aside-browser

Aside Browser

Aside is an AI browser. Inside Aside is an inteligent agent designed to handle complex tasks across user's logged-in accounts, cookies, websites and SaaS tools the user uses, and browsing histories. Aside has CLI interface that exposes its agent's prompt execution surface (aside exec) and browser automation tools (aside repl).

There are two ways of controlling Aside:

• aside exec spawns Aside's agent session. think of it like spawning subagent. Use when you need to work across user's logged-in accounts, apps (e.g. Slack, X, LinkedIn, etc.), memory, and browsing history.
• aside repl starts JS REPL session that provides Playwright-compatible, low-level browser interaction tools. Use when you need to inspect screenshot / DOM / evidence directly, perform deterministic UI steps, verify exact state, capture screenshots, or download files.

Choose the Surface

• Whole-task delegation to Aside's autonomous browser agent: aside exec.
• Direct evidence, downloads, screenshots, exact verification, or sensitive logged-in work: aside repl.

Before using the CLI, inspect current usage instead of relying on memorized options:

aside --help
aside exec --help
aside repl --help

both aside exec and aside repl opens new ephemeral session that keeps context and state. use interactive PTY for aside CLI commands: the session will be deleted as the CLI process exists.

exec usages

Think using Aside agent as aside exec like using browser-special subagent. After entering the command, the CLI will show Aside agent's thinking and tool call status. poll it and watch it. give user status update around every 60 seconds. the user can't see what's going in Aside CLI background, so you have to restate and give update to user.

REPL Usages

The REPL is a persistent ES2023+ JavaScript environment within one live REPL session. Top-level const and let bindings persist, so use fresh variable names.

Available globals:

• page: current Playwright-like Page.
• tabs: open pages in this REPL session.
• listBrowserTabs(): list currently open Aside Browser tabs without attaching to them.
• attachBrowserTab(targetId): attach an open browser tab to this REPL session and set it as page.
• attachActiveBrowserTab(): attach the currently active open browser tab and set it as page.
• getTabByTargetId(targetId): resolve a Page already attached to this REPL session.
• openTab(url): open a tab, wait until interactive, and update page and tabs.
• closeTab(tab): close a tab and update page and tabs.
• snapshot(page, options?): primary page-reading API; returns { tree, diff }.
• annotatedScreenshot(page), page.screenshot(): visual verification.
• page.pdf(options?): print the current page to PDF; save user-visible PDFs under ./artifacts/, e.g. await page.pdf({ path: './artifacts/page.pdf', format: 'A4' }).
• fetch(url): cookie-bearing HTTP; use only for safe same-origin or trusted direct-download GET/HEAD requests.
• fs, path, Buffer, sleep, display, pwd.