Browser
LanMate operates web pages through the built-in browser skill lanmate-browser-use, with three backends:
| Mode | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Built-in browser (default) | The “Browser” tab in the right panel — you and LanMate look at the same page |
| External Chrome (extension bridge) | When you need to reuse your real Chrome’s login state, extensions, and fingerprint |
| Playwright standalone Chromium | When you need a clean environment, network interception, or a separate window; it is usually not preinstalled on your machine, so availability is not guaranteed |
Built-in Browser
Open it from the “Browser” tab in the right panel. Each tab runs independently and shares lanmate-browser login state with the main window. When LanMate opens a page it locks the browser automatically, so you can watch its actions in real time; click “Unlock control” at the bottom to take over at any point.
How it “sees” a page
It doesn’t screenshot right away. It works from cheapest to most expensive:
- Semantic snapshot: returns the page structure tree and interactive elements, each with an
@eNreference (such as@e7) - Body text / links / images: fetched directly when only content is needed
- Console logs: check logs first for page errors, blank screens, and failed requests
- Screenshot: only when layout, images, or Canvas mean the picture itself has to be seen
Operate elements by @eN reference first, never by guessing CSS selectors. After navigation or DOM changes old references become invalid, so take a new snapshot.
When you need to take over
For steps only a human can do — CAPTCHAs, sign-in, SMS codes, payment confirmation — LanMate calls request_help: the browser unlocks automatically and a prompt bar appears. Once you’re done it continues. You can also set a completion condition (for example, the URL contains /dashboard after login) and it picks up as soon as the condition is met.
External Chrome extension
Settings → Extensions → Browser, turn on “Allow controlling external browser”, then install and connect the companion Chrome extension:
- Open the extensions management page
- Load the local plugin folder
- The extension connects to LanMate on this machine
Once connected, requests from built-in mode route automatically to your real Chrome and reuse its login state. From extension 0.3.0, clicks, hovers, and key presses use real CDP input; the first time, Chrome shows a “being debugged” bar.
“Connected” and “routing allowed” are two different things: if the extension is installed and connected but the settings switch is off, the status shows connected but not allowed.
Security settings
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Allow JavaScript execution | Off | JavaScript injection is only allowed once enabled; sites with strict CSP fall back to CDP |
| Site approval | On | First visits need approval; from 1.0.1 approval is remembered per site (host) |
| Default browser for tasks | Built-in | Can be switched to external Chrome |
| Restrict channel tool file access | On | Channel tools can only access files inside the current working directory |
Security red lines:
- Never run scripts to read cookies, tokens, or passwords on banking, SSO sign-in, or password manager pages
- Password field values in snapshots are automatically masked as
[redacted]; do not try to bypass this - Never write login cookies or storage into the conversation or into files
Where downloaded files go
Downloads in the built-in browser are saved automatically into the current session’s workspace and can be previewed directly in the artifacts panel; sessions that can’t resolve a safe directory keep the system save dialog.
Example
Open the company OA system and export this month's attendance recordsLanMate opens the built-in browser → navigates to the OA → hands control to you when sign-in is needed → finds the attendance page → clicks export.