diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d05e9eb..f2ab4a8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -93,14 +93,24 @@ agent-browser screenshot ./page.png
 
 The agent operates in your Chrome — you'll see tabs opening, pages loading, clicks happening in real time. You can take over at any point (e.g. solve a CAPTCHA), then let the agent continue.
 
-### Standalone mode
+### Standalone mode (`--launch`)
 
-If you need a separate browser (CI, testing, etc.):
+Spawn a separate browser instead of attaching to your running Chrome:
 
 ```bash
+# Throwaway: fresh, EMPTY profile — no cookies, no login (good for CI/testing)
 agent-browser --launch open https://example.com
+
+# Keep your login: launch with your real Chrome profile (cookies/sessions intact)
+agent-browser --launch --profile auto open https://x.com/home
+# or name it explicitly: --profile Default / --profile "Profile 1"
 ```
 
+> ⚠️ Plain `--launch` (no `--profile`) uses a **temporary empty profile** — you will
+> NOT be logged into anything. For logged-in sites use `--profile auto` (picks the
+> Chrome profile you used most recently) or `--profile <name>`. agent-browser prints
+> a warning when you `--launch` without a profile.
+
 In CI environments, standalone mode is used automatically.
 
 ## Anti-detection
diff --git a/cli/src/main.rs b/cli/src/main.rs
index 7fc0e2b..e6c65c3 100644
--- a/cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/cli/src/main.rs
@@ -531,6 +531,18 @@ fn main() {
     let mut flags = parse_flags(&args);
     let clean = clean_args(&args);
 
+    // Loudly warn when launching a fresh browser with no profile: it gets a
+    // temporary EMPTY profile (no cookies / no login). For logged-in sites the
+    // user almost always wants --profile auto (their real Chrome profile).
+    // Skipped under CI (force_launch is implicit there and login isn't expected).
+    if flags.force_launch && flags.profile.is_none() && env::var("CI").is_err() {
+        eprintln!(
+            "⚠ --launch uses a temporary EMPTY browser profile (no cookies, no login). \
+             For logged-in sites, add `--profile auto` (or `--profile Default`) to reuse \
+             your real Chrome session."
+        );
+    }
+
     let has_help = args.iter().any(|a| a == "--help" || a == "-h");
     let has_version = args.iter().any(|a| a == "--version" || a == "-V");
 
diff --git a/cli/src/native/actions.rs b/cli/src/native/actions.rs
index 14c2bac..d72974a 100644
--- a/cli/src/native/actions.rs
+++ b/cli/src/native/actions.rs
@@ -1609,9 +1609,12 @@ async fn auto_launch(state: &mut DaemonState) -> Result<(), String> {
                     "Could not connect to your Chrome browser.\n\n\
                      If Chrome showed an \"Allow remote debugging?\" dialog, click \
                      Allow and re-run — that consent is what lets agent-browser attach.\n\n\
-                     Otherwise, to let agent-browser work with your existing Chrome (recommended):\n\
+                     Otherwise, to let agent-browser reuse your logged-in Chrome (recommended):\n\
                      {}\n\n\
-                     Or start a standalone browser with: agent-browser --launch open <url>\n\n\
+                     Or launch a separate browser that KEEPS your login state:\n  \
+                     agent-browser --launch --profile auto open <url>\n\
+                     (plain `--launch` alone uses a temporary EMPTY profile — no cookies, \
+                     no logged-in sessions.)\n\n\
                      Note: remote debugging is a startup flag, not a Chrome setting — \
                      chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging only enables target discovery and \
                      does NOT expose the CDP HTTP API on /json/version. \
@@ -2172,9 +2175,12 @@ async fn handle_launch(cmd: &Value, state: &mut DaemonState) -> Result<Value, St
                     "Could not connect to your Chrome browser.\n\n\
                      If Chrome showed an \"Allow remote debugging?\" dialog, click \
                      Allow and re-run — that consent is what lets agent-browser attach.\n\n\
-                     Otherwise, to let agent-browser work with your existing Chrome (recommended):\n\
+                     Otherwise, to let agent-browser reuse your logged-in Chrome (recommended):\n\
                      {}\n\n\
-                     Or start a standalone browser with: agent-browser --launch open <url>\n\n\
+                     Or launch a separate browser that KEEPS your login state:\n  \
+                     agent-browser --launch --profile auto open <url>\n\
+                     (plain `--launch` alone uses a temporary EMPTY profile — no cookies, \
+                     no logged-in sessions.)\n\n\
                      Note: remote debugging is a startup flag, not a Chrome setting — \
                      chrome://inspect/#remote-debugging only enables target discovery and \
                      does NOT expose the CDP HTTP API on /json/version. \
diff --git a/cli/src/native/cdp/chrome.rs b/cli/src/native/cdp/chrome.rs
index a8192be..bb5394d 100644
--- a/cli/src/native/cdp/chrome.rs
+++ b/cli/src/native/cdp/chrome.rs
@@ -917,6 +917,18 @@ pub fn list_chrome_profiles(user_data_dir: &Path) -> Vec<ChromeProfile> {
 /// 3. Case-insensitive directory name match
 ///
 /// Returns the resolved directory name, or an error with available profiles.
+/// Read `profile.last_used` (the directory name of the profile Chrome opened
+/// most recently) from a user-data dir's `Local State`. Used to resolve
+/// `--profile auto`.
+fn read_last_used_profile(user_data_dir: &Path) -> Option<String> {
+    let content = std::fs::read_to_string(user_data_dir.join("Local State")).ok()?;
+    let json: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(&content).ok()?;
+    json.get("profile")?
+        .get("last_used")?
+        .as_str()
+        .map(String::from)
+}
+
 pub fn resolve_chrome_profile(user_data_dir: &Path, input: &str) -> Result<String, String> {
     let profiles = list_chrome_profiles(user_data_dir);
 
@@ -928,6 +940,21 @@ pub fn resolve_chrome_profile(user_data_dir: &Path, input: &str) -> Result<Strin
         ));
     }
 
+    // "auto": pick the profile Chrome last used (else "Default", else the first
+    // one), so `--profile auto` reuses the real logged-in profile without the
+    // user having to name it explicitly.
+    if input.eq_ignore_ascii_case("auto") {
+        if let Some(lu) = read_last_used_profile(user_data_dir) {
+            if let Some(p) = profiles.iter().find(|p| p.directory == lu) {
+                return Ok(p.directory.clone());
+            }
+        }
+        if let Some(p) = profiles.iter().find(|p| p.directory == "Default") {
+            return Ok(p.directory.clone());
+        }
+        return Ok(profiles[0].directory.clone());
+    }
+
     // Tier 1: exact directory name match
     if let Some(p) = profiles.iter().find(|p| p.directory == input) {
         return Ok(p.directory.clone());
@@ -1673,6 +1700,44 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!is_chrome_profile_name("relative/path"));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_resolve_chrome_profile_auto_prefers_last_used() {
+        let tmp = std::env::temp_dir().join("ab-auto-lastused-test");
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&tmp);
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&tmp).unwrap();
+        let local_state = serde_json::json!({
+            "profile": {
+                "last_used": "Profile 2",
+                "info_cache": { "Default": {"name": "Person 1"}, "Profile 2": {"name": "Work"} }
+            }
+        });
+        std::fs::write(
+            tmp.join("Local State"),
+            serde_json::to_string(&local_state).unwrap(),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(resolve_chrome_profile(&tmp, "auto").unwrap(), "Profile 2");
+        assert_eq!(resolve_chrome_profile(&tmp, "AUTO").unwrap(), "Profile 2");
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&tmp);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_resolve_chrome_profile_auto_falls_back_to_default() {
+        let tmp = std::env::temp_dir().join("ab-auto-default-test");
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&tmp);
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&tmp).unwrap();
+        let local_state = serde_json::json!({
+            "profile": { "info_cache": { "Default": {"name": "Person 1"}, "Profile 2": {"name": "Work"} } }
+        });
+        std::fs::write(
+            tmp.join("Local State"),
+            serde_json::to_string(&local_state).unwrap(),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(resolve_chrome_profile(&tmp, "auto").unwrap(), "Default");
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&tmp);
+    }
+
     /// Helper to create a fake Chrome user-data dir with a `Local State` file.
     fn create_fake_local_state(base: &Path, profiles: &[(&str, &str)]) {
         let mut info_cache = serde_json::Map::new();