gstack/open-gstack-browser/SKILL.md.tmpl

---
name: open-gstack-browser
preamble-tier: 1
version: 0.2.0
description: |
  Launch GStack Browser — AI-controlled Chromium with the sidebar extension baked in.
  Opens a visible browser window where you can watch every action in real time.
  The sidebar shows a live activity feed and chat. Anti-bot stealth built in.
  Use when asked to "open gstack browser", "launch browser", "connect chrome",
  "open chrome", "real browser", "launch chrome", "side panel", or "control my browser".
voice-triggers:
  - "show me the browser"
triggers:
  - open gstack browser
  - launch chromium
  - show me the browser
allowed-tools:
  - Bash
  - Read
  - AskUserQuestion

---

{{PREAMBLE}}

# /open-gstack-browser — Launch GStack Browser

Launch GStack Browser — AI-controlled Chromium with the sidebar extension,
anti-bot stealth, and custom branding. You see every action in real time.

{{BROWSE_SETUP}}

## Step 0: Check for a running browse daemon

A running browse daemon may hold open tabs, cookies and logged-in sessions,
and replacing it loses them. Probe without starting one
(`BROWSE_NO_AUTOSTART=1` keeps `status` from booting a daemon):

```bash
_STATUS=$(BROWSE_NO_AUTOSTART=1 $B status 2>&1); _STATUS_RC=$?
printf '%s\n' "$_STATUS" | head -5
if [ "$_STATUS_RC" -ne 0 ]; then echo "DAEMON: none"
elif printf '%s' "$_STATUS" | grep -q 'Mode: headed'; then echo "DAEMON: headed"
else echo "DAEMON: live"; fi
```

- **`DAEMON: none`**: no daemon answered. Clear Chromium profile locks left
  by a crash, then run Step 1's plain `$B connect`. The CLI reaps orphaned
  Chromium and stale state itself, and it still refuses to replace a daemon
  that is alive but too busy to answer; if it refuses, show its output and
  stop.

  ```bash
  GSTACK_STATE_ROOT=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-paths --get GSTACK_STATE_ROOT); : "${GSTACK_STATE_ROOT:?gstack-paths failed; reinstall with ./setup or /gstack-upgrade}"
  _PROFILE_DIR="$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT/chromium-profile"
  for _LF in SingletonLock SingletonSocket SingletonCookie; do
    rm -f "$_PROFILE_DIR/$_LF" 2>/dev/null || true
  done
  ```

- **`DAEMON: headed`**: GStack Browser is already open. Step 1's plain
  `$B connect` reports that; continue to Step 2.

- **`DAEMON: live`**: a headless daemon is running. With `SESSION_KIND:
  spawned` or `headless`, do not ask and do not replace it. Print this and
  stop:

  ```bash
  printf 'Live browse daemon left running. Run %s stop, then re-run /open-gstack-browser to replace it.\n' "$B"
  ```

  Otherwise AskUserQuestion. Replacing the daemon cannot be undone:

  > "A browse daemon is already running (tabs and logins may be active).
  > Opening GStack Browser replaces it, and everything in that daemon is
  > lost."
  >
  > Recommendation: B unless you are done with the running session.

  Options:
  - A) Replace it (runs `$B connect --force-restart`; its tabs, cookies and logins are lost)
  - B) Keep it running and stop here

  Only an explicit A runs Step 1 with `--force-restart`. On B, or a reply
  that is not clearly A, print the "Live browse daemon left running" line
  above and stop.

## Step 1: Connect

```bash
$B connect
```

After an explicit A in Step 0 only:

```bash
$B connect --force-restart
```

This launches GStack Browser (rebranded Chromium) in headed mode with:
- A visible window you can watch (not your regular Chrome — it stays untouched)
- The gstack sidebar extension auto-loaded via `launchPersistentContext`
- Anti-bot stealth patches (sites like Google and NYTimes work without captchas)
- Custom user agent and GStack Browser branding in Dock/menu bar
- A sidebar agent process for chat commands

The `connect` command auto-discovers the extension from the gstack install
directory. It always uses port **34567** so the extension can auto-connect.

After connecting, print the full output to the user. Confirm you see
`Mode: headed` in the output.

If the output shows an error or the mode is not `headed`, run `$B status` and
share the output with the user before proceeding.

## Step 2: Verify

```bash
$B status
```

Confirm the output shows `Mode: headed`. Read the port from the state file:

```bash
cat "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)/.gstack/browse.json" 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"port":[[:space:]]*[0-9]*' | grep -o '[0-9]*'
```

The port should be **34567**. If it's different, note it — the user may need it
for the Side Panel.

Also find the extension path so you can help the user if they need to load it manually:

```bash
_EXT_PATH=""
_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)
[ -n "$_ROOT" ] && [ -f "$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack/extension/manifest.json" ] && _EXT_PATH="$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack/extension"
[ -z "$_EXT_PATH" ] && [ -f "$HOME/.claude/skills/gstack/extension/manifest.json" ] && _EXT_PATH="$HOME/.claude/skills/gstack/extension"
echo "EXTENSION_PATH: ${_EXT_PATH:-NOT FOUND}"
```

## Step 3: Guide the user to the Side Panel

Use AskUserQuestion:

> Chrome is launched with gstack control. You should see Playwright's Chromium
> (not your regular Chrome) with a golden shimmer line at the top of the page.
>
> The Side Panel extension should be auto-loaded. To open it:
> 1. Look for the **puzzle piece icon** (Extensions) in the toolbar — it may
>    already show the gstack icon if the extension loaded successfully
> 2. Click the **puzzle piece** → find **gstack browse** → click the **pin icon**
> 3. Click the pinned **gstack icon** in the toolbar
> 4. The Side Panel should open on the right showing a live activity feed
>
> **Port:** 34567 (auto-detected — the extension connects automatically in the
> Playwright-controlled Chrome).

Options:
- A) I can see the Side Panel — let's go!
- B) I can see Chrome but can't find the extension
- C) Something went wrong

If B: Tell the user:

> The extension is loaded into Playwright's Chromium at launch time, but
> sometimes it doesn't appear immediately. Try these steps:
>
> 1. Type `chrome://extensions` in the address bar
> 2. Look for **"gstack browse"** — it should be listed and enabled
> 3. If it's there but not pinned, go back to any page, click the puzzle piece
>    icon, and pin it
> 4. If it's NOT listed at all, click **"Load unpacked"** and navigate to:
>    - Press **Cmd+Shift+G** in the file picker dialog
>    - Paste this path: `{EXTENSION_PATH}` (use the path from Step 2)
>    - Click **Select**
>
> After loading, pin it and click the icon to open the Side Panel.
>
> If the Side Panel badge stays gray (disconnected), click the gstack icon
> and enter port **34567** manually.

If C:

1. Run `$B status` and show the output
2. If the server is not healthy, re-run Step 0 cleanup + Step 1 connect
3. If the server IS healthy but the browser isn't visible, try `$B focus`
4. If that fails, ask the user what they see (error message, blank screen, etc.)

## Step 4: Demo

After the user confirms the Side Panel is working, run a quick demo:

```bash
$B goto https://news.ycombinator.com
```

Wait 2 seconds, then:

```bash
$B snapshot -i
```

Tell the user: "Check the Side Panel — you should see the `goto` and `snapshot`
commands appear in the activity feed. Every command Claude runs shows up here
in real time."

## Step 5: Sidebar chat

After the activity feed demo, tell the user about the sidebar chat:

> The Side Panel also has a **chat tab**. Try typing a message like "take a
> snapshot and describe this page." A sidebar agent (a child Claude instance)
> executes your request in the browser — you'll see the commands appear in
> the activity feed as they happen.
>
> The sidebar agent can navigate pages, click buttons, fill forms, and read
> content. Each task gets up to 5 minutes. It runs in an isolated session, so
> it won't interfere with this Claude Code window.

## Step 6: What's next

Tell the user:

> You're all set! Here's what you can do with the connected Chrome:
>
> **Watch Claude work in real time:**
> - Run any gstack skill (`/qa`, `/design-review`, `/benchmark`) and watch
>   every action happen in the visible Chrome window + Side Panel feed
> - No cookie import needed — the Playwright browser shares its own session
>
> **Control the browser directly:**
> - **Sidebar chat** — type natural language in the Side Panel and the sidebar
>   agent executes it (e.g., "fill in the login form and submit")
> - **Browse commands** — `$B goto <url>`, `$B click <sel>`, `$B fill <sel> <val>`,
>   `$B snapshot -i` — all visible in Chrome + Side Panel
>
> **Window management:**
> - `$B focus` — bring Chrome to the foreground anytime
> - `$B disconnect` — close headed Chrome and return to headless mode
>
> **What skills look like in headed mode:**
> - `/qa` runs its full test suite in the visible browser — you see every page
>   load, every click, every assertion
> - `/design-review` takes screenshots in the real browser — same pixels you see
> - `/benchmark` measures performance in the headed browser

Then proceed with whatever the user asked to do. If they didn't specify a task,
ask what they'd like to test or browse.