chrome-devtools
Browser automation, debugging, and performance analysis using Puppeteer CLI scripts. Use for automating browsers, taking screenshots, analyzing performance, monitoring network traffic, web scraping, form automation, and JavaScript debugging.
Best use case
chrome-devtools is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Browser automation, debugging, and performance analysis using Puppeteer CLI scripts. Use for automating browsers, taking screenshots, analyzing performance, monitoring network traffic, web scraping, form automation, and JavaScript debugging.
Teams using chrome-devtools should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/chrome-devtools/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How chrome-devtools Compares
| Feature / Agent | chrome-devtools | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Browser automation, debugging, and performance analysis using Puppeteer CLI scripts. Use for automating browsers, taking screenshots, analyzing performance, monitoring network traffic, web scraping, form automation, and JavaScript debugging.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
Related Guides
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SKILL.md Source
# Chrome DevTools Agent Skill
Browser automation via executable Puppeteer scripts. All scripts output JSON for easy parsing.
## Quick Start
**CRITICAL**: Always check `pwd` before running scripts.
### Installation
#### Step 1: Install System Dependencies (Linux/WSL only)
On Linux/WSL, Chrome requires system libraries. Install them first:
```bash
pwd # Should show current working directory
cd .claude/skills/chrome-devtools/scripts
./install-deps.sh # Auto-detects OS and installs required libs
```
Supports: Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, RHEL, CentOS, Arch, Manjaro
**macOS/Windows**: Skip this step (dependencies bundled with Chrome)
#### Step 2: Install Node Dependencies
```bash
npm install # Installs puppeteer, debug, yargs
```
#### Step 3: Install ImageMagick (Optional, Recommended)
ImageMagick enables automatic screenshot compression to keep files under 5MB:
**macOS:**
```bash
brew install imagemagick
```
**Ubuntu/Debian/WSL:**
```bash
sudo apt-get install imagemagick
```
**Verify:**
```bash
magick -version # or: convert -version
```
Without ImageMagick, screenshots >5MB will not be compressed (may fail to load in Gemini/Claude).
### Test
```bash
node navigate.js --url https://example.com
# Output: {"success": true, "url": "https://example.com", "title": "Example Domain"}
```
## Available Scripts
All scripts are in `.claude/skills/chrome-devtools/scripts/`
**CRITICAL**: Always check `pwd` before running scripts.
### Script Usage
- `./scripts/README.md`
### Core Automation
- `navigate.js` - Navigate to URLs
- `screenshot.js` - Capture screenshots (full page or element)
- `click.js` - Click elements
- `fill.js` - Fill form fields
- `evaluate.js` - Execute JavaScript in page context
### Analysis & Monitoring
- `snapshot.js` - Extract interactive elements with metadata
- `console.js` - Monitor console messages/errors
- `network.js` - Track HTTP requests/responses
- `performance.js` - Measure Core Web Vitals + record traces
## Usage Patterns
### Single Command
```bash
pwd # Should show current working directory
cd .claude/skills/chrome-devtools/scripts
node screenshot.js --url https://example.com --output ./docs/screenshots/page.png
```
**Important**: Always save screenshots to `./docs/screenshots` directory.
### Automatic Image Compression
Screenshots are **automatically compressed** if they exceed 5MB to ensure compatibility with Gemini API and Claude Code (which have 5MB limits). This uses ImageMagick internally:
```bash
# Default: auto-compress if >5MB
node screenshot.js --url https://example.com --output page.png
# Custom size threshold (e.g., 3MB)
node screenshot.js --url https://example.com --output page.png --max-size 3
# Disable compression
node screenshot.js --url https://example.com --output page.png --no-compress
```
**Compression behavior:**
- PNG: Resizes to 90% + quality 85 (or 75% + quality 70 if still too large)
- JPEG: Quality 80 + progressive encoding (or quality 60 if still too large)
- Other formats: Converted to JPEG with compression
- Requires ImageMagick installed (see imagemagick skill)
**Output includes compression info:**
```json
{
"success": true,
"output": "/path/to/page.png",
"compressed": true,
"originalSize": 8388608,
"size": 3145728,
"compressionRatio": "62.50%",
"url": "https://example.com"
}
```
### Chain Commands (reuse browser)
```bash
# Keep browser open with --close false
node navigate.js --url https://example.com/login --close false
node fill.js --selector "#email" --value "user@example.com" --close false
node fill.js --selector "#password" --value "secret" --close false
node click.js --selector "button[type=submit]"
```
### Parse JSON Output
```bash
# Extract specific fields with jq
node performance.js --url https://example.com | jq '.vitals.LCP'
# Save to file
node network.js --url https://example.com --output /tmp/requests.json
```
## Execution Protocol
### Working Directory Verification
BEFORE executing any script:
1. Check current working directory with `pwd`
2. Verify in `.claude/skills/chrome-devtools/scripts/` directory
3. If wrong directory, `cd` to correct location
4. Use absolute paths for all output files
Example:
```bash
pwd # Should show: .../chrome-devtools/scripts
# If wrong:
cd .claude/skills/chrome-devtools/scripts
```
### Output Validation
AFTER screenshot/capture operations:
1. Verify file created with `ls -lh <output-path>`
2. Read screenshot using Read tool to confirm content
3. Check JSON output for success:true
4. Report file size and compression status
Example:
```bash
node screenshot.js --url https://example.com --output ./docs/screenshots/page.png
ls -lh ./docs/screenshots/page.png # Verify file exists
# Then use Read tool to visually inspect
```
5. Restart working directory to the project root.
### Error Recovery
If script fails:
1. Check error message for selector issues
2. Use snapshot.js to discover correct selectors
3. Try XPath selector if CSS selector fails
4. Verify element is visible and interactive
Example:
```bash
# CSS selector fails
node click.js --url https://example.com --selector ".btn-submit"
# Error: waiting for selector ".btn-submit" failed
# Discover correct selector
node snapshot.js --url https://example.com | jq '.elements[] | select(.tagName=="BUTTON")'
# Try XPath
node click.js --url https://example.com --selector "//button[contains(text(),'Submit')]"
```
### Common Mistakes
❌ Wrong working directory → output files go to wrong location
❌ Skipping output validation → silent failures
❌ Using complex CSS selectors without testing → selector errors
❌ Not checking element visibility → timeout errors
✅ Always verify `pwd` before running scripts
✅ Always validate output after screenshots
✅ Use snapshot.js to discover selectors
✅ Test selectors with simple commands first
## Common Workflows
### Web Scraping
```bash
node evaluate.js --url https://example.com --script "
Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('.item')).map(el => ({
title: el.querySelector('h2')?.textContent,
link: el.querySelector('a')?.href
}))
" | jq '.result'
```
### Performance Testing
```bash
PERF=$(node performance.js --url https://example.com)
LCP=$(echo $PERF | jq '.vitals.LCP')
if (( $(echo "$LCP < 2500" | bc -l) )); then
echo "✓ LCP passed: ${LCP}ms"
else
echo "✗ LCP failed: ${LCP}ms"
fi
```
### Form Automation
```bash
node fill.js --url https://example.com --selector "#search" --value "query" --close false
node click.js --selector "button[type=submit]"
```
### Error Monitoring
```bash
node console.js --url https://example.com --types error,warn --duration 5000 | jq '.messageCount'
```
## Script Options
All scripts support:
- `--headless false` - Show browser window
- `--close false` - Keep browser open for chaining
- `--timeout 30000` - Set timeout (milliseconds)
- `--wait-until networkidle2` - Wait strategy
See `./scripts/README.md` for complete options.
## Output Format
All scripts output JSON to stdout:
```json
{
"success": true,
"url": "https://example.com",
... // script-specific data
}
```
Errors go to stderr:
```json
{
"success": false,
"error": "Error message"
}
```
## Finding Elements
Use `snapshot.js` to discover selectors:
```bash
node snapshot.js --url https://example.com | jq '.elements[] | {tagName, text, selector}'
```
## Troubleshooting
### Common Errors
**"Cannot find package 'puppeteer'"**
- Run: `npm install` in the scripts directory
**"error while loading shared libraries: libnss3.so"** (Linux/WSL)
- Missing system dependencies
- Fix: Run `./install-deps.sh` in scripts directory
- Manual install: `sudo apt-get install -y libnss3 libnspr4 libasound2t64 libatk1.0-0 libatk-bridge2.0-0 libcups2 libdrm2 libxkbcommon0 libxcomposite1 libxdamage1 libxfixes3 libxrandr2 libgbm1`
**"Failed to launch the browser process"**
- Check system dependencies installed (Linux/WSL)
- Verify Chrome downloaded: `ls ~/.cache/puppeteer`
- Try: `npm rebuild` then `npm install`
**Chrome not found**
- Puppeteer auto-downloads Chrome during `npm install`
- If failed, manually trigger: `npx puppeteer browsers install chrome`
### Script Issues
**Element not found**
- Get snapshot first to find correct selector: `node snapshot.js --url <url>`
**Script hangs**
- Increase timeout: `--timeout 60000`
- Change wait strategy: `--wait-until load` or `--wait-until domcontentloaded`
**Blank screenshot**
- Wait for page load: `--wait-until networkidle2`
- Increase timeout: `--timeout 30000`
**Permission denied on scripts**
- Make executable: `chmod +x *.sh`
**Screenshot too large (>5MB)**
- Install ImageMagick for automatic compression
- Manually set lower threshold: `--max-size 3`
- Use JPEG format instead of PNG: `--format jpeg --quality 80`
- Capture specific element instead of full page: `--selector .main-content`
**Compression not working**
- Verify ImageMagick installed: `magick -version` or `convert -version`
- Check file was actually compressed in output JSON: `"compressed": true`
- For very large pages, use `--selector` to capture only needed area
## Reference Documentation
Detailed guides available in `./references/`:
- [CDP Domains Reference](./references/cdp-domains.md) - 47 Chrome DevTools Protocol domains
- [Puppeteer Quick Reference](./references/puppeteer-reference.md) - Complete Puppeteer API patterns
- [Performance Analysis Guide](./references/performance-guide.md) - Core Web Vitals optimization
## Advanced Usage
### Custom Scripts
Create custom scripts using shared library:
```javascript
import { getBrowser, getPage, closeBrowser, outputJSON } from './lib/browser.js';
// Your automation logic
```
### Direct CDP Access
```javascript
const client = await page.createCDPSession();
await client.send('Emulation.setCPUThrottlingRate', { rate: 4 });
```
See reference documentation for advanced patterns and complete API coverage.
## External Resources
- [Puppeteer Documentation](https://pptr.dev/)
- [Chrome DevTools Protocol](https://chromedevtools.github.io/devtools-protocol/)
- [Scripts README](./scripts/README.md)Related Skills
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