Browser Automation Tasks
Implement common browser automation tasks with CUAs — navigation, data extraction, form interaction, and multi-tab workflows.
Browser Automation vs Traditional Scraping
Traditional scraping (Playwright, Puppeteer, Selenium) works by selecting DOM elements programmatically. It's fast and precise but requires maintenance as sites change.
CUA browser automation works visually — the agent sees what you see. It's slower but resilient to DOM changes and works on sites that actively resist scraping.
Navigation Patterns
Direct URL navigation: Navigate to https://example.com/pricing
Search-based navigation: Go to Google and search for "Acme Corp pricing page", then click the first result that goes to acme.com
Multi-step navigation: On the dashboard, click "Reports" in the sidebar, then "Financial Reports", then select "Q1 2025"
Data Extraction
For structured data extraction:
"On this page, find the pricing table. Extract all plan names and prices into a structured list. Include the billing frequency."
The agent reads the visual content and returns structured data.
Form Interaction
Fill in the contact form with:
- Name: John Smith
- Email: john@example.com
- Company: Acme Corp
- Message: [paste message]
After filling, review what you've entered, then submit the form.
Always instruct the agent to review before submitting — this catches auto-complete errors.
Multi-Tab Workflows
"Open three tabs, one for each competitor. In each tab, navigate to the pricing page. Then create a comparison across the three pages."
Most CUAs can manage multiple browser contexts sequentially if not simultaneously.
Handling Popups and Overlays
"If a cookie consent popup appears, accept all cookies and dismiss it before proceeding. If a chat widget appears, close it."
Include handling instructions for common interruptions in your task definition.