'Launch GStack Browser — AI-controlled Chromium with the sidebar extension
Scanned 5/27/2026
Install via CLI
openskills install charlieviettq/awesome-agent-skill---
name: open-gstack-browser
description: 'Launch GStack Browser — AI-controlled Chromium with the sidebar extension
baked in. Opens a visible browser window where you can watch every action in real
time. The sidebar shows a live activity feed and chat. Anti-bot stealth built in.
Use when asked to "open gstack browser", "launch browser", "connect chrome", "open
chrome", "real browser", "launch chrome", "side panel", or "control my browser".
Voice triggers (speech-to-text aliases): "show me the browser".'
---
## Skill routing
When the user's request matches an available skill, invoke it via the Skill tool. When in doubt, invoke the skill.
Key routing rules:
- Product ideas/brainstorming → invoke /office-hours
- Strategy/scope → invoke /plan-ceo-review
- Architecture → invoke /plan-eng-review
- Design system/plan review → invoke /design-consultation or /plan-design-review
- Full review pipeline → invoke /autoplan
- Bugs/errors → invoke /investigate
- QA/testing site behavior → invoke /qa or /qa-only
- Code review/diff check → invoke /review
- Visual polish → invoke /design-review
- Ship/deploy/PR → invoke /ship or /land-and-deploy
- Save progress → invoke /context-save
- Resume context → invoke /context-restore
```
Then commit the change: `git add CLAUDE.md && git commit -m "chore: add gstack skill routing rules to CLAUDE.md"`
If B: run `~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config set routing_declined true` and say they can re-enable with `gstack-config set routing_declined false`.
This only happens once per project. Skip if `HAS_ROUTING` is `yes` or `ROUTING_DECLINED` is `true`.
If `VENDORED_GSTACK` is `yes`, warn once via AskUserQuestion unless `~/.gstack/.vendoring-warned-$SLUG` exists:
> This project has gstack vendored in `.claude/skills/gstack/`. Vendoring is deprecated.
> Migrate to team mode?
Options:
- A) Yes, migrate to team mode now
- B) No, I'll handle it myself
If A:
1. Run `git rm -r .claude/skills/gstack/`
2. Run `echo '.claude/skills/gstack/' >> .gitignore`
3. Run `~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-team-init required` (or `optional`)
4. Run `git add .claude/ .gitignore CLAUDE.md && git commit -m "chore: migrate gstack from vendored to team mode"`
5. Tell the user: "Done. Each developer now runs: `cd ~/.claude/skills/gstack && ./setup --team`"
If B: say "OK, you're on your own to keep the vendored copy up to date."
Always run (regardless of choice):
```bash
eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" 2>/dev/null || true
touch ~/.gstack/.vendoring-warned-${SLUG:-unknown}
```
If marker exists, skip.
If `SPAWNED_SESSION` is `"true"`, you are running inside a session spawned by an
AI orchestrator (e.g., OpenClaw). In spawned sessions:
- Do NOT use AskUserQuestion for interactive prompts. Auto-choose the recommended option.
- Do NOT run upgrade checks, telemetry prompts, routing injection, or lake intro.
- Focus on completing the task and reporting results via prose output.
- End with a completion report: what shipped, decisions made, anything uncertain.
## SETUP (run this check BEFORE any browse command)
```bash
_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)
B=""
[ -n "$_ROOT" ] && [ -x "$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/dist/browse" ] && B="$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/dist/browse"
[ -z "$B" ] && B="$HOME/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/dist/browse"
if [ -x "$B" ]; then
echo "READY: $B"
else
echo "NEEDS_SETUP"
fi
```
If `NEEDS_SETUP`:
1. Tell the user: "gstack browse needs a one-time build (~10 seconds). OK to proceed?" Then STOP and wait.
2. Run: `cd <SKILL_DIR> && ./setup`
3. If `bun` is not installed:
```bash
if ! command -v bun >/dev/null 2>&1; then
BUN_VERSION="1.3.10"
BUN_INSTALL_SHA="bab8acfb046aac8c72407bdcce903957665d655d7acaa3e11c7c4616beae68dd"
tmpfile=$(mktemp)
curl -fsSL "https://bun.sh/install" -o "$tmpfile"
actual_sha=$(shasum -a 256 "$tmpfile" | awk '{print $1}')
if [ "$actual_sha" != "$BUN_INSTALL_SHA" ]; then
echo "ERROR: bun install script checksum mismatch" >&2
echo " expected: $BUN_INSTALL_SHA" >&2
echo " got: $actual_sha" >&2
rm "$tmpfile"; exit 1
fi
BUN_VERSION="$BUN_VERSION" bash "$tmpfile"
rm "$tmpfile"
fi
```
## Step 0: Pre-flight cleanup
Before connecting, kill any stale browse servers and clean up lock files that
may have persisted from a crash. This prevents "already connected" false
positives and Chromium profile lock conflicts.
```bash
# Kill any existing browse server
if [ -f "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)/.gstack/browse.json" ]; then
_OLD_PID=$(cat "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.gstack/browse.json" 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"pid":[0-9]*' | grep -o '[0-9]*')
[ -n "$_OLD_PID" ] && kill "$_OLD_PID" 2>/dev/null || true
sleep 1
[ -n "$_OLD_PID" ] && kill -9 "$_OLD_PID" 2>/dev/null || true
rm -f "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.gstack/browse.json"
fi
# Clean Chromium profile locks (can persist after crashes)
_PROFILE_DIR="$HOME/.gstack/chromium-profile"
for _LF in SingletonLock SingletonSocket SingletonCookie; do
rm -f "$_PROFILE_DIR/$_LF" 2>/dev/null || true
done
echo "Pre-flight cleanup done"
```
## Step 1: Connect
```bash
$B connect
```
This launches GStack Browser (rebranded Chromium) in headed mode with:
- A visible window you can watch (not your regular Chrome — it stays untouched)
- The gstack sidebar extension auto-loaded via `launchPersistentContext`
- Anti-bot stealth patches (sites like Google and NYTimes work without captchas)
- Custom user agent and GStack Browser branding in Dock/menu bar
- A sidebar agent process for chat commands
The `connect` command auto-discovers the extension from the gstack install
directory. It always uses port **34567** so the extension can auto-connect.
After connecting, print the full output to the user. Confirm you see
`Mode: headed` in the output.
If the output shows an error or the mode is not `headed`, run `$B status` and
share the output with the user before proceeding.
## Step 2: Verify
```bash
$B status
```
Confirm the output shows `Mode: headed`. Read the port from the state file:
```bash
cat "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)/.gstack/browse.json" 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"port":[0-9]*' | grep -o '[0-9]*'
```
The port should be **34567**. If it's different, note it — the user may need it
for the Side Panel.
Also find the extension path so you can help the user if they need to load it manually:
```bash
_EXT_PATH=""
_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null)
[ -n "$_ROOT" ] && [ -f "$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack/extension/manifest.json" ] && _EXT_PATH="$_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack/extension"
[ -z "$_EXT_PATH" ] && [ -f "$HOME/.claude/skills/gstack/extension/manifest.json" ] && _EXT_PATH="$HOME/.claude/skills/gstack/extension"
echo "EXTENSION_PATH: ${_EXT_PATH:-NOT FOUND}"
```
## Step 3: Guide the user to the Side Panel
Use AskUserQuestion:
> Chrome is launched with gstack control. You should see Playwright's Chromium
> (not your regular Chrome) with a golden shimmer line at the top of the page.
>
> The Side Panel extension should be auto-loaded. To open it:
> 1. Look for the **puzzle piece icon** (Extensions) in the toolbar — it may
> already show the gstack icon if the extension loaded successfully
> 2. Click the **puzzle piece** → find **gstack browse** → click the **pin icon**
> 3. Click the pinned **gstack icon** in the toolbar
> 4. The Side Panel should open on the right showing a live activity feed
>
> **Port:** 34567 (auto-detected — the extension connects automatically in the
> Playwright-controlled Chrome).
Options:
- A) I can see the Side Panel — let's go!
- B) I can see Chrome but can't find the extension
- C) Something went wrong
If B: Tell the user:
> The extension is loaded into Playwright's Chromium at launch time, but
> sometimes it doesn't appear immediately. Try these steps:
>
> 1. Type `chrome://extensions` in the address bar
> 2. Look for **"gstack browse"** — it should be listed and enabled
> 3. If it's there but not pinned, go back to any page, click the puzzle piece
> icon, and pin it
> 4. If it's NOT listed at all, click **"Load unpacked"** and navigate to:
> - Press **Cmd+Shift+G** in the file picker dialog
> - Paste this path: `{EXTENSION_PATH}` (use the path from Step 2)
> - Click **Select**
>
> After loading, pin it and click the icon to open the Side Panel.
>
> If the Side Panel badge stays gray (disconnected), click the gstack icon
> and enter port **34567** manually.
If C:
1. Run `$B status` and show the output
2. If the server is not healthy, re-run Step 0 cleanup + Step 1 connect
3. If the server IS healthy but the browser isn't visible, try `$B focus`
4. If that fails, ask the user what they see (error message, blank screen, etc.)
## Step 4: Demo
After the user confirms the Side Panel is working, run a quick demo:
```bash
$B goto https://news.ycombinator.com
```
Wait 2 seconds, then:
```bash
$B snapshot -i
```
Tell the user: "Check the Side Panel — you should see the `goto` and `snapshot`
commands appear in the activity feed. Every command Claude runs shows up here
in real time."
## Step 5: Sidebar chat
After the activity feed demo, tell the user about the sidebar chat:
> The Side Panel also has a **chat tab**. Try typing a message like "take a
> snapshot and describe this page." A sidebar agent (a child Claude instance)
> executes your request in the browser — you'll see the commands appear in
> the activity feed as they happen.
>
> The sidebar agent can navigate pages, click buttons, fill forms, and read
> content. Each task gets up to 5 minutes. It runs in an isolated session, so
> it won't interfere with this Claude Code window.
## Step 6: What's next
Tell the user:
> You're all set! Here's what you can do with the connected Chrome:
>
> **Watch Claude work in real time:**
> - Run any gstack skill (`/qa`, `/design-review`, `/benchmark`) and watch
> every action happen in the visible Chrome window + Side Panel feed
> - No cookie import needed — the Playwright browser shares its own session
>
> **Control the browser directly:**
> - **Sidebar chat** — type natural language in the Side Panel and the sidebar
> agent executes it (e.g., "fill in the login form and submit")
> - **Browse commands** — `$B goto <url>`, `$B click <sel>`, `$B fill <sel> <val>`,
> `$B snapshot -i` — all visible in Chrome + Side Panel
>
> **Window management:**
> - `$B focus` — bring Chrome to the foreground anytime
> - `$B disconnect` — close headed Chrome and return to headless mode
>
> **What skills look like in headed mode:**
> - `/qa` runs its full test suite in the visible browser — you see every page
> load, every click, every assertion
> - `/design-review` takes screenshots in the real browser — same pixels you see
> - `/benchmark` measures performance in the headed browser
Then proceed with whatever the user asked to do. If they didn't specify a task,
ask what they'd like to test or browse.
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