> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.browseract.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Quick Start
> Get your first result in 60 seconds with extraction or a full browser session.
There are two fast paths:
* Use `stealth-extract` when you only need to read page content.
* Use a browser session when you need to click, type, log in, or inspect state between steps.
Use `stealth-extract` for JS-rendered pages, protected content, and one-off collection.
Open a browser session, inspect page state, and interact with elements by index.
## Path A: extract content
Use this when basic fetchers cannot handle JavaScript rendering, anti-bot checks, or region restrictions:
```bash theme={null}
browser-act stealth-extract https://example.com
```
The command opens a stealth browser, waits for the page to render, returns content as Markdown, and closes the browser. You do not need to manage a browser or session.
Common options:
```bash theme={null}
# Return HTML instead of Markdown
browser-act stealth-extract https://example.com --content-type html
# Use a dynamic proxy for a specific region
browser-act stealth-extract https://example.com --dynamic-proxy JP
# Save the result to a file
browser-act stealth-extract https://example.com --output ./page.md
```
Use this path for protected content, batch collection, and information retrieval. See [Anti-detection & Blocking](/agent-cli/anti-detection-blocking).
## Path B: automate a browser
Use this path when the task requires interaction.
```bash theme={null}
# 1. List available browsers
browser-act browser list
# 2. Open a browser and start a named session
browser-act --session my-task browser open https://example.com
# 3. Read the current page state
browser-act --session my-task state
# 4. Interact with elements by index
browser-act --session my-task click 4
browser-act --session my-task input 2 "hello@example.com"
# 5. Close the session when finished
browser-act session close my-task
```
## The core loop
1. **Open** a page with `browser open`.
2. **Read state** to see the current URL, title, and indexed elements.
3. **Interact** with `click`, `input`, `select`, and related commands.
4. **Read state again** after the page changes.
5. Repeat until the task is complete.
6. **Close** the session.
## Understand `state`
`state` is the agent's view of the page. It returns compact text with indexed elements:
```text theme={null}
url=https://example.com/login
title=Login
*[1]
*[2]
*[3]
*[4]
Sign In
*[5]
Forgot password?
```
Each `[N]` is an element index:
```bash theme={null}
browser-act --session login input 2 "user@example.com"
browser-act --session login input 3 "password123"
browser-act --session login click 4
```
Indexes can change after navigation, page updates, or DOM changes. Call `state` again before acting on a changed page.
## Chain commands carefully
> \[!TIP]
> Chain commands only when each step is independent. If the next action depends on page output, run `state` first and decide from the result.
Use `&&` for independent steps:
```bash theme={null}
browser-act --session s1 input 2 "user" && \
browser-act --session s1 input 3 "pass" && \
browser-act --session s1 click 4
```
Run commands separately when the next action depends on intermediate output, such as reading `state` before choosing what to click.
## Learn more
Pick Chrome, chrome-direct, stealth privacy, or stealth fixed identity.
Use stealth, CAPTCHA solving, proxy options, and remote handoff.
Keep browser work headless while preserving stealth and handoff.
Separate browsers, sessions, accounts, and one-off jobs.
Open the full CLI command index.
Turn a successful exploration into a reusable scraping skill.