Every Browserbase cloud feature, plus session lifecycle control, local history, and usage analytics no other tool has.
Manage the full Browserbase surface — sessions, projects, downloads, contexts, agents, functions — from one agent-native CLI. Track orphaned sessions, batch-fetch with rate-limit pacing, diff agent runs, and watch usage trends from a local SQLite store that compounds across syncs.
Authentication
Set BROWSERBASE_API_KEY (your key looks like bb_live_...). Optionally set BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID to scope commands to a project.
Quick Start
# Verify the CLI works and your API key is set.
browserbase-pp-cli doctor --dry-run
# See your projects and find the one to work in.
browserbase-pp-cli projects list
# Spin up a headless browser session.
browserbase-pp-cli sessions create --project-id 1fbe3566-db19-4010-9410-0ba94f0497ea --json
# Find sessions that were never released and are burning minutes.
browserbase-pp-cli sessions orphans --older-than 15m --json
# Grab a page as clean markdown without writing browser code.
browserbase-pp-cli fetch --url https://example.com --format markdown
Unique Features
These capabilities aren't available in any other tool for this API.
Session lifecycle control
-
sessions orphans — Find running sessions that were never released (keepAlive orphans) and the runtime they're burning, then optionally stop them in batch. Requires sync first — an unsynced store returns an empty scan.
Reach for this when a crashed automation may have left billable sessions running — it turns a silent cost leak into a one-command cleanup.
browserbase-pp-cli sessions orphans --older-than 15m --stop --json
-
sessions run — Create a session, print its connect URL, and guarantee it is released on completion, timeout, or interrupt.
Use when you need a browser session for a script or agent without leaking keepAlive sessions on failure.
browserbase-pp-cli sessions run --project 1fbe3566-db19-4010-9410-0ba94f0497ea --timeout 15m
Agent-native fetch pipeline
-
fetch batch — Fetch a list of URLs with rate-limit pacing and a resumable checkpoint, so large scrape jobs survive interruptions.
Reach for this when scraping a list of pages: it paces requests, skips already-fetched URLs, and reports per-URL status.
browserbase-pp-cli fetch batch --file urls.txt --format markdown --resume --json
-
agents runs diff — Compare two agent runs structurally — message sequences and final structured results — to see what changed between prompt iterations.
Reach for this when iterating on an agent's prompt or schema and you need to see exactly what changed between two runs.
browserbase-pp-cli agents runs diff 52f6b13d-eb27-436d-86ff-356b2fd01697 2d310606-42fa-483c-9a7b-7102a85ddb09 --json
Local state that compounds
-
projects digest — See everything that ran in a project this week — sessions, agent runs, and downloads grouped by day — from the local store. Requires sync first; an unsynced store returns an empty digest.
Use when reviewing what a project actually did over a period, without clicking through the dashboard.
browserbase-pp-cli projects digest --project 1fbe3566-db19-4010-9410-0ba94f0497ea --since 7d --json
-
usage trend — Track per-project browserMinutes and proxyBytes over sync history and spot quota creep before the bill arrives. Requires sync first; an unsynced store returns an empty trend.
Use when you own the Browserbase bill and want to see usage direction, not just a snapshot.
browserbase-pp-cli usage trend --project 1fbe3566-db19-4010-9410-0ba94f0497ea --since 30d --json
-
web history — Review past fetch and search calls with cached results, and re-emit a cached response without re-hitting the API. Requires sync first; an unsynced store returns an empty history.
Reach for this when you need provenance for what was fetched, or want to re-run a prior result offline.
browserbase-pp-cli web history --since 7d --type fetch --json
Recipes
Clean up orphaned sessions
browserbase-pp-cli sessions orphans --older-than 15m --stop --json
Find and release sessions that were never explicitly stopped, preventing wasted browser minutes.
Scrape a list of URLs safely
browserbase-pp-cli fetch batch --file urls.txt --format markdown --resume --json
Fetch many pages with rate-limit pacing and resumable progress.
Weekly project review
browserbase-pp-cli projects digest --project 1fbe3566-db19-4010-9410-0ba94f0497ea --since 7d --json
See every session, agent run, and download in the project this week.
Check usage trend
browserbase-pp-cli usage trend --project 1fbe3566-db19-4010-9410-0ba94f0497ea --since 30d --json
Spot quota creep before the bill arrives.
Narrow a fetch response for agents
browserbase-pp-cli fetch --url https://news.ycombinator.com --format markdown --agent --select statusCode,markdown
Fetch a page and select only the fields an agent needs, saving context.
Usage
Run browserbase-pp-cli --help for the full command reference and flag list.
Paths & environment variables
This CLI separates local files into four path kinds:
| Kind | Contents |
|---|
config | User-editable settings such as config.toml and saved profiles |
data | Durable local data: credentials.toml, data.db, cookies, browser-session proof files, and other auth sidecars |
state | Runtime state such as persisted queries, jobs, and teach.log |
cache | Regenerable HTTP/cache files |
Each kind resolves independently. The ladder is:
- Per-kind env var:
BROWSERBASE_CONFIG_DIR, BROWSERBASE_DATA_DIR, BROWSERBASE_STATE_DIR, or BROWSERBASE_CACHE_DIR
--home <dir> for this invocationBROWSERBASE_HOME for a flat relocated root- XDG env vars:
XDG_CONFIG_HOME, XDG_DATA_HOME, XDG_STATE_HOME, XDG_CACHE_HOME
- Platform defaults matching existing installs
For containers and agent sandboxes, prefer a single relocated root:
export BROWSERBASE_HOME=/srv/browserbase
browserbase-pp-cli doctor
Under BROWSERBASE_HOME=/srv/browserbase, the four dirs resolve to /srv/browserbase/config, /srv/browserbase/data, /srv/browserbase/state, and /srv/browserbase/cache.
MCP servers do not receive CLI flags from the host. Put relocation in the host env block:
{
"mcpServers": {
"browserbase": {
"command": "browserbase-pp-mcp",
"env": {
"BROWSERBASE_HOME": "/srv/browserbase"
}
}
}
}
Precedence matters in fleets: an ambient per-kind variable such as BROWSERBASE_DATA_DIR overrides an explicit --home for that kind. Use BROWSERBASE_HOME or the per-kind variables for durable fleet relocation; treat --home as the weaker per-invocation lever.
Relocation is one-way. Unsetting BROWSERBASE_HOME does not move files back to platform defaults, and doctor cannot find credentials left under a former root. Move the files manually before unsetting relocation variables.
Existing installs keep working because the platform-default rung matches the legacy layout. On the first auth write, stored secrets leave config.toml and are consolidated into credentials.toml under the data directory. Run browserbase-pp-cli doctor --fail-on warn to check path and credential-location warnings in automation.
Commands
agents
Manage agents
browserbase-pp-cli agents create - Create a reusable agent. An agent defines a systemPrompt and resultSchema that guide its behavior for every run. Only name is required; an agent created with no systemPrompt behaves like an unconfigured run.browserbase-pp-cli agents delete - Delete an agent. Runs that already referenced this agent are unaffected.browserbase-pp-cli agents get - Retrieve an agent by ID.browserbase-pp-cli agents list - List agents across your account. Supports filtering by creation time.browserbase-pp-cli agents runs-create - Run a browser agent to complete the task by using web search and browser tooling. Optionally pass agentId to run a custom agent you've created.browserbase-pp-cli agents runs-get - Retrieve the current status and details of a run, including its result and associated session information. To fetch the run's messages, use List Run Messages.browserbase-pp-cli agents runs-list - List runs across your account. Supports filtering by status, by the agent they reference, and by creation time.browserbase-pp-cli agents runs-messages - Returns a paginated list of messages produced by a run, in chronological order, with the oldest messages first.
Messages conform to the AI SDK UIMessage format.
browserbase-pp-cli agents runs-stop - Request that an in-progress run stop. The run winds down and transitions to STOPPED. Stopping a run that has already finished returns a conflict.browserbase-pp-cli agents update - Update an existing agent. Only the fields provided in the body are modified; omitted fields are left unchanged.
certificates
Manage certificates
browserbase-pp-cli certificates delete - Delete a Certificatebrowserbase-pp-cli certificates get - Get a Certificatebrowserbase-pp-cli certificates list - List Certificatesbrowserbase-pp-cli certificates upload - Upload a Certificate
contexts
Manage contexts
browserbase-pp-cli contexts create - Create a Contextbrowserbase-pp-cli contexts delete - Delete a Contextbrowserbase-pp-cli contexts get - Get a Context
downloads
Manage downloads
browserbase-pp-cli downloads delete - Delete a download file from storage and mark as deleted.browserbase-pp-cli downloads get - Get download metadata (Accept: application/json) or file content (Accept: application/octet-stream).browserbase-pp-cli downloads list - List all downloads for a session with optional filtering and pagination.
extensions
Manage extensions
browserbase-pp-cli extensions delete - Delete an Extensionbrowserbase-pp-cli extensions get - Get an Extensionbrowserbase-pp-cli extensions upload - Upload an Extension
fetch
Manage fetch
browserbase-pp-cli fetch - Fetch a page and return its content, headers, and metadata.
functions
Manage functions
browserbase-pp-cli functions builds-get - Get a Function Buildbrowserbase-pp-cli functions builds-get-logs - Get Function Build Logsbrowserbase-pp-cli functions builds-list - List Function Buildsbrowserbase-pp-cli functions get - Get a Functionbrowserbase-pp-cli functions invocations-get - Get an Invocationbrowserbase-pp-cli functions invocations-get-logs - Get Invocation Logsbrowserbase-pp-cli functions list - List Functionsbrowserbase-pp-cli functions versions-get - Get a Function Versionbrowserbase-pp-cli functions versions-list-invocations - List Invocations for a Function Version
projects
Manage projects
browserbase-pp-cli projects get - Get a Projectbrowserbase-pp-cli projects list - List Projects
sessions
Manage sessions
browserbase-pp-cli sessions create - Create a Sessionbrowserbase-pp-cli sessions get - Get a Sessionbrowserbase-pp-cli sessions list - List Sessionsbrowserbase-pp-cli sessions update - Update a Session
websearch
Manage websearch
browserbase-pp-cli websearch - Perform a web search and return structured results.
Self-learning loop
This CLI caches per-question discovery so repeat queries skip the walk and structurally similar queries get answered via entity substitution. The loop also self-captures: every invocation is journaled locally, and failed-flag corrections plus fresh teaches surface as candidates on the next recall for confirm/reject judgment. Agents call recall before discovery and fire teach & after answering. See the ## Automatic learning section in SKILL.md for the full protocol.
browserbase-pp-cli recall <query> - Look up cached resources for a query before running discoverybrowserbase-pp-cli teach - Record a query -> resource mapping (silent on success, safe to background with &)browserbase-pp-cli learnings list - Inspect taught rowsbrowserbase-pp-cli learnings forget <query> - Undo a teachbrowserbase-pp-cli learnings candidates - List auto-captured candidates awaiting confirm/rejectbrowserbase-pp-cli learnings stats - Local loop metrics: recall hit rate, teach-to-reuse, playbook resolution, candidate countsbrowserbase-pp-cli teach-pattern - Install a query/resource template up frontbrowserbase-pp-cli teach-lookup - Add an entity mapping (e.g. country code, team alias) for pattern substitution
Pass --no-learn or set BROWSERBASE_NO_LEARN=true to disable the loop for deterministic flows.
The local store's schema version stamp is one-way: once this version of browserbase-pp-cli opens the database, older binaries refuse it with a version error — upgrade the binary rather than downgrading.
Output Formats
# Human-readable table (default in terminal, JSON when piped)
browserbase-pp-cli agents list
# JSON for scripting and agents
browserbase-pp-cli agents list --json
# Filter to specific fields
browserbase-pp-cli agents list --json --select agentId,createdAt,name
# Dry run — show the request without sending
browserbase-pp-cli agents list --dry-run
# Agent mode — JSON + compact + no prompts in one flag
browserbase-pp-cli agents list --agent
Agent Usage
This CLI is designed for AI agent consumption:
- Non-interactive - never prompts, every input is a flag
- Pipeable -
--json output to stdout, errors to stderr
- Filterable -
--select <field>[,<field>...] returns only fields you need
- Previewable -
--dry-run shows the request without sending
- Explicit retries - add
--idempotent to create retries and add --ignore-missing to delete retries when a no-op success is acceptable
- Confirmable -
--yes for explicit confirmation of destructive actions
- Piped input - write commands can accept structured input when their help lists
--stdin
- Offline-friendly - sync/search commands can use the local SQLite store when available
- Agent-safe by default - no colors or formatting unless
--human-friendly is set
Exit codes: 0 success, 2 usage error, 3 not found, 4 auth error, 5 API error, 7 rate limited, 10 config error.
Health Check
browserbase-pp-cli doctor
Verifies configuration, credentials, and connectivity to the API.
Configuration
Run browserbase-pp-cli doctor to see the resolved config, data, state, and cache directories. The platform-default config path is ~/.config/browserbase-pp-cli/config.toml; --home, BROWSERBASE_HOME, and per-kind env vars can relocate it.
Static request headers can be configured under headers; per-command header overrides take precedence.
Environment variables:
| Name | Kind | Required | Description |
|---|
BROWSERBASE_API_KEY | per_call | Yes | Set to your API credential. |
agentcookie (optional)
If you use agentcookie to sync secrets across machines, this CLI auto-adopts agentcookie-managed credentials with no extra setup. When the daemon writes to this CLI's config, browserbase-pp-cli doctor reports agentcookie: detected and auth-status labels the source as agentcookie. Skip this section if you don't use agentcookie - the CLI works the same as any other.
Troubleshooting
Authentication errors (exit code 4)
- Run
browserbase-pp-cli doctor to check credentials
- Verify the environment variable is set:
echo $BROWSERBASE_API_KEY
Not found errors (exit code 3)
- Check the resource ID is correct
- Run the
list command to see available items
API-specific
- 401 Unauthorized / Missing x-bb-api-key header — Set BROWSERBASE_API_KEY to your key from browserbase.com/settings.
- 429 rate limited on fetch/search — Use
fetch batch for paced fetching, or back off — fetch is 5 req/sec, search 2 req/sec.
- keepAlive sessions keep running after my script exits — Use
sessions run for guaranteed release, or sessions orphans --stop to clean up stragglers.
- Session timed out unexpectedly — Pass
--timeout (60-21600s) to sessions create; the project default may be shorter than your job.
Sources & Inspiration
This CLI was built by studying these projects and resources:
Generated by CLI Printing Press