Files
chrome-use/skills/agent-browser/references/authentication.md
T
Yonatan f74924cd0c feat(skills): Add hierarchical structure with references and templates (#157)
* feat(skills): Add hierarchical structure with references and templates

Adds modular documentation and executable templates to the agent-browser skill
for better AI agent consumption and progressive disclosure.

## Added

### References (deep-dive documentation)
- `references/snapshot-refs.md` - Ref lifecycle, invalidation, troubleshooting
- `references/session-management.md` - Parallel sessions, state persistence
- `references/authentication.md` - Login flows, OAuth, 2FA patterns
- `references/video-recording.md` - Recording for debugging/docs
- `references/proxy-support.md` - Proxy configuration, geo-testing

### Templates (ready-to-use workflows)
- `templates/form-automation.sh` - Form filling with validation
- `templates/authenticated-session.sh` - Login once, reuse state
- `templates/capture-workflow.sh` - Content extraction with screenshots

## Modified
- `SKILL.md` - Added reference tables linking to new documentation

## Benefits
- Progressive disclosure: Load overview first, deep dives on demand
- Reduced context: Smaller chunks for better LLM token efficiency
- Ready workflows: Copy-paste templates for common patterns

* fix(templates): Make authenticated-session.sh runnable out-of-box

Addresses review feedback: login actions were commented but verification
wasn't, causing script to fail when run as-is.

New approach:
- DISCOVERY MODE runs first (shows form structure)
- LOGIN FLOW section is fully commented as a unit
- User runs once to see refs, then customizes

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LOGIN FORM STRUCTURE                                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ @e1 [input type="email"]                                    │
│ @e2 [input type="password"]                                 │
│ @e3 [button] "Sign In"                                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
2026-01-22 10:26:31 -06:00

4.3 KiB

Authentication Patterns

Patterns for handling login flows, session persistence, and authenticated browsing.

Basic Login Flow

# Navigate to login page
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/login
agent-browser wait --load networkidle

# Get form elements
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Output: @e1 [input type="email"], @e2 [input type="password"], @e3 [button] "Sign In"

# Fill credentials
agent-browser fill @e1 "user@example.com"
agent-browser fill @e2 "password123"

# Submit
agent-browser click @e3
agent-browser wait --load networkidle

# Verify login succeeded
agent-browser get url  # Should be dashboard, not login

Saving Authentication State

After logging in, save state for reuse:

# Login first (see above)
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/login
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser fill @e1 "user@example.com"
agent-browser fill @e2 "password123"
agent-browser click @e3
agent-browser wait --url "**/dashboard"

# Save authenticated state
agent-browser state save ./auth-state.json

Restoring Authentication

Skip login by loading saved state:

# Load saved auth state
agent-browser state load ./auth-state.json

# Navigate directly to protected page
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/dashboard

# Verify authenticated
agent-browser snapshot -i

OAuth / SSO Flows

For OAuth redirects:

# Start OAuth flow
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/auth/google

# Handle redirects automatically
agent-browser wait --url "**/accounts.google.com**"
agent-browser snapshot -i

# Fill Google credentials
agent-browser fill @e1 "user@gmail.com"
agent-browser click @e2  # Next button
agent-browser wait 2000
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser fill @e3 "password"
agent-browser click @e4  # Sign in

# Wait for redirect back
agent-browser wait --url "**/app.example.com**"
agent-browser state save ./oauth-state.json

Two-Factor Authentication

Handle 2FA with manual intervention:

# Login with credentials
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/login --headed  # Show browser
agent-browser snapshot -i
agent-browser fill @e1 "user@example.com"
agent-browser fill @e2 "password123"
agent-browser click @e3

# Wait for user to complete 2FA manually
echo "Complete 2FA in the browser window..."
agent-browser wait --url "**/dashboard" --timeout 120000

# Save state after 2FA
agent-browser state save ./2fa-state.json

HTTP Basic Auth

For sites using HTTP Basic Authentication:

# Set credentials before navigation
agent-browser set credentials username password

# Navigate to protected resource
agent-browser open https://protected.example.com/api

Manually set authentication cookies:

# Set auth cookie
agent-browser cookies set session_token "abc123xyz"

# Navigate to protected page
agent-browser open https://app.example.com/dashboard

Token Refresh Handling

For sessions with expiring tokens:

#!/bin/bash
# Wrapper that handles token refresh

STATE_FILE="./auth-state.json"

# Try loading existing state
if [[ -f "$STATE_FILE" ]]; then
    agent-browser state load "$STATE_FILE"
    agent-browser open https://app.example.com/dashboard

    # Check if session is still valid
    URL=$(agent-browser get url)
    if [[ "$URL" == *"/login"* ]]; then
        echo "Session expired, re-authenticating..."
        # Perform fresh login
        agent-browser snapshot -i
        agent-browser fill @e1 "$USERNAME"
        agent-browser fill @e2 "$PASSWORD"
        agent-browser click @e3
        agent-browser wait --url "**/dashboard"
        agent-browser state save "$STATE_FILE"
    fi
else
    # First-time login
    agent-browser open https://app.example.com/login
    # ... login flow ...
fi

Security Best Practices

  1. Never commit state files - They contain session tokens

    echo "*.auth-state.json" >> .gitignore
    
  2. Use environment variables for credentials

    agent-browser fill @e1 "$APP_USERNAME"
    agent-browser fill @e2 "$APP_PASSWORD"
    
  3. Clean up after automation

    agent-browser cookies clear
    rm -f ./auth-state.json
    
  4. Use short-lived sessions for CI/CD

    # Don't persist state in CI
    agent-browser open https://app.example.com/login
    # ... login and perform actions ...
    agent-browser close  # Session ends, nothing persisted