Introduction to Browser Automation

So, you've decided to dive into the world of browser automation? That's awesome. In the current landscape of web development and data extraction, simply pinging an API or parsing static HTML isn't always enough. Websites are getting smarter, more dynamic, and often require real human-like interaction to cough up the data you need.

This is where browser automation with OpenClaw comes into play. If you're familiar with OpenClaw, you know it's a powerful browser automation framework for multi-channel automation. But the Browser Relay is the secret sauce that transforms it from a terminal-based tool to a full-fledged web automation solution—think of it as a modern Selenium alternative or Puppeteer alternative with enhanced capabilities.

Whether you're looking to implement web scraping behind complex login walls, automate repetitive form submissions, or perform automated testing on your web applications in a live environment, this guide has you covered. We'll strip away the jargon and focus on getting you up and running with headless browser automation in minutes.

Why does browser automation matter? Without a browser relay, your automation is often blind. The relay acts as the eyes and hands of your OpenClaw agents, allowing them to see what a user sees and interact with web elements just like a human would—perfect for modern web automation tools.

What is the OpenClaw Browser Relay? Understanding the Browser Automation Framework

Let's break this down into plain English. Think of the OpenClaw Gateway as the "brain." It processes your scripts, handles your sessions, and decides what needs to be done. However, the brain needs a way to actually touch the web.

The **Browser Relay** is that connection—a powerful browser automation framework. It uses the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) to talk directly to a Chromium-based browser, enabling headless browser control. When you send a command like "click that button," the Relay translates that into a language the browser understands via the CDP protocol, executes it, and sends the result back to your agent.

Know in detail about OpenClaw Browser Relay

CLI vs. Browser Relay Automation

CLI Automation

Fast and lightweight
Ideal for header-based API calls
Limited to non-JS rendered content
Lower resource usage

Browser Relay

Handles JavaScript perfectly
Interacts with dynamic UI elements
Bypasses simple bot detection
Visible (or headless) execution

In short, the relay is what makes "advanced" automation possible. It bridges the gap between raw data processing and visual web interaction.

Prerequisites

Before we start typing commands, let's make sure your environment is ready. You don't need a supercomputer, but a few basics are non-negotiable.

✔ Node.js (v22+): The runtime that powers OpenClaw. Make sure you have the latest LTS or stable version.
✔ Terminal Knowledge: You should be comfortable opening a command prompt or terminal and running basic commands.
✔ A Supported Browser: Chrome or any Chromium-based browser (like Edge or Brave) is required for the relay to hook into.
✔ Operating System: This guide works for Windows, macOS, and Linux. For Windows gamers/devs, WSL2 is highly recommended for the best experience.

Step 1: Install OpenClaw CLI

The first thing we need is the heart of the system—the OpenClaw CLI. This tool is what you'll use to manage your agents, start the gateway, and coordinate all your automation tasks. It's built on Node.js, so ensure you have that installed first (check our prerequisites section if you missed it).

Open your terminal and run the following command to install the CLI globally:

# Install OpenClaw globally
npm install -g openclaw@latest

Once the installation finishes, you'll want to run the onboarding wizard. This is a critical step because it sets up the necessary directories, default configurations, and internal daemons that OpenClaw needs to function reliably.

# Run the onboarding script
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Pro Tip: If you're on Windows and encounter permissions errors, try running your terminal as an Administrator. On macOS or Linux, you might need sudo depending on how your Node.js environment is configured.

To verify that everything is working, check the version:

openclaw --version

Step 2: Install the Browser Relay Package for Web Automation

Now that the main CLI is ready, we need the specific component that handles the browser connection. This package is responsible for spawning a Chromium instance with the correct debugging flags enabled.

Run the following command to add the relay capability to your local OpenClaw environment:

# Install the relay package
openclaw install relay

**What is happening here?** This command downloads the specific drivers and libraries needed to control a browser. It sets up a standard folder structure in your `~/.openclaw` directory, ensuring that you have a consistent environment for all your automation scripts.

The Folder Structure

After installation, you'll see a structure similar to this in your home directory:

📂 .openclaw/
├── 📂 config/ (Main settings)
├── 📂 relay/ (Relay drivers and binaries)
└── 📜 openclaw.json (Your main config file)

Step 3: Start the Browser Relay Server

With the relay installed, it's time to fire it up. The relay acts as a server that waits for commands from your OpenClaw agents. By default, it runs on port `18789`, but this is configurable.

To start the relay, run:

# Start the gateway with verbose logging
openclaw gateway --port 18789 --verbose

When you run this, you'll see logs scrolling through your terminal indicating that the Gateway is listening. This is the "Control Plane." It manages incoming connections from agents and routes them to the appropriate browser instances.

ℹ

How to Confirm Success

Open your browser and navigate to http://127.0.0.1:18789. You should see the OpenClaw Dashboard. This proves the Gateway and Relay are communicating correctly and ready for action.

Step 4: Connect OpenClaw to the Relay

To ensure your agents can find the relay, we need to define the connection settings in your configuration file. This is where you specify the host, port, and security tokens if needed.

Locate your openclaw.json file (usually in ~/.openclaw/) and add the following block:

{
  "automation": {
    "relay": {
      "host": "127.0.0.1",
      "port": 18789,
      "timeout": 30000,
      "headless": false
    }
  }
}

Config Value Breakdown:

host: The network address where the relay is running. Since we're running everything on the same machine for now, `127.0.0.1` (localhost) is correct.
port: This must match the port you used when starting the gateway in the previous step.
timeout: This defines how long (in milliseconds) the agent should wait for the browser to respond before giving up. Web pages can be slow, so 30 seconds is a solid baseline.
headless: If this is `false`, a real browser window will physically open on your screen. This is amazing for debugging. If it's `true`, the browser runs invisibly in the background.

Step 5: Run Your First Browser Automation

It is finally time to see some magic. We're going to write a script that instructs our agent to open Google, perform a search, and report back. This simple loop confirms that every "link" in our relay chain is working perfectly.

Create a file named automation-test.js and paste this code:

const { Agent } = require('openclaw');

async function testRelay() {
  // Initialize an agent with browser capabilities
  const agent = new Agent({
    name: 'ResearchBot',
    tools: ['browser']
  });

  console.log('--- Connecting to Browser Relay ---');
  
  try {
    // 1. Navigate to Google
    await agent.browser.goto('https://www.google.com');
    console.log('Page loaded successfully.');

    // 2. Type into the search box (Google uses a textarea for its search box now)
    await agent.browser.type('textarea[name="q"]', 'OpenClaw Browser Relay Setup');
    console.log('Typed search query...');

    // 3. Press Enter
    await agent.browser.press('Enter');
    console.log('Search submitted.');

    // 4. Wait for the page to update
    await agent.browser.waitForTimeout(2000);
    
    // 5. Grab the page title to verify
    const title = await agent.browser.title();
    
    
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Automation failed:', error);
  } finally {
    // Always close the browser to free up resources
    await agent.browser.close();
    console.log('--- Session Finished ---');
  }
}

testRelay();

Now, run the script from your terminal:

node automation-test.js

**The Result:** If everything is set up correctly, you'll see a browser window blink into existence, navigate to Google, type the query, and then close. Your terminal should output "Current Page Title: OpenClaw Browser Relay Setup - Google Search".

Real-World Use Cases

At this point, you have a working relay. But what do you actually *do* with it? Let's explore some scenarios where the browser relay isn't just "nice to have," but absolutely essential.

Web Scraping Behind Login

Most modern platforms (LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.) require a cookie-based session to see meaningful data. With the relay, your agent can log in manually once, save the session, and then automate data collection as if it were a real logged-in user.

Complex Form Automation

Submitting a multi-page form with conditional logic? CLI tools will struggle with the hidden state changes. The relay sees the transitions and can click "Next" or "Submit" only when the page is actually ready.

Data Extraction Workflows

Need to pull price data from a dynamic dashboard that updates via WebSockets? The relay stays connected to the DOM and can "scrape" the updated values in real-time as they appear on the screen.

Automated Web Testing

Before you push your site to production, have an OpenClaw agent run through the critical paths (Sign-up, Checkout, Logout) to ensure everything is working as expected across different screen sizes.

Common Errors and Fixes

Even with the best tools, you'll likely hit a snag or two. Don't sweat it. Here are the most common issues beginners face and how to fix them in seconds.

Error: Relay not connecting

Cause: Either the gateway isn't running, or your config Host/Port is wrong.

Fix: Run openclaw status to check if the gateway is alive. Double-check that openclaw.json port matches the terminal output from openclaw gateway.

Error: Port already in use

Cause: Another instance of OpenClaw (or a different app) is occupying port 18789.

Fix: Either kill the process on that port or specify a new port: openclaw gateway --port 19000.

Browser not launching

Cause: Chromium binaries are missing or incompatible with your OS.

Fix: Run openclaw install relay --force to redownload and set up the browser drivers from scratch.

Performance and Security Tips

To run professional-grade automation, you need to think beyond the basics. Here’s how to keep your scripts fast, secure, and stealthy.

Use Proxies
If you're making hundreds of requests, your IP will get flagged. Integrate a residential proxy in your relay settings to rotate your identity and avoid bans. OpenClaw supports SOCKS5 and HTTP proxies natively.
Limit Automation Speed
Real humans don't click buttons in 0.001 seconds. Use agent.browser.waitForTimeout() to add subtle, random delays between actions. A delay of 500ms to 2000ms is usually enough to look natural.
Avoid Detection
Modern anti-bot scripts look for the navigator.webdriver flag. OpenClaw's browser tool attempts to mask this, but using a custom User-Agent and avoiding "headless" mode on suspicious sites can help.
Headless Mode in Production
When running on a VPS (like DigitalOcean or AWS), always set headless: true. This saves significant CPU and RAM because the system doesn't have to render the physical UI, focusing all power on data processing.

Advanced Configuration

Once you've mastered the basics, you might want to customize the relay for more complex environments like Docker or remote servers.

Running in Docker

If you're containerizing your OpenClaw setup, you'll need to pass the Host's IP to the container and ensure the relay port is exposed. Use the following environment variables:

OPENCLAW_RELAY_HOST=0.0.0.0
OPENCLAW_RELAY_PORT=18789

Adding these to your docker-compose.yml ensures that your agents inside the container can talk to the relay running on the host (or in another container).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the relay with existing Chrome profiles?

Yes! You can point the relay to your existing User Data Directory in the openclaw.json config to use your saved passwords and cookies.

Is the Browser Relay free to use?

Absolutely. OpenClaw and its relay package are open-source. You only pay for the infrastructure (VPS, Proxies) you choose to run them on.

How many browser instances can I run at once?

This depends entirely on your RAM. Each Chromium instance typically takes 200MB - 500MB. A standard 8GB machine can comfortably handle 10-15 concurrent relays.

Final Thoughts

Setting up the **OpenClaw browser relay** is the single best investment you can make in your automation stack. It transforms a simple script into a powerful web navigator that can handle the complexity of the modern internet.

Remember, the key to great automation isn't just speed—it's reliability. Take the time to fine-tune your configuration, handle errors gracefully, and always respect the websites you're interacting with.

Before you go, check out our OpenClaw Browser Relay Guide for faster automation workflows. Happy automating!