GitHub - nicobailon/surf-cli: The CLI for AI agents to control Chrome. Zero config, agent-agnostic, battle-tested.

The CLI for AI agents to control Chrome. Zero config, agent-agnostic, battle-tested.

v2.6.0 — AI Studio support (surf aistudio, surf aistudio.build), Windows support, Helium browser support, env var overrides. See CHANGELOG.

surf go "https://example.com"
surf read
surf click e5
surf snap

Why Surf

Browser automation for AI agents is harder than it looks. Most tools require complex setup, tie you to specific AI providers, or break on real-world pages.

Surf takes a different approach:

Agent-Agnostic - Pure CLI commands over Unix socket. Works with Claude Code, GPT, Gemini, Cursor, custom agents, shell scripts - anything that can run commands.

Zero Config - Install the extension, run commands. No MCP servers to configure, no relay processes, no subscriptions.

Battle-Tested - Built by reverse-engineering production browser extensions and methodically working through agent-hostile pages like Discord settings. Falls back gracefully when CDP fails.

Smart Defaults - Screenshots auto-resize to 1200px (saves tokens). Actions auto-capture screenshots (saves round-trips). Errors on restricted pages warn instead of fail.

AI Without API Keys - Query ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok using your existing browser logins. No API keys needed.

Network Capture - Automatically logs all network requests while active. Filter, search, and replay API calls without manually setting up request interception.

Comparison

Feature	Surf	Manus	Claude Extension	DevTools MCP	dev-browser
Agent-agnostic	Yes	No (Manus only)	No (Claude only)	Partial	No (Claude skill)
Zero config	Yes	No (subscription)	No (subscription)	No (MCP setup)	No (relay server)
Local-only	Yes	No (cloud)	Partial	Yes	Partial
CLI interface	Yes	No	No	No	No
Free	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
AI via browser cookies	Yes	No	No	No	No

Installation

Quick Start

# 1. Install globally
npm install -g surf-cli

# 2. Load extension in Chrome
#    - Open chrome://extensions
#    - Enable "Developer mode"
#    - Click "Load unpacked"
#    - Paste the path from: surf extension-path

# 3. Install native host (copy extension ID from chrome://extensions)
surf install <extension-id>

# 4. Restart Chrome and test
surf tab.list

Multi-Browser Support

surf install <extension-id>                    # Chrome (default)
surf install <extension-id> --browser brave    # Brave
surf install <extension-id> --browser helium   # Helium
surf install <extension-id> --browser all      # All supported browsers

Supported: chrome, chromium, brave, edge, arc, helium

Package Manager Installs (Nix, Homebrew, etc.) If surf is installed via a package manager that stores binaries in non-standard locations, set these environment variables before running surf install:

export SURF_NODE_PATH=/path/to/node
export SURF_HOST_PATH=/path/to/native/host.cjs
export SURF_EXTENSION_PATH=/path/to/extension/dist

See Environment Variables for details.

Uninstall

surf uninstall                  # Chrome only
surf uninstall --all            # All browsers + wrapper files

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/nicobailon/surf-cli.git
cd surf-cli
npm install
npm run build
# Then load dist/ as unpacked extension

Usage

surf <command> [args] [options]
surf --help                    # Basic help
surf --help-full               # All 50+ commands
surf <command> --help          # Command details
surf --find <query>            # Search commands

Navigation

surf go "https://example.com"
surf back
surf forward
surf tab.reload --hard

Reading Pages

surf read                           # Accessibility tree + visible text content
surf read --no-text                 # Accessibility tree only (no text)
surf read --depth 3                 # Limit tree depth (smaller output)
surf read --compact                 # Remove empty structural elements
surf read --depth 3 --compact       # Both (60% smaller output)
surf page.text                      # Raw text content only
surf page.state                     # Modals, loading state, scroll position

Element refs (e1, e2, e3...) are stable identifiers from the accessibility tree - semantic, predictable, and resilient to DOM changes.

Semantic Locators

Find and interact with elements by role, text, or label - no refs or selectors needed:

# By ARIA role
surf locate.role button --name "Submit"           # Find button
surf locate.role button --name "Submit" --action click  # Find and click
surf locate.role textbox --action fill --value "hello"  # Find and fill
surf locate.role link --all                       # List all links

# By text content  
surf locate.text "Sign In" --action click         # Click element with text
surf locate.text "Accept" --exact                 # Exact match only

# By form label
surf locate.label "Email" --action fill --value "test@example.com"

Iframe Support

Work with content inside iframes:

surf frame.list                     # List all frames
surf frame.switch --index 0         # Switch to first iframe
surf frame.switch --name "payment"  # Switch by frame name
surf frame.switch --selector "#checkout-frame"  # Switch by CSS selector

# Now all commands target the iframe
surf read                           # Read iframe content
surf click e5                       # Click in iframe
surf locate.role button --action click

surf frame.main                     # Return to main page

Interaction

surf click e5                       # Click by element ref
surf click --selector ".btn"        # Click by CSS selector
surf click 100 200                  # Click by coordinates
surf type "hello" --submit          # Type and press Enter
surf type "email@example.com" --ref e12  # Type into specific element
surf key Escape                     # Press key
surf scroll.bottom                  # Scroll to bottom

Forms

Select options in dropdown menus:

surf select e5 "US"                         # Select by value
surf select "#country" "US"                 # Select by CSS selector
surf select e5 "opt1" "opt2"                # Multi-select
surf select e5 --by label "United States"   # Select by visible text
surf select e5 --by index 0                 # Select first option

Element Inspection

Get computed styles from elements:

surf element.styles e5              # Get styles by ref
surf element.styles ".header"       # Get styles by CSS selector (can return multiple)

Returns font, color, background, border, padding, and bounding box for design debugging.

Screenshots

Screenshots auto-save to /tmp by default (optimized for AI agents):

surf screenshot                             # Auto-saves to /tmp/surf-snap-*.png
surf screenshot --output /tmp/shot.png      # Save to specific path
surf screenshot --full --output /tmp/hd.png # Full resolution (skip resize)
surf screenshot --annotate                  # With element labels
surf screenshot --fullpage                  # Entire page
surf screenshot --no-save                   # Return base64 + ID only (no file)
surf snap                                   # Alias for screenshot

To disable auto-save globally, set autoSaveScreenshots: false in surf.json.

Actions like click, type, and scroll automatically capture a screenshot after execution - no extra command needed.

Tabs

surf tab.list
surf tab.new "https://example.com"
surf tab.switch 123
surf tab.close 123
surf tab.name "dashboard"           # Name current tab
surf tab.switch "dashboard"         # Switch by name
surf tab.group --name "Work" --color blue

Window Isolation

Keep using your browser while the agent works in a separate window:

# Create isolated window for agent
surf window.new "https://example.com"
# Returns: Window 123456 (tab 789)

# All subsequent commands target that window
surf click e5 --window-id 123456
surf read --window-id 123456
surf tab.new "https://other.com" --window-id 123456

# Or manage windows directly
surf window.list                    # List all windows
surf window.list --tabs             # Include tab details
surf window.focus 123456            # Bring window to front
surf window.close 123456            # Close window

Device Emulation

Test responsive designs and mobile layouts:

surf emulate.device --list                    # Show available devices
surf emulate.device "iPhone 14"               # Emulate iPhone 14
surf emulate.device "Pixel 7"                 # Emulate Pixel 7
surf emulate.device reset                     # Return to desktop

# Custom viewport
surf emulate.viewport --width 375 --height 812
surf emulate.viewport --width 1920 --height 1080 --scale 2

# Touch emulation
surf emulate.touch                            # Enable touch
surf emulate.touch --enabled false            # Disable touch

Available devices: iPhone 12-14 (Pro/Max), iPhone SE, iPad (Pro/Mini), Pixel 5-7 (Pro), Galaxy S21-S23, Galaxy Tab S7, Nest Hub (Max).

Performance Tracing

Capture performance metrics and traces:

surf perf.metrics                   # Current performance metrics
surf perf.start                     # Start tracing
surf perf.stop                      # Stop and get trace data

AI Queries (No API Keys)

Query AI models using your browser's logged-in session:

# ChatGPT
surf chatgpt "explain this code"
surf chatgpt "summarize" --with-page     # Include page context
surf chatgpt "analyze" --model gpt-4o    # Specify model
surf chatgpt "review" --file code.ts     # Attach file

# Gemini
surf gemini "explain quantum computing"
surf gemini "summarize" --with-page                           # Include page context
surf gemini "analyze" --file data.csv                         # Attach file
surf gemini "a robot surfing" --generate-image /tmp/robot.png # Generate image
surf gemini "add sunglasses" --edit-image photo.jpg --output out.jpg
surf gemini "summarize" --youtube "https://youtube.com/..."   # YouTube analysis
surf gemini "hello" --model gemini-2.5-flash                  # Model selection

# Perplexity
surf perplexity "what is quantum computing"
surf perplexity "explain this page" --with-page               # Include page context
surf perplexity "deep dive" --mode research                   # Research mode (Pro)
surf perplexity "latest news" --model sonar                   # Model selection (Pro)

# Grok (queries x.com/i/grok using your X.com login)
surf grok "what are the latest AI agent trends on X"          # Search X posts
surf grok "analyze @username recent activity"                 # Profile analysis
surf grok "summarize this page" --with-page                   # Include page context
surf grok "find viral AI posts" --deep-search                 # DeepSearch mode
surf grok "quick question" --model fast                       # Models: auto, fast, expert, thinking
surf grok --validate                                          # Check UI and available models
surf grok --validate --save-models                            # Save discovered models to settings

# AI Studio (queries aistudio.google.com using your Google login)
surf aistudio "explain quantum computing"
surf aistudio "redteam this" --with-page                      # Include page context
surf aistudio "quick answer" --model gemini-3-flash-preview   # Model selection

# AI Studio App Builder (generates full web apps from a prompt)
surf aistudio.build "build a portfolio site"
surf aistudio.build "todo app" --model gemini-3.1-pro-preview # Model override
surf aistudio.build "crm dashboard" --output ./out            # Extract zip to directory
surf aistudio.build "game" --keep-open --timeout 600          # Keep tab open, 10min timeout

Each AI tool uses your existing browser login - no API keys needed. Just be logged into the respective service in Chrome (chatgpt.com, gemini.google.com, perplexity.ai, x.com, or aistudio.google.com).

Grok troubleshooting: If queries fail, run surf grok --validate to check if the UI structure changed. Use --save-models to update the model cache in surf.json. Default model is "thinking" (Grok 4.1 Thinking).

Waiting

surf wait 2                         # Wait 2 seconds
surf wait.element ".loaded"         # Wait for element
surf wait.network                   # Wait for network idle
surf wait.url "/dashboard"          # Wait for URL pattern

Other

surf js "return document.title"     # Execute JavaScript
surf search "login"                 # Find text in page
surf cookie.list                    # List cookies
surf zoom 1.5                       # Set zoom to 150%
surf console                        # Read console messages
surf network                        # Read network requests

Network Capture

Surf automatically captures all network requests while active. No explicit start needed.

# Overview (token-efficient for LLMs)
surf network                          # Recent requests, compact table
surf network --urls                   # Just URLs (minimal output)
surf network --format curl            # As curl commands

# Filtering
surf network --origin api.github.com  # Filter by origin/domain
surf network --method POST            # Only POST requests
surf network --type json              # Only JSON responses
surf network --status 4xx,5xx         # Only errors
surf network --since 5m               # Last 5 minutes
surf network --exclude-static         # Skip images/fonts/css/js

# Drill down
surf network.get r_001                # Full request/response details
surf network.body r_001               # Response body (for piping to jq)
surf network.curl r_001               # Generate curl command
surf network.origins                  # List captured domains

# Management
surf network.clear                    # Clear captured data
surf network.stats                    # Capture statistics

Storage location: /tmp/surf/ (override with --network-path or SURF_NETWORK_PATH env). Auto-cleanup: 24 hours TTL, 200MB max.

Workflows

Execute multi-step browser automation as a single command:

# Inline workflow (pipe-separated)
surf do 'go "https://example.com" | click e5 | screenshot'

# Multi-step login flow
surf do 'go "https://example.com/login" | type "user@example.com" --selector "#email" | type "pass" --selector "#password" | click --selector "button[type=submit]"'

# From JSON file
surf do --file workflow.json

# Run named workflow with arguments
surf do my-workflow --url "https://example.com" --max_items 10

# Validate without executing
surf do 'go "url" | click e5 | screenshot' --dry-run

Why workflows? Instead of 6-8 separate CLI calls with LLM orchestration between each step, a workflow executes deterministically with smart auto-waits. Faster, cheaper, and more reliable.

Options:

--file, -f - Load workflow from JSON file
--dry-run - Parse and validate without executing
--on-error stop|continue - Error handling (default: stop)
--step-delay <ms> - Delay between steps (default: 100, use 0 to disable)
--no-auto-wait - Disable automatic waits between steps
--json - Output structured JSON result
--<arg> <value> - Pass arguments to workflow (e.g., --url "...")

Auto-waits: Commands that trigger page changes automatically wait for completion:

Navigation (go, back, forward) → waits for page load
Clicks, key presses, form fills → waits for DOM stability
Tab switches → waits for tab to load

Workflow Files

Workflows can be saved as JSON files and run by name. Place them in ~/.surf/workflows/ (user) or ./.surf/workflows/ (project).

Basic format:

{
  "name": "login-flow",
  "description": "Log into example.com",
  "args": {
    "email": { "required": true, "desc": "Login email" },
    "password": { "required": true, "desc": "Login password" }
  },
  "steps": [
    { "tool": "navigate", "args": { "url": "https://example.com/login" } },
    { "tool": "type", "args": { "text": "%{email}", "selector": "input[name=email]" } },
    { "tool": "type", "args": { "text": "%{password}", "selector": "input[name=password]" } },
    { "tool": "click", "args": { "selector": "button[type=submit]" } }
  ]
}

Step outputs - Capture results for use in later steps:

{
  "steps": [
    { "tool": "js", "args": { "code": "return document.title" }, "as": "title" },
    { "tool": "js", "args": { "code": "return 'Page: ' + '%{title}'" } }
  ]
}

Loops - repeat for fixed iterations, each for arrays:

{
  "steps": [
    { "tool": "js", "args": { "code": "return ['a', 'b', 'c']" }, "as": "items" },
    {
      "each": "%{items}",
      "as": "item",
      "steps": [
        { "tool": "js", "args": { "code": "return 'Processing: %{item}'" } }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "repeat": 5,
      "steps": [
        { "tool": "scroll", "args": { "direction": "down" } },
        { "tool": "wait", "args": { "duration": 500 } }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Loop with exit condition - Stop early when condition is met:

{
  "repeat": 20,
  "until": { "tool": "js", "args": { "code": "return !document.querySelector('.next-page')" } },
  "steps": [
    { "tool": "click", "args": { "selector": ".next-page" } },
    { "tool": "wait.load" }
  ]
}

Workflow Management

# List available workflows
surf workflow.list

# Show workflow details and arguments
surf workflow.info my-workflow

# Validate workflow JSON
surf workflow.validate ./my-workflow.json

Supported commands: All surf commands work in workflows. Use aliases (go, snap, read) or full names (navigate, screenshot, page.read).

Global Options

--tab-id <id>      # Target specific tab
--window-id <id>   # Target specific window (isolate agent from your browsing)
--json             # Output raw JSON
--soft-fail        # Warn instead of error (exit 0) on restricted pages
--no-screenshot    # Skip auto-screenshot after actions
--full             # Full resolution screenshots (skip resize)
--network-path <path>  # Custom path for network logs (default: /tmp/surf, or SURF_NETWORK_PATH env)

Environment Variables

SURF_NETWORK_PATH         # Path for network capture logs (default: /tmp/surf)
SURF_NODE_PATH            # Path to node binary (for native host wrapper)
SURF_HOST_PATH            # Path to native/host.cjs (for native host wrapper)
SURF_EXTENSION_PATH       # Path to extension dist/ directory

Use cases:

SURF_NODE_PATH / SURF_HOST_PATH: Package manager installs (e.g., Nix) that store binaries in non-standard locations
SURF_EXTENSION_PATH: Package managers that create stable symlinks instead of changing paths on reinstall

Example (Nix):

export SURF_NODE_PATH=~/.local/share/surf-cli/node
export SURF_HOST_PATH=~/.local/share/surf-cli/native/host.cjs
export SURF_EXTENSION_PATH=~/.local/share/surf-cli/extension

Socket API

For programmatic integration, send JSON to /tmp/surf.sock:

echo '{"type":"tool_request","method":"execute_tool","params":{"tool":"tab.list","args":{}},"id":"1"}' | nc -U /tmp/surf.sock

Protocol Reference

Request:

{
  "type": "tool_request",
  "method": "execute_tool",
  "params": {
    "tool": "click",
    "args": { "ref": "e5" }
  },
  "id": "unique-request-id",
  "tabId": 123,
  "windowId": 456
}

Success Response:

{
  "type": "tool_response",
  "id": "unique-request-id",
  "result": {
    "content": [{ "type": "text", "text": "Result message" }]
  }
}

Error Response:

{
  "type": "tool_response",
  "id": "unique-request-id",
  "error": {
    "content": [{ "type": "text", "text": "Error message" }]
  }
}

Command Groups

Group	Commands
`workflow`	`do`, `workflow.list`, `workflow.info`, `workflow.validate`
`window.*`	`new`, `list`, `focus`, `close`, `resize`
`tab.*`	`list`, `new`, `switch`, `close`, `name`, `unname`, `named`, `group`, `ungroup`, `groups`, `reload`
`scroll.*`	`top`, `bottom`, `to`, `info`
`page.*`	`read`, `text`, `state`
`locate.*`	`role`, `text`, `label`
`element.*`	`styles`
`frame.*`	`list`, `switch`, `main`, `js`
`wait.*`	`element`, `network`, `url`, `dom`, `load`
`cookie.*`	`list`, `get`, `set`, `clear`
`bookmark.*`	`add`, `remove`, `list`
`history.*`	`list`, `search`
`dialog.*`	`accept`, `dismiss`, `info`
`emulate.*`	`network`, `cpu`, `geo`, `device`, `viewport`, `touch`
`perf.*`	`start`, `stop`, `metrics`
`network.*`	`get`, `body`, `curl`, `origins`, `clear`, `stats`, `export`, `path`

Aliases

Alias	Command
`snap`	`screenshot`
`read`	`page.read`
`find`	`search`
`go`	`navigate`

How It Works

CLI (surf) → Unix Socket → Native Host → Chrome Extension → CDP/Scripting API

Surf uses Chrome DevTools Protocol for most operations, with automatic fallback to chrome.scripting API when CDP is unavailable (restricted pages, certain contexts). Screenshots fall back to captureVisibleTab when CDP capture fails.

Limitations

Cannot automate chrome:// pages or the Chrome Web Store (Chrome restriction)
First CDP operation on a new tab takes ~100-500ms (debugger attachment)
Some operations on restricted pages return warnings instead of results

Linux Support (Experimental)

Surf should work on Linux with Chromium. Not yet tested in production.

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install chromium-browser nodejs npm imagemagick

# For headless server: add Xvfb + VNC
sudo apt install xvfb tigervnc-standalone-server

# Install Surf and native host
npm install -g surf-cli
surf install <extension-id> --browser chromium

Notes:

Use Chromium (no official Chrome for Linux ARM64)
Screenshot resize uses ImageMagick instead of macOS sips
Headless servers need Xvfb + VNC for initial login setup

AI Agent Integration

Surf includes a skill file for AI coding agents like Pi:

# Symlink for auto-updates
ln -s "$(pwd)/skills/surf" ~/.pi/agent/skills/surf

# Or copy
cp -r skills/surf ~/.pi/agent/skills/

See skills/README.md for details.

Development

npm run dev       # Watch mode
npm run build     # Production build

After changes:

Extension (src/): Reload at chrome://extensions
Host (native/): Restart node native/host.cjs

License

MIT