diff --git a/cli/src/connect.rs b/cli/src/connect.rs
index fa32694..6dbbdc3 100644
--- a/cli/src/connect.rs
+++ b/cli/src/connect.rs
@@ -399,10 +399,23 @@ fn random_guid() -> String {
 }
 
 /// Where the daemon/CLI reads the relay's CDP WebSocket URL (perms 600).
+///
+/// Cross-binary handoff: the native-messaging *host* writes it and the CLI reads
+/// it, but the two may be different binaries under different brand dirs after
+/// the agent-browser → chrome-use rename. Read from whichever brand dir actually
+/// has the file (an old `agent-browser` host writes `~/.agent-browser`; a
+/// `chrome-use` host writes `~/.chrome-use`); default to [`config_home`].
 fn relay_url_path() -> PathBuf {
-    dirs::home_dir()
-        .map(|h| h.join(".chrome-use").join("relay-cdp-url"))
-        .unwrap_or_else(|| PathBuf::from("/tmp/ab-relay-cdp-url"))
+    if let Some(home) = dirs::home_dir() {
+        for base in [".chrome-use", ".agent-browser"] {
+            let p = home.join(base).join("relay-cdp-url");
+            if p.exists() {
+                return p;
+            }
+        }
+        return crate::connection::config_home().join("relay-cdp-url");
+    }
+    PathBuf::from("/tmp/ab-relay-cdp-url")
 }
 
 /// The live relay CDP WebSocket URL, if the native-messaging host is running
diff --git a/cli/src/connection.rs b/cli/src/connection.rs
index 59cbe5b..6decbb0 100644
--- a/cli/src/connection.rs
+++ b/cli/src/connection.rs
@@ -88,8 +88,39 @@ impl Connection {
     }
 }
 
+/// Brand-compat config directory basename. The project renamed
+/// `agent-browser` → `chrome-use`, but this dotfile dir is invisible internal
+/// plumbing: it's shared with the native-messaging host (the `relay-cdp-url`
+/// handoff) and holds saved auth/daemon state. Renaming it would break existing
+/// installs and re-pop the "Allow remote debugging?" dialog when the relay
+/// can't be located. So decide ONCE per run: prefer the new `.chrome-use`, but
+/// keep using an existing `.agent-browser` install if that's the only one
+/// present; fresh installs get `.chrome-use`. `dotted` picks the home-dir form
+/// (`.chrome-use`) vs the XDG/tmp subdir form (`chrome-use`); both agree.
+pub fn config_dir_basename(dotted: bool) -> &'static str {
+    let prefer_old = dirs::home_dir()
+        .map(|h| !h.join(".chrome-use").exists() && h.join(".agent-browser").exists())
+        .unwrap_or(false);
+    match (prefer_old, dotted) {
+        (true, true) => ".agent-browser",
+        (true, false) => "agent-browser",
+        (false, true) => ".chrome-use",
+        (false, false) => "chrome-use",
+    }
+}
+
+/// The home-based config dir (`~/.chrome-use`, or `~/.agent-browser` on an
+/// existing install — see [`config_dir_basename`]). Single source of truth so
+/// sockets, auth, and the relay handoff all agree within one run.
+pub fn config_home() -> PathBuf {
+    match dirs::home_dir() {
+        Some(home) => home.join(config_dir_basename(true)),
+        None => env::temp_dir().join(config_dir_basename(false)),
+    }
+}
+
 /// Get the base directory for socket/pid files.
-/// Priority: AGENT_BROWSER_SOCKET_DIR > XDG_RUNTIME_DIR > ~/.chrome-use > tmpdir
+/// Priority: AGENT_BROWSER_SOCKET_DIR > XDG_RUNTIME_DIR > config_home() > tmpdir
 pub fn get_socket_dir() -> PathBuf {
     // 1. Explicit override (ignore empty string)
     if let Ok(dir) = env::var("AGENT_BROWSER_SOCKET_DIR") {
@@ -101,17 +132,17 @@ pub fn get_socket_dir() -> PathBuf {
     // 2. XDG_RUNTIME_DIR (Linux standard, ignore empty string)
     if let Ok(runtime_dir) = env::var("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR") {
         if !runtime_dir.is_empty() {
-            return PathBuf::from(runtime_dir).join("chrome-use");
+            return PathBuf::from(runtime_dir).join(config_dir_basename(false));
         }
     }
 
     // 3. Home directory fallback (like Docker Desktop's ~/.docker/run/)
-    if let Some(home) = dirs::home_dir() {
-        return home.join(".chrome-use");
+    if dirs::home_dir().is_some() {
+        return config_home();
     }
 
     // 4. Last resort: temp dir
-    env::temp_dir().join("chrome-use")
+    env::temp_dir().join(config_dir_basename(false))
 }
 
 #[cfg(unix)]