Get started

v2026.8.1: Browser and Computer Use

OpenClaw can now use signed-in browser sessions through an isolated managed profile or the exact Chrome tabs you choose to share. On macOS, supported cookies can be imported locally or synced to a remote managed browser for an allowlist of sites you choose, while the official Chrome extension keeps live access scoped to shared tabs. Browser actions, downloads, and desktop input also stay attached to their intended tab, page state, and machine, with cancellation and timeouts reaching more of the local and remote work they own.

Computer Use can work with supported apps and windows on paired Macs and explicitly enabled Windows machines, and the Desktop panel can open the machine that owns a session. Control still requires the applicable pairing, policy, and operating-system permissions, view-only sessions reject input, and Linux control remains experimental.

Browser setup

On a Mac, you can explicitly copy compatible cookies from Chrome, Brave, Edge, or Chromium into an isolated managed browser after approving Keychain or Touch ID access. If that browser runs on another OpenClaw machine, a separate opt-in sync can send cookies once or continuously for only the sites you allow. Neither path copies local storage or IndexedDB, and device-bound sessions can still ask you to sign in again.

For a browser you already have open, the Apps page now points to the official Chrome extension and the command line can prepare its local connection. You decide which tabs to share, each shared tab can have its own copilot, and sending a page, supported document or thread, or selected text to the main conversation is a one-time handoff rather than continuing access to the rest of your browser.

Sources and complete change list

Improvements

Open macOS dashboard links in a sidebar browser #102899
Add tabs to the macOS dashboard link browser #103438
Import Chrome-family cookies into managed browser profiles #104057
Add browser-login import to the macOS app #104177
Replace macOS cookie-import alerts with a dashboard banner #104591
Add secure per-tab Chrome copilot panels #109817
Send pages to the main session from the Chrome extension #111158
Add Puppeteer support to the Chrome extension relay #117915
Make the Chrome Web Store the primary extension action #123377
Sync Mac browser cookies to a remote Gateway profile #123494
Open external links in the docked Control UI browser #123912
Show managed Chrome graphics details in status and doctor #104291
Preserve browser identity in direct CDP diagnostics #104678
fix(browser): warn when Chrome extension version drifts after upgrades #119641

Bug fixes

Support native bootstrap for the official Chrome Web Store extension #124775
Fix Browser profiles with prototype-like names and custom state paths #101694
Make browser profile guidance respect configured defaults #102582
Preserve actionable browser no-display failures and headless recovery #102946
Fix macOS dashboard tab reuse and reordering #103464
Show the macOS cookie-import offer only when browsing #106255
Open macOS dashboard links at a useful width #107798
Detect Windows browsers when install roots are blank #111256
fix(browser): detect selected profile executable consistently #129394
fix(browser): native bootstrap stalls before replying #132212
Remove the gap above macOS link-browser tabs #103469
Restore host-local browser profile administration #104616
Skip unusable browsers during automatic discovery #111951
Return a failing exit status for unhealthy Browser doctor reports #116811
Resolve packaged Chrome extension assets in Browser Doctor #126279
fix(browser): reject non-decimal --wait-ms during extension install #130626
fix(browser): report native hosts with missing runtime targets #131907
fix(browser): avoid missing-directory diagnosis after native-host refusals #132891

Documentation

Document macOS cookie sync to a remote browser #123537
Correct Docker sandbox browser setup documentation #115254
Document mcporter Chrome relay auto-detection #118066
docs: declared local browser profiles must set cdpPort or cdpUrl #129923

Browsing and page actions

Navigation now returns a compact fresh view of the page for the next action, and snapshot references stay aligned with the content that appears in the final bounded snapshot. Multi-action batches pause after moving to a new document or closing a page so the next step can use fresh state, while new tabs can open in the background and the chosen locale, timezone, and device settings remain attached to the controlled page. Agents can also read bounded visible text, inspect recent network requests and uncaught page errors, and find matching controls in a snapshot without custom page evaluation. Page-controlled text and diagnostics remain untrusted, and existing-session profiles cannot collect the page-error log.

Command-line users can run a repeatable JSON plan against one tab, keep ordered results, and choose whether a failure stops the batch or allows the remaining actions to finish. The conversation can show the active tab's title, URL, and latest thumbnail, then open the matching page in the Browser panel while keeping its session profile and machine attached. Cancelled or timed-out downloads stop without claiming a later request's file or publishing unwanted partial output, although a download already in its final save can still finish.

Sources and complete change list

Improvements

Add batch browser actions to the CLI #111457
Make browser batches and snapshots safer to continue #113749
Add one-call Browser page question answering #113861
Add scoped and structured browser extraction #113938
Return compact page state after browser navigation #114814
feat(browser): agent requests/text/emulate + snapshot query, and inline browser-tab thumbnail cards #131592
feat(browser): expose the page errors action #131906
docs(browser): expose batch/doubleClick/scrollIntoView/labels in tool schema and docs #111381
Remove hidden model-backed Browser extraction #120101
improve(browser): speed up repeated DOM snapshot finalization #128036

Bug fixes

Let sequential browser actions finish within their budget #104659
Enforce final size budgets for browser role snapshots #104689
Open agent browser tabs without stealing focus #105356
Preserve browser locale, timezone, and device overrides #119695
Stop managed browser uploads from firing duplicate events #103777
Refresh browser targets after guarded actions #104094
Make browser file chooser uploads request-owned #105151
fix(browser): don't steal focus on headed screenshot captures #105393
Recognize mixed-case media types in web fetch #108230
Keep case-distinct web requests from sharing cached content #111281
Speed up extraction of large style-heavy webpages #115584
fix(browser): resolve agent dir for screenshot descriptions #121941
Stop cancelled browser downloads from capturing later files #124382
fix(ui): show browser inspection failures without attaching stale elements #128263
fix(browser): stop downloads hanging after their timeout #129899
fix(browser): restore new-element markers across snapshot requests #130220
fix(browser): accept common keyboard aliases #130401
fix(browser): preserve exact select option values #130410
fix(browser): hidden selectors prematurely complete waits #130508
fix(browser): preserve literal names and formatter-owned snapshot refs #130599
fix(browser): make snapshot refs work with quoted labels and frames #130623
fix(browser): stop reporting failed nested batches as successful #130809
fix(browser): resolve unnamed role refs and initialize AX markers #130881
fix(browser): click the first duplicate raw accessibility ref #130929
fix: cancel browser downloads when saving the output fails #131048
fix(browser): return selector no-match snapshots promptly #131441
fix(browser): keep the panel on the session browser profile #132159
Normalize local browser request paths #103727
Reject hexadecimal Browser click coordinates #104440
Normalize Browser geolocation permission origins #105092
Report the committed URL for newly opened browser tabs #111374
Keep highlighted words intact in DuckDuckGo results #111460
Prevent stale web fetches after User-Agent changes #111806
Preserve the Browser tool output schema during lazy registration #113925
fix(browser): bound batch action files #115882
Allow page extraction in tab-bound Browser Copilot runs #116779
Make browser screenshot sharing guidance capability-neutral #125597
fix(browser): keep inspection state independent of error wording #128625
fix(browser): stop cancelled downloads from publishing files #128651
fix(browser): keep action URLs out of Gateway transport #128870

Documentation

Clarify browser JSON flag placement #103155
[AI-assisted] docs(browser): teach the code-mode global call, not the removed tools.call API #128456

Computer Use

On a paired Mac, Computer Use can capture the desktop and work with supported apps, windows, and elements through pointer, keyboard, scroll, drag, and wait actions. Settings now shows the selected provider, Accessibility and Screen Recording state, and whether its supporting service is ready. Using those controls still requires pairing, the applicable command and tool policy, required arming, and the macOS permissions OpenClaw reports but cannot grant.

Explicitly enabled Windows machines now use the packaged Computer Use driver without a separately installed service. Linux uses the packaged route too and remains experimental, with complete live click-and-type behavior still unverified in this release. Codex Computer Use remains a separate macOS integration with its own readiness and recovery checks.

The Desktop panel can show the main OpenClaw machine, a Labs headless Linux desktop, or an explicitly enabled paired Mac, Windows, or Linux machine, and session buttons can open the computer that owns the work. Paired streaming is off by default, and view-only sessions keep keyboard, pointer, and clipboard input blocked.

Sources and complete change list

Improvements

Control paired Mac desktops with the computer tool #102776
Add live readiness and recovery for Codex Computer Use #103331
Let agents arrange the Control UI with a screen tool #108737
Add experimental Windows and Linux computer control #112267
Enable macOS Computer Control by default with clearer permission diagnostics #115280
Replace the CUA daemon with the packaged Driver SDK #117205
View the Gateway machine in the Desktop panel #122545
Manage a headless Linux host desktop #122677
View paired node desktops in the Control UI #122724
Add fullscreen mode to the Desktop preview #123278
Adopt Peekaboo's checked runtime for macOS Computer Control #123420
Add background window and element control to the Windows and Linux computer tool #123604
Add an embedded CUA computer-control provider to macOS #123635
Add native Peekaboo support for computer.act v2 #123801
Show Computer Control readiness in Settings #124093
Update macOS Peekaboo to 3.9.0 #104398
Gate Peekaboo Bridge on Computer Control #106531
perf(computer): stop resending unchanged computer-use screenshots #129924
Package a portable macOS elevation-host installer #123675

Bug fixes

Restore Codex Computer Use with current ChatGPT desktop resources #103470
Stop repeated Computer Use readiness stalls #113393
Open each mobile session's own desktop #123412
Verify CUA driver artifacts on Windows and Linux nodes #123986
Fix macOS background computer use and add a live proof rig #123991
Repair Computer Use driver verification and post-approval capabilities #124128
Align computer-use reference lifecycles across providers #124374
Restore desktop computer control when CUA is active #124863
Refresh stale isolated Computer Use bundles #126080
Unblock Codex Computer Use after installation #126699
fix(gateway): restore view-only macOS desktop observation #128306
fix(cloud): bind computer control to session desktops #132374
Let Codex start with computer control enabled #102944
Prevent stalled process inspection from blocking Codex Computer Use #109091
Keep view-only Cloud Worker Desktops connected #121256
Open the current session desktop directly #122992
Make the macOS CUA driver handoff atomic #123845
Initialize CUA resources on first use #124156
Allow tested newer Codex Desktop app-servers #125883
Resolve the ESM-only CUA driver during artifact checks #126120
fix(codex): allow computer reuse across completed runs #126399
fix(codex): keep Computer Use working after desktop updates #127778
fix(codex): restore Computer Use after marketplace source upgrades #129551
fix(ui): Desktop does not follow the chat session machine #132255
fix(computer): keep observations available during recovery #133188
fix(cua-computer): return zoom images to the model #133266
Load the CUA computer driver on Windows and Linux nodes #120169
Preserve legacy CUA driverPath compatibility #120502
Accept noVNC extended clipboard framing #121276
Pin the macOS companion to finalized Peekaboo 4.2.1 #125208
Keep newer Codex Desktop app-servers eligible #126450
Restore screen for exact tool allowlists #126691
fix(macos): avoid publishing retired CUA startup endpoints #131905

Documentation

Refresh native translations for Peekaboo Bridge guidance #106543
Refresh cua-driver platform and MCP tool documentation 78b49f3
Add cua-computer troubleshooting guidance #112502
Fix the Windows and Linux Computer Use section link #123892
Clarify the computer-use authorization boundary #124355
Refresh release baselines and CUA Computer platform docs #125586

Remote screens and devices

OpenClaw now keeps browser and computer work on the explicitly selected eligible paired machine. A disconnected, ambiguous, or ineligible selector returns an actionable error for that device, while unpinned automatic browser routing can still use the main machine when policy permits.

Browser uploads and downloads can move between the main machine and a remote Browser node without a shared filesystem, and completed downloads return as readable local files. Terminal uploads can place safely quoted remote paths into the active shell without pressing Enter. Transfer size and authorization limits remain in force, malformed screenshots and Canvas data stop before dispatch, and Android accessibility control remains an opt-in local foundation for third-party builds that a Gateway or agent cannot invoke yet.

Sources and complete change list

Improvements

Upload files directly into Control UI terminals #107364
Add terminal upload progress, retry, and cancel controls #107789
Select computer-use nodes by capability #112107
Add an opt-in Android accessibility UI executor #112232

Bug fixes

Restore Android Canvas presentation across the app #103330
Restore scoped Gateway-hosted Canvas on macOS #105336
Honor configured browser node pins across routes #117087
Make browser node-host downloads usable from the Gateway #103328
Resolve Unicode browser node display names consistently #103548
Reject invalid Canvas A2UI JSONL before device dispatch #103713
Preserve identity for approved local node commands #103886
Stop advertising disabled browser proxies on headless nodes #103894
Let approved commands run on macOS allowlist nodes #104337
Reject oversized directory transfers during preflight #106293
Make timed iOS reminders notify at their due time #106376
Preserve startup keystrokes and harden remote terminal sessions #107214
Keep embedded terminals connected during heavy output #107348
Prevent computer control from targeting the wrong paired node #112503
Make uploads work with remote browser nodes #115291
Stop browser node discovery when a turn is cancelled #124880
Restore static plugin commands on headless node hosts #127043
Clarify malformed nodes invoke parameter errors #101838
Return basename-only Agent Core file names on Windows #102813
Reject malformed Canvas snapshot data #108987
Deliver title-only and body-only node notifications #113747
Reject malformed computer-use screenshots early #114392

Documentation

Add a complete guide to iPhone HealthKit summaries 8a375c4
Correct macOS node command documentation #103878
Correct the system.which node examples #103960

Browser Targeting, Privacy, and Timeouts

Tab handles, page references, screenshots, and desktop actions now remain bound to the tab, page, display, request, and provider that created them. Stale or ambiguous state stops with an error, cancellation and timeouts reach more of the local and remote work they own, and relay reconnects restore only tabs that are still shared.

Remote browser connections are validated and remain pinned to their configured endpoint, connection credentials are redacted on the supported paths, and page-controlled text enters model context as untrusted input. Browser and Canvas screenshots remain available to the inspecting agent but are no longer attached automatically to outbound replies. Cleanup stays limited to browsers and tabs OpenClaw owns, and older extension clients may need an upgrade or fresh pairing for the newer relay protections.

Sources and complete change list

Improvements

Add Browser Relay Authentication v2 #120526
Allow one browser-tool retry after transient failures #110607
Keep Browser upload cleanup lazy at Gateway startup #126136
fix(browser): load Playwright runtime on demand #127049
Diagnose web fetch proxy settings that remain inactive #109778

Bug fixes

Protect credentials for authenticated remote browser connections #103139
Prevent stale or replayed desktop actions #103422
Prevent stale browser profile starts from resurrecting after cleanup #104601
Keep browser tools usable when one shared tab hangs #113921
Pin guarded Browser CDP sockets to validated endpoints #114506
Protect Browser and Canvas observation privacy boundaries #118775
Show browser pairing and tab-sharing failures #119526
Harden Chrome extension relay pairing and tab consent #120390
Classify Computer Use action risk before node dispatch #124112
Cancel local browser actions with stopped agent turns #124795
fix(browser): restore MCP page creation through the extension relay #132232
fix(browser): preserve shared Chrome tabs during tracing and reconnects #132485
Keep strict CDP discovery bound to the configured browser 7d0f9de
Keep Node 24 browser actions alive through request handling c0d99ed
Bound Chrome startup diagnostics without losing recovery hints #101506
Keep browser tab actions limited to real page targets #103115
Reject ambiguous browser tab references #103119
Prevent browser actions from targeting the wrong tab #103177
Honor evaluate timeouts for existing browser sessions #103181
Keep Gateway alive when managed Chrome cannot start #103243
Stop macOS computer typing when control is canceled #103528
Expire stale Chrome MCP tab and snapshot handles after reconnect #103576
Prevent stale browser handles from switching duplicate-URL tabs #103816
Reject unsafe Browser mutations before parsing JSON #104677
Apply Browser profile policy to tab URL redaction #104715
Keep parallel agent node calls authenticated #105143
Adopt browser tabs only after final policy validation #105301
Recover Chrome relay connections stuck during WebSocket opening #109114
Cancel browser tab discovery immediately #109617
fix(browser): stop agent-launched managed Chrome #109723
Clean up OpenClaw browser tabs after Gateway restart #110797
Retire tracked tabs whose browser never returns #111307
Close browser tabs after isolated agent runs #113566
Prevent the browser copilot popup from hanging when a tab closes #113744
Clean up failed browser navigation guards #113753
Keep Chrome page shares within field limits #113768
Keep stale Chrome copilot events out of active chat turns #113781
Show page-share failures when the browser relay disconnects #113803
Recover remote Browser nodes after startup failure #113926
Fix remote Browser node timeouts and cancellation isolation #114131
Restore managed browser snapshots behind a proxy #114546
Avoid Chrome extension relay port collisions #115592
Close browser probe connections after unread responses #115675
Keep Tab Copilot working after extension reloads #116784
Wake Browser page shares when periodic heartbeats are disabled #116790
Bound browser snapshot depth on deeply nested pages #119217
Honor browser navigation timeouts across both drivers #119654
Reject malformed browser extension relay frames #120283
fix(browser): cancel waiting profile operations promptly #120796
Recover stalled Chrome Copilot Gateway connections #120839
Attached Browser workers exit after CDP use #122103
Keep embedded browser tabs aligned with the displayed page #122128
Restore shared Chrome tabs after extension reconnects #122177
fix(browser): honor explicit snapshot timeout #124575
Bound browser and Canvas tool results #125126
Clean up Browser relays during Gateway shutdown #125176
Report Browser open navigation failures #125743
Recover managed Chromium launches from Linux zombie locks #125831
fix(browser): give a paired extension time to attach before declaring it offline #127761
perf(browser): reduce cold status process scans #128692
fix(browser): honor inherited timeouts across browser commands #129176
fix(browser): honor canonical action execution deadlines #130055
fix(browser): response body reads outlive their timeout #130386
fix(browser): avoid navigation timeouts during tab access renewal #131841
fix(browser): worker targets no longer crash the gateway #132419
fix(browser): preserve targets when relay clients share Chrome #132504
fix: isolate browser bindings and clipboard teardown #132878
fix(browser): prove post-action target continuity before adopting a tab (#110884) 91888cf
Return errors for malformed browser relay frames #102070
Keep remote CDP target discovery within its configured host #102328
Keep Chrome error-message tails valid UTF-8 #102543
Reject credential-bearing browser page URLs before dispatch #102952
Reject malformed computer-tool numeric inputs #103642
Reject invalid raw CDP tab targets before selecting them #104129
Stop duplicate watch result errors after malformed JSON #104293
Keep Chrome launch error hints Unicode-safe #104603
Bound browser control requests with the configured timeout #106497
Keep sandbox browser startup probes within the configured deadline #108670
Cancel Playwright click-and-hold delays promptly #109710
Reject malformed Firecrawl success envelopes #111210
Keep web-search provider errors valid at Unicode truncation boundaries #111327
Reject blank Tavily extract URLs locally #111333
Stop stalled Google Docs shares from hanging indefinitely #111633
Reject corrupted UTF-8 in Exa search responses #111736
Accept explicit SearXNG search endpoint URLs #113661
Prevent duplicate volatile browser tab closes #114507
Cancel browser status probes when requests stop #115534
Cancel stalled browser CDP handshakes promptly #115805
Return the actual committed Browser trace path #116702
Recover Browser Copilot state after failed Chrome writes #116882
Reclaim stalled browser extension relay connections #120806
Keep browser close results tied to the closed tab #124064
Preserve Chrome tabs when the last-tab close is refused #124449
Let the browser panel mount without ResizeObserver #125480
fix(browser): cancel pending CDP endpoint discovery #129410
fix(browser): stop hangs after modal dialog handling fails #129459
fix(browser): preserve response-body timeout diagnostics #129803
fix(browser): handle concurrent first-use extension pairing #130832
Close browser tabs left behind by cancelled opens #131125
fix(browser): avoid unnecessary runtime loading for CLI commands #132486

Was this useful?