chore(release): 0.27.0-fork.40 — no consent-dialog fallback when extension is installed

Root cause of the recurring "Allow remote debugging?" dialog: when the ab-connect
relay was momentarily down (MV3 service worker drops the relay-url file across a
Chrome restart / idle wake), auto_connect_cdp silently fell through to the raw
:9222 DevToolsActivePort path — which pops Chrome 136+'s consent modal, the exact
thing the extension exists to avoid. Even a relay-aware build hit this if it
connected during the blip.

Fix: if the native-messaging host is installed (connect::host_installed() — the
durable signal that the user chose the extension path), auto_connect retries the
relay for ~5s while the SW reconnects, and then ERRORS with an actionable message
instead of attaching to a raw debug port. The raw :9222 path now runs only when
no extension is set up (where the dialog is expected). `--cdp <port>` still forces
the raw path explicitly.

cli/Cargo.lock

@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "agent-browser-stealth"
-version = "0.27.0-fork.39"
+version = "0.27.0-fork.40"
 dependencies = [
  "aes-gcm",
  "async-trait",

cli/Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "agent-browser-stealth"
-version = "0.27.0-fork.39"
+version = "0.27.0-fork.40"
 edition = "2021"
 description = "Fast browser automation CLI for AI agents"
 license = "Apache-2.0"

cli/src/connect.rs

@@ -344,6 +344,19 @@ fn host_manifest_path_for_chrome() -> Option<PathBuf> {
         })
 }
 
+/// True if the ab-connect native-messaging host manifest is present — i.e. the
+/// user has set up the extension path. When installed, auto-connect treats the
+/// dialog-free extension relay as the *intended* transport and refuses to fall
+/// back to a raw debug port (which would pop Chrome 136+'s "Allow remote
+/// debugging?" consent modal). The relay-url file comes and goes with the
+/// service worker; this manifest is the durable signal that the extension is
+/// the chosen path.
+pub fn host_installed() -> bool {
+    native_messaging_dirs()
+        .into_iter()
+        .any(|d| d.join(format!("{HOST_NAME}.json")).exists())
+}
+
 fn report(json: bool, ok: bool, msg: &str) {
     if json {
         println!(

cli/src/native/cdp/chrome.rs

@@ -783,14 +783,40 @@ pub async fn auto_connect_cdp() -> Result<String, String> {
     // / :9222 probes below: if the user's Chrome happens to also be listening on a
     // debug port, attaching there would pop the consent dialog and defeat the
     // whole zero-interaction extension path.
-    if let Some(relay) = crate::connect::relay_url() {
-        // The relay is a local CDP-over-WS endpoint we connect to like Chrome.
-        // A bare TCP liveness check (no WS upgrade) confirms it is actually
-        // accepting before we commit, mirroring the consent-free probe used for
-        // DevToolsActivePort.
-        if relay_is_live(&relay).await {
-            return Ok(relay);
+    // If the extension is installed, it is the *intended* transport. The relay
+    // URL file comes and goes with the MV3 service worker (a Chrome restart or an
+    // idle SW briefly drops it), so a single failed probe doesn't mean "no
+    // extension" — retry for a few seconds while it reconnects. Crucially, when
+    // the extension is set up we must NEVER fall through to the raw :9222 path
+    // below: that pops Chrome 136+'s "Allow remote debugging?" dialog, the exact
+    // thing the extension exists to avoid.
+    let host_installed = crate::connect::host_installed();
+    let relay_attempts = if host_installed { 10 } else { 1 };
+    for attempt in 0..relay_attempts {
+        if let Some(relay) = crate::connect::relay_url() {
+            // The relay is a local CDP-over-WS endpoint we connect to like Chrome.
+            // A bare TCP liveness check (no WS upgrade) confirms it is actually
+            // accepting before we commit, mirroring the consent-free probe used
+            // for DevToolsActivePort.
+            if relay_is_live(&relay).await {
+                return Ok(relay);
+            }
         }
+        if host_installed && attempt + 1 < relay_attempts {
+            tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(500)).await;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if host_installed {
+        return Err(
+            "The agent-browser-stealth extension is installed, but its relay \
+             isn't connected right now. Wake it up — click the extension's \
+             toolbar icon, or reload it at chrome://extensions — then retry. \
+             (agent-browser will not attach to a raw --remote-debugging-port \
+             while the extension is set up, because that pops Chrome's \"Allow \
+             remote debugging?\" dialog. Use --cdp <port> to force the raw path.)"
+                .to_string(),
+        );
     }
 
     let user_data_dirs = get_chrome_user_data_dirs();

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "agent-browser-stealth",
-  "version": "0.27.0-fork.39",
+  "version": "0.27.0-fork.40",
   "description": "Browser automation CLI for AI agents — stealth fork with anti-detection",
   "type": "module",
   "packageManager": "pnpm@11.1.3",