kilocode/packages/kilo-docs/pages/code-with-ai/features/browser-use.md

title, description

title	description
Browser Use	Using Kilo Code to interact with web browsers

Browser Use

Kilo Code provides browser automation capabilities that let you interact with websites directly from your coding workflow. This feature supports testing web applications, automating browser tasks, and capturing screenshots without leaving your editor.

{% callout type="info" title="Model Support Required" %} Browser Use requires an advanced agentic model. It is typically most reliable with recent high-capability models (for example Claude Sonnet 4 class models). {% /callout %}

How Browser Use Works

{% tabs %} {% tab label="VSCode" %}

Browser automation is built into the extension and requires no manual setup. Enable it from Settings → Browser and Kilo handles the rest automatically.

{% /tab %} {% tab label="CLI" %}

Kilo Code uses Playwright for browser automation. Add it to your kilo.jsonc configuration:

{
  "mcp": {
    "playwright": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "-y", "@playwright/mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Playwright downloads Chromium automatically on first use.

{% /tab %} {% tab label="VSCode (Legacy)" %}

By default, Kilo Code uses a built-in browser that:

• Launches automatically when you ask Kilo to visit a website
• Captures screenshots of web pages
• Allows Kilo to interact with web elements
• Runs invisibly in the background

All of this happens directly within VS Code, with no setup required.

{% /tab %} {% /tabs %}

Using Browser Use

A typical browser interaction follows this pattern:

1. Ask Kilo to visit a website
2. Kilo launches the browser and shows you a screenshot
3. Request additional actions (clicking, typing, scrolling)
4. Kilo closes the browser when finished

For example:

• Open the browser and view our site.
• Can you check if my website at https://kilocode.ai is displaying correctly?
• Browse http://localhost:3000, scroll down to the bottom of the page and check if the footer information is displaying correctly.

How Browser Actions Work

{% tabs %} {% tab label="VSCode" %}

Kilo launches a browser automatically when asked and returns screenshots after each action so you can see what's happening. It can navigate to URLs, click elements, fill in forms, scroll, hover, select from dropdowns, and drag and drop — all driven by natural language instructions in chat.

{% /tab %} {% tab label="CLI" %}

The Playwright MCP server provides a set of browser tools for interacting with web pages. These tools return screenshots and accessibility snapshots after each action.

Key characteristics:

• The browser launches automatically when a browser tool is invoked
• Multiple browser tools can be used in sequence
• Screenshots are captured after each action for visual feedback

Available Browser Tools

Tool	Description	When to Use
browser_navigate	Navigates to a URL	Opening a web page
browser_click	Clicks an element on the page	Interacting with buttons, links, etc.
browser_type	Types text into an input element	Filling forms, search boxes
browser_screenshot	Captures a screenshot of the page	Inspecting visual state
browser_scroll	Scrolls the page or a specific area	Viewing content above or below
browser_hover	Hovers over an element	Revealing tooltips or menus
browser_select	Selects an option from a dropdown	Choosing from select elements
browser_drag	Drags an element to a target	Drag-and-drop interactions

{% /tab %} {% tab label="VSCode (Legacy)" %}

The browser_action tool controls a browser instance that returns screenshots and console logs after each action, allowing you to see the results of interactions.

Key characteristics:

• Each browser session must start with launch and end with close
• Only one browser action can be used per message
• While the browser is active, no other tools can be used
• You must wait for the response (screenshot and logs) before performing the next action

Available Browser Actions

Action	Description	When to Use
launch	Opens a browser at a URL	Starting a new browser session
click	Clicks at specific coordinates	Interacting with buttons, links, etc.
type	Types text into active element	Filling forms, search boxes
scroll_down	Scrolls down by one page	Viewing content below the fold
scroll_up	Scrolls up by one page	Returning to previous content
close	Closes the browser	Ending a browser session

{% /tab %} {% /tabs %}

Browser Use Settings

{% tabs %} {% tab label="VSCode" %}

Browser automation settings are available under Settings → Browser:

• Enable browser automation: Toggle to enable or disable browser automation
• Headless mode: Run the browser without a visible window (default: disabled)
• Use system Chrome: Enabled by default — uses your installed Chrome. Disable to have Playwright download and use Chromium instead.

{% /tab %} {% tab label="CLI" %}

Browser automation is configured in your kilo.jsonc file. No additional settings are required — Playwright manages the browser lifecycle automatically.

{% /tab %} {% tab label="VSCode (Legacy)" %}

{% callout type="info" title="Default Browser Settings" %}

• Enable browser tool: Enabled
• Viewport size: Small Desktop (900x600)
• Screenshot quality: 75%
• Use remote browser connection: Disabled

{% /callout %}

Accessing Settings

To change Browser / Computer Use settings in Kilo:

1. Click the gear icon {% codicon name="gear" /%} in Kilo Code
2. Open Browser / Computer Use

Enable/Disable Browser Use

Purpose: Master toggle that enables Kilo to interact with websites using a Puppeteer-controlled browser.

To change this setting:

1. Check or uncheck the "Enable browser tool" checkbox within your Browser / Computer Use settings

Viewport Size

Purpose: Determines the resolution of the browser session Kilo Code uses.

Tradeoff: Higher values provide a larger viewport but increase token usage.

To change this setting:

1. Click the dropdown menu under "Viewport size" within your Browser / Computer Use settings
2. Select one of the available options:
   • Large Desktop (1280x800)
   • Small Desktop (900x600) - Default
   • Tablet (768x1024)
   • Mobile (360x640)
3. Select your desired resolution.

Screenshot Quality

Purpose: Controls the WebP compression quality of browser screenshots.

Tradeoff: Higher values provide clearer screenshots but increase token usage.

To change this setting:

1. Adjust the slider under "Screenshot quality" within your Browser / Computer Use settings
2. Set a value between 1-100% (default is 75%)
3. Higher values provide clearer screenshots but increase token usage:
   • 40-50%: Good for basic text-based websites
   • 60-70%: Balanced for most general browsing
   • 80%+: Use when fine visual details are critical

Remote Browser Connection

Purpose: Connect Kilo to an existing Chrome browser instead of using the built-in browser.

Benefits:

• Works in containerized environments and remote development workflows
• Maintains authenticated sessions between browser uses
• Eliminates repetitive login steps
• Allows use of custom browser profiles with specific extensions

Requirements: Chrome must be running with remote debugging enabled.

To enable this feature:

1. Check the "Use remote browser connection" box in Browser / Computer Use settings
2. Click "Test Connection" to verify

Common Use Cases

• DevContainers: Connect from containerized VS Code to host Chrome browser
• Remote Development: Use local Chrome with remote VS Code server
• Custom Chrome Profiles: Use profiles with specific extensions and settings

Connecting to a Visible Chrome Window

Connect to a visible Chrome window to observe Kilo's interactions in real-time:

macOS

/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-debug --no-first-run

Windows

"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=C:\chrome-debug --no-first-run

Linux

google-chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --user-data-dir=/tmp/chrome-debug --no-first-run

{% /tab %} {% /tabs %}