Overview
hive.browser-automation is an open-source workflow skill for Claude Code and compatible agents, published by aden-hive. Its author describes it as: “Required before any hive-browser CLI command. The browser is driven from the terminal by running `hive-browser <command> ... --json` via terminal_exec — not via MCP tools. Teaches the browser lifecycle rules (the brid…”. The project has 11k stars on GitHub and is available under the Apache-2.0 license. Add it to your setup with `git clone https://github.com/aden-hive/hive ~/.claude/skills/browser-automation`.
What hive.browser-automation does
All GCU browser automation drives a real Chrome instance through the Beeline extension and Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP). You drive it **from the terminal**: every command is `hive-browser ... --json`, run through `terminal_exec`. Always pass `--json` so the result is machine-readable. That means clicks, keystrokes, and screenshots are processed by the actual browser's native hit testing, focus, and layout engines — **not** a synthetic event layer. Understanding this unlocks strategies that make hard sites easy.
Best for
What’s inside
The SKILL.md for hive.browser-automation is organised into these sections:
- Browser lifecycle & recovery — read this before "fixing" anything
- Targeting a specific Chrome profile / account
- Working on LinkedIn?
- Coordinates
- Screenshot + coordinates is shadow-agnostic — prefer it on shadow-heavy sites
- Recommended workflow on shadow-heavy sites
- The click→type loop (canonical pattern)
- Empirically verified (2026-04-11)
- Shadow-piercing selectors
- Navigation and waiting
- The basics
- Timing expectations (measured against real sites)
Installation
Add hive.browser-automation to your agent with:
git clone https://github.com/aden-hive/hive ~/.claude/skills/browser-automationReview a skill’s source before installing it — skills can instruct your agent to run commands. This command comes from the skill’s public repository, which is the source of truth for setup steps. New to skills? Read how to install Claude Code skills.
Supported agents
Neither the skill nor its repository names a specific agent. It uses the SKILL.md format, which several agents can load — check the repository for any agent-specific requirements.
License
hive.browser-automation is published under the Apache-2.0 license.
Strengths
- Clear Apache-2.0 license — safe to read and adapt within its terms
- Ships in aden-hive/hive, an established project with 10,923 GitHub stars
- Actively maintained — repository updated in the last 90 days
Author
Topics
Frequently asked questions
- What does hive.browser-automation do?
- Required before any hive-browser CLI command. The browser is driven from the terminal by running `hive-browser <command> ... --json` via terminal_exec — not via MCP tools. Teaches the browser lifecycle rules (the bridge attaches to the USER'S running Chrome — never kill or launch browser processes; timeouts are transport issues, not crashes), the screenshot + coordinate workflow (hive-browser interact with a fractional coordinate) that reaches shadow-DOM inputs selectors can't see, the viewport-fraction coordinate rule (not pixels), rich-text editor quirks ("send button stays disabled" failures), and CSP gotchas. Covers Chrome via CDP through the GCU Beeline extension.
- How do I install hive.browser-automation?
- Run git clone https://github.com/aden-hive/hive ~/.claude/skills/browser-automation in your agent, then reload your skills. Review the source at https://github.com/aden-hive/hive before installing.
- Is hive.browser-automation free to use?
- Yes. hive.browser-automation is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license, so you can read, run, and adapt it within that license's terms.
- Where does hive.browser-automation come from?
- hive.browser-automation ships inside aden-hive/hive, a repository that contains 25 catalogued skills in total. The repository's 10,923 GitHub stars apply to that whole collection, not to this skill on its own.