Browser Secure

Secure browser automation with vault-backed credentials, approval gates, and audit trails.

Philosophy

"Never trust, always verify, encrypt everything, audit all actions"

Quick Start

# Open the welcome page (default when no URL provided)
browser-secure navigate

# Navigate to a public site
browser-secure navigate https://example.com

# Navigate with auto-vault credential discovery
browser-secure navigate https://app.neilpatel.com/ --auto-vault

# Navigate to an authenticated site (pre-configured)
browser-secure navigate https://nytimes.com --site=nytimes

# Perform actions (fully automated)
browser-secure act "click the login button"
browser-secure extract "get the article headlines"

# Use interactive mode (with approval prompts)
browser-secure navigate https://bank.com --interactive

# Close and cleanup
browser-secure close

Auto-Vault Credential Discovery

The --auto-vault flag enables interactive credential discovery from your password manager:

browser-secure navigate https://app.neilpatel.com/ --auto-vault

This will:

1. Extract the domain from the URL (app.neilpatel.com → neilpatel)
2. Search Bitwarden first (free, default), then 1Password if available
3. Present matching items interactively:

🔍 Auto-discovering credentials for app.neilpatel.com...

📋 Found 2 matching credential(s) in Bitwarden:

  1) Neil Patel Account
     Username: [email protected]
  2) Ubersuggest API Key

  n) None of these - try another vault
  m) Manually enter credentials

Select credential to use (1-2, n, or m): 1
🔐 Retrieving credentials for neilpatel...

Save this credential mapping for future use? (y/n): y
✅ Saved credential mapping for "neilpatel" to ~/.browser-secure/config.yaml
   Default vault provider set to: Bitwarden

After saving, you can use the simpler command next time:

browser-secure navigate https://app.neilpatel.com/ --site=neilpatel

Profile Management

Create isolated Chrome profiles for secure automation with automatic welcome page setup:

# Create a new profile with welcome page
browser-secure profile --create "Funny Name"

# Create and immediately launch Chrome
browser-secure profile --create "The Crustacean Station 🦞" --launch

# List all Chrome profiles
browser-secure profile --list

What the Welcome Page Includes

When you create a new profile, it opens with a custom welcome page that guides you through:

1. 📖 Why This Profile Exists - Explains the isolated automation concept
2. 🔌 Required Extensions - Direct links to install:
   • Bitwarden password manager
   • OpenClaw Browser Relay
3. 🗝️ Vault Setup - Step-by-step for Bitwarden or 1Password
4. ✅ Setup Checklist - Interactive checklist to track progress
5. 🛡️ Security Info - "Your vault is secure" messaging with key features

Why Separate Profiles?

Chrome Profile Support

Browser Secure can use your existing Chrome profiles, giving you access to saved cookies, session state, and existing website logins.

List Available Profiles

browser-secure navigate https://example.com --list-profiles

Output:

📋 Available Chrome profiles:

  1. Person 1 ★
     ID: Default
     Path: /Users/river/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default

  2. Work
     ID: Profile 1
     Path: /Users/river/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Profile 1

Use a Specific Profile

# By profile ID
browser-secure navigate https://gmail.com --profile "Default"
browser-secure navigate https://gmail.com --profile "Profile 1"

# Interactively select
browser-secure navigate https://gmail.com --profile select

Profile vs Incognito Mode

⚠️ Profile Mode Will Quit Your Chrome

Chrome holds an exclusive lock on its user data directory. When you pass --profile, browser-secure needs to quit any running Chrome instance first before it can reuse that profile's cookies, logins, and extensions.

What to expect the first time you use --profile:

1. You'll see an interactive prompt asking permission to quit Chrome.
2. On approval, browser-secure sends a graceful quit to Chrome (osascript 'tell application "Google Chrome" to quit' on macOS; SIGTERM via pkill on Linux). Chrome saves session state normally.
3. Once Chrome exits, browser-secure launches against the real profile dir.
4. When your session ends (browser-secure close or session timeout), the launched Chrome closes too. You have to relaunch Chrome yourself afterwards — browser-secure won't reopen it for you.

Save your work before running anything with --profile. In-flight tabs, unsubmitted form data, and anything not persisted will be handled by Chrome's normal shutdown (session restore will bring tabs back on next launch, but form data typically won't survive).

Unattended mode requires an explicit opt-in:

# Interactive — you'll be prompted to approve the quit
browser-secure navigate https://gmail.com --profile Default

# Unattended — must pass --close-chrome, otherwise throws
browser-secure navigate https://gmail.com --profile Default --unattended --close-chrome

Without --close-chrome in unattended mode, browser-secure errors out rather than silently closing your Chrome.

Security Note: When --profile is set, Chrome launches against the real profile directory, so it will update cookies, history, preferences, and session storage in that profile as it normally would. For true isolation run without --profile (default), or create a dedicated automation profile (browser-secure profile --create …) rather than pointing at your personal Default profile.

Daemon Mode (Session Reuse)

By default, each navigate command launches a new Chrome instance and closes it after the task. This is secure but slow on repeated tasks.

Daemon mode keeps Chrome running persistently with a debug port, so subsequent tasks open new tabs in the same Chrome session — cookies, logins, and state are preserved across tasks.

Workflow

# Start the daemon (one-time per session)
browser-secure daemon start --profile Default

# Run multiple tasks — each opens a new tab in the same Chrome
browser-secure navigate https://mail.google.com
browser-secure navigate https://github.com
browser-secure act "click the notifications icon"

# Stop when done
browser-secure daemon stop

Key Behaviors

• Daemon uses a SEPARATE Chrome profile directory — does not share cookies/logins with your normal Chrome browser. Your normal Chrome tabs are unaffected.
• navigate with a profile → connects to daemon if one is running for that profile; opens a new tab in the existing Chrome.
• Different profile → refuses to connect to wrong daemon; stop the current daemon first.
• daemon stop cleanly terminates the Chrome daemon process.

Commands

browser-secure daemon start           # Start with Default profile
browser-secure daemon start --profile Default  # Explicit
browser-secure daemon status          # Show daemon status
browser-secure daemon stop            # Stop daemon
browser-secure status                 # Shows daemon + session info

Status Output

Daemon: RUNNING
  Profile: Default [Default]
  PID: 12345
  Uptime: 5m 32s
  Started: 2026-03-31T08:00:00.000Z

Session: INACTIVE

macOS Note

On macOS, Chrome cannot start as a separate debugging instance when it is the default browser. The daemon automatically handles this by:

1. Starting Chrome as a separate process (doesn't affect your running Chrome)
2. Using a temp profile directory for isolation

Your tabs in normal Chrome are unaffected by the daemon.

Setup

Option 1: Install via Clawdbot (Recommended)

The easiest way—just ask Clawdbot:

Hey Clawdbot, install browser-secure for me

Clawdbot will handle everything: check prerequisites, auto-install dependencies, build, and configure.

Option 2: Manual Setup (Advanced)

If you prefer full control or are developing on the tool:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw/skills/browser-secure

# Run interactive setup
npm run setup

This will:

1. ✅ Check prerequisites (Node.js 18+, Chrome)
2. 📦 Auto-install missing dependencies (Playwright browsers, optional vault CLIs)
3. 🔨 Build and link the CLI globally
4. 📝 Create default configuration

What Gets Auto-Installed

The setup automatically handles:

• Playwright Chromium - Required browser binary (~50MB)
• Bitwarden CLI - If brew is available (recommended vault)
• 1Password CLI - If brew is available (optional)

Configure Vault (Optional)

After setup, configure your preferred vault using environment variables (recommended) or direct CLI login:

Option A: Direct CLI Login (Recommended)

Unlock the vault manually and pass the session token via environment — your master password never touches disk.

# Bitwarden (recommended - free)
brew install bitwarden-cli  # if not auto-installed
bw login
export BW_SESSION=$(bw unlock --raw)

# 1Password (if you have a subscription)
brew install 1password-cli  # if not auto-installed
op signin

# Test vault access
browser-secure vault --list

Option B: .env File (Automation, Trusted Hosts Only)

⚠️ Security Note: .env stores credentials in plaintext. Only use this on trusted, private machines. Prefer Option A whenever possible.

The .env file lives in the parent skills/ directory (one level above browser-secure/), not inside this skill. This keeps credentials out of the skill's source tree. Override with BROWSER_SECURE_ENV=/path/.env.

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills
cp .env.example .env
chmod 600 .env
# Edit .env with your credentials

Session Token (preferred — no master password on disk):

# skills/.env
BW_SESSION=$(bw unlock --raw)   # paste the output

Full Automation (API Key + Master Password — highest risk):

# skills/.env — only on a trusted, single-user host
BW_CLIENTID=user.xxx-xxx
BW_CLIENTSECRET=your-secret-here
BW_PASSWORD=your-master-password

How it works:

1. BW_CLIENTID/BW_CLIENTSECRET → Authenticates with Bitwarden (replaces username/password)
2. BW_PASSWORD → Decrypts your vault (required for automated access)

Verify Installation

browser-secure --version
browser-secure navigate https://example.com
browser-secure screenshot
browser-secure close

Vault Providers

Bitwarden (Default, Free) ⭐

Recommended — free for personal use, open source, cross-platform.

# Install
brew install bitwarden-cli

# Setup .env file (lives in parent skills/ dir, not inside this skill)
cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills
cp .env.example .env
chmod 600 .env
# Edit .env and add:
#   BW_CLIENTID=your-api-key-id
#   BW_CLIENTSECRET=your-api-key-secret
#   BW_PASSWORD=your-master-password

# Use - credentials auto-loaded from .env
browser-secure navigate https://app.neilpatel.com/ --auto-vault

Authentication vs Unlock:

• API Key (BW_CLIENTID/BW_CLIENTSECRET) → Logs you into Bitwarden
• Master Password (BW_PASSWORD) → Decrypts your vault contents
• Both are needed for fully automated workflows

Get API Key: https://vault.bitwarden.com/#/settings/security/keys

1Password (Paid)

Alternative — if you already have a 1Password subscription.

# Install
brew install 1password-cli

# Login
op signin
eval $(op signin)

# Use
browser-secure navigate https://app.neilpatel.com/ --auto-vault

macOS Keychain (Local)

Fallback — store credentials in macOS Keychain (no cloud sync).

Environment Variables

Emergency fallback — set credentials via env vars:

export BROWSER_SECURE_NEILPATEL_USERNAME="[email protected]"
export BROWSER_SECURE_NEILPATEL_PASSWORD="secret"
browser-secure navigate https://app.neilpatel.com/

Commands

Welcome Page (Default)

When you run browser-secure navigate without a URL, it opens the welcome page located at:

~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/browser-secure/assets/welcome.html

The welcome page provides:

• 📖 Onboarding guide — Why browser-secure exists and how it works
• 🔌 Extension links — Direct install for Bitwarden and OpenClaw Browser Relay
• 🗝️ Vault setup — Step-by-step for Bitwarden or 1Password
• ✅ Setup checklist — Interactive checklist to track progress
• 🛡️ Security info — "Your vault is secure" messaging with key features

Pro tip: Use the welcome page as your starting point for new profiles:

# Create a profile, then immediately open welcome page
browser-secure profile --create "Work Automation" --launch
# Then in another terminal:
browser-secure navigate  # Opens welcome page in the active session

Approval Modes (Hybrid Design)

browser-secure operates in unattended mode by default, making it ideal for agent automation while preserving safety guardrails.

Default Mode: Unattended (Automation-First)

# All commands run unattended by default - no interactive prompts
browser-secure navigate https://example.com
browser-secure act "fill the search form"
browser-secure extract "get all links"

In this mode:

• ✅ All non-destructive actions execute immediately
• ✅ Credentials auto-injected from vault
• ✅ Audit trail written automatically
• ⚠️ Destructive actions (delete, purchase) require --skip-approval or --interactive

Interactive Mode (Human-in-the-Loop)

For sensitive operations, use --interactive to enable approval prompts:

# Enable tiered approval gates
browser-secure navigate https://bank.com --interactive

# Approve individual actions
browser-secure act "transfer $1000" --interactive

Approval tiers in interactive mode:

Force Override (Emergency)

# Skip ALL approvals including destructive (DANGEROUS)
browser-secure act "delete account" --skip-approval

⚠️ Warning: --skip-approval bypasses all safety checks. Use only in fully automated, sandboxed environments.

Session Security

• Time-bounded (30 min default, auto-expiry)
• Isolated work directories (UUID-based)
• Incognito mode (no persistent profile) — default
• Chrome profile support (your cookies, logins, extensions) — opt-in via --profile
• Secure cleanup (overwrite + delete)
• Network restrictions (block localhost/private IPs)

Audit Trail

{
  "event": "BROWSER_SECURE_SESSION",
  "sessionId": "bs-20260211054500-abc123",
  "site": "nytimes.com",
  "actions": [...],
  "chainHash": "sha256:..."
}

Network Egress

Browser-secure makes network calls in exactly two places:

1. Localhost — Chrome DevTools probe (http://localhost:\x3Cport>/json/version) while the daemon starts. Never leaves the machine.
2. Audit webhook (OPT-IN, OFF BY DEFAULT) — if security.audit.mode is set to webhook and security.audit.webhook.url is configured in ~/.browser-secure/config.yaml, finalized audit sessions are POSTed to that URL. Leave mode: "file" (the default) to keep all audit data local.

No telemetry, no phone-home, no remote config fetch.

Environment Variables

Comparison with browser-automation

Troubleshooting

Chrome keychain prompt on first run: This is normal! When Playwright launches Chrome for the first time, macOS asks if Chrome can access your keychain. You can click "Deny" since browser-secure manages credentials through your vault, not Chrome's built-in storage.

Vault not found: Install the CLI for your preferred vault:

• Bitwarden: brew install bitwarden-cli
• 1Password: brew install 1password-cli

Bitwarden "Vault is locked":

• If using .env file: Check that BW_CLIENTID and BW_CLIENTSECRET are set correctly
• Or run: export BW_SESSION=$(bw unlock --raw)

Bitwarden API key not working: Ensure your API key has access to the vault items you need. API keys are created at: https://vault.bitwarden.com/#/settings/security/keys

Site not configured: Use --auto-vault for interactive setup, or add manually to ~/.browser-secure/config.yaml

Session expired: Default 30-minute TTL, restart with --timeout

Approval required: Use -y for non-interactive (careful!)

Profile not found: Run browser-secure navigate https://example.com --list-profiles to see available profiles

Chrome profile in use: Close Chrome before using --profile option (Chrome locks profile when running)