong>agent-browser 0.40.0 using full Chrome</strong>:</p> <div class="table-wrapper-paragraph"><table> <thead> <tr> <th>Metric, median</th> <th>Bruster</th> <th>agent-browser</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Launch to first loaded page</td> <td>219 ms</td> <td>799 ms</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Total idle memory, PSS</td> <td>256 MiB</td> <td>523 MiB</td> </tr> </tbody> </table></div> <p>That run used Ubuntu 24.04 and ten fresh sessions per configuration against local test pages. Memory includes browser helper processes and Bruster’s Xvfb display; Xvfb startup is excluded from timing.</p> <p>These are workload-specific results across different browser engines. The <a href="https://aliilyas.github.io/bruster/benchmarks/runs/852486658ea5336c158a06fac49332706e2e3c39-40658586503-1/" rel="noopener noreferrer">full benchmark report</a> includes additional tools, workloads, and methodology.</p> <h2> Try it with Claude Code </h2> <p>Install on macOS or Linux, then register the MCP server:<br> </p> <div class="highlight js-code-highlight"> <pre class="highlight shell"><code>curl <span class="nt">-fsSL</span> https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aliilyas/bruster/main/install.sh | sh claude mcp add bruster <span class="nt">--</span> <span class="s2">"</span><span class="nv">$HOME</span><span class="s2">/.local/bin/bruster"</span> <span class="nt">--mcp</span> <span class="nt">--quiet</span> </code></pre> </div> <p>Linux requires WebKitGTK 4.1, plus <code>xvfb</code> and <code>xauth</code> when running without a desktop display. <a href="https://aliilyas.github.io/bruster/mcp/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Platform setup and other MCP clients</a>.</p> <p>Then try:</p> <blockquote> <p>Use Bruster to open <a href="https://example.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://example.com</a>, inspect the page, and take a screenshot.</p> </blockquote> <p>Current limitations include synthetic input events and no cross-origin iframe access.</p> <p>Bruster is <strong>MIT licensed</strong>, and feedback is welcome—especially on real-world agent workflows and MCP compatibility.</p> <p><strong>GitHub:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/aliilyas/bruster" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/aliilyas/bruster</a></p> ai automation opensource rust