Why automate your browser?
Repetitive web operations — logging into dashboards, copying numbers from a report, filling in the same form every morning — eat time that no one gets back. Operun lets a cloud brain drive edge hands: the extension running in your own browser, so credentials, cookies and sessions never leave your machine.
This guide walks through the three steps that take you from a fresh install to a running automation. It assumes you already have the extension installed from the Chrome Web Store and a runner token from your account.
Install and connect
The MV3 store build asks for the minimum permissions it needs to act on the pages you
choose — no debugger, no eval, no remote code. Open the popup, paste your runner token,
and connect:
# list the tabs you can drive
operun browser list-tabs
# navigate a tab to the page you want to automate
operun browser goto --tab 0 --url https://example.comThe moment you connect, the edge hands are ready and the cloud brain takes over.
Run your first workflow
Describe the workflow in plain language. Operun translates it into a sequence of attach → ask → detach calls, so no tab is ever left in a lingering debugger state.
# capture the current state of the page
operun browser act --action snapshot
# click, type and navigate — each step settled through the in-flight escrow
operun browser act --action click --selector "#submit"Every action is metered and settled atomically. The popup shows your remaining credit balance in real time, so there are no surprises at the end of the month.
Staying store-review-safe
Operun is built around the principle of minimum reach. A few habits keep your automation review-ready:
| Habit | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Use the store build for store-facing work | Zero debugger permission, no install warning |
| Keep host access to the allow-list | Limited to the Operun API and a fixed set of domains |
| Let sessions stay ephemeral | Nothing is written to disk or uploaded |
If you need network capture for your own browser, use the operator build — distributed separately, never through the store.
Next steps
Ready to go deeper? Read the Docs & Support pages for the full quickstart and FAQ, or review the pricing tiers to match a plan to your automation volume.