real-browser-mcp: Skill for Codex

What I do

• Provide a safe, composable workflow for browsing tasks
• Use browser_query list and index selection to click reliably
• Confirm state changes after each action
• Support CLI-first debugging with codex-browser tool commands

Best-practice workflow

1. Inspect tabs with browser_get_tabs
2. Open new tabs with browser_open_tab when needed
3. Navigate with browser_navigate if needed
4. Wait for UI using browser_query with timeoutMs
5. Discover candidates using browser_query with mode=list
6. Click, type, or select using index
7. Confirm using browser_query or browser_snapshot

CLI-first debugging

• List all available tools: npx codex-browser tools
• Run one tool directly: npx codex-browser tool browser_status
• Pass JSON args: npx codex-browser tool browser_query --args '{"mode":"page_text"}'
• Run smoke test: npx codex-browser self-test
• After update, reload the unpacked extension in chrome://extensions

This path is useful for reproducing selector and scroll issues quickly before running a full Codex session.

Selecting options

• Use browser_select for native <select> elements
• Prefer value or label; use optionIndex when needed
• Example: browser_select({ selector: "select", value: "plugin" })

Query modes

• text: read visible text from a matched element
• value: read input values
• list: list many matches with text/metadata
• exists: check presence and count
• page_text: extract visible page text

Opening tabs

• Use browser_open_tab to create a new tab, optionally with url and active
• Example: browser_open_tab({ url: "https://example.com", active: false })

Troubleshooting

• If a selector fails, run browser_query with mode=page_text to confirm the content exists
• Use mode=list on broad selectors (button, a, *[role="button"], *[role="listitem"]) and choose by index
• For inbox or chat panes, try text selectors first (text:Subject line) then verify selection with browser_query
• For scrollable containers, pass both selector and x or y to browser_scroll and then verify scrollTop
• Confirm results after each action