camofox-browser Skill

Camofox is an anti-detection browser automation system built on Camoufox + Playwright with:

• CLI (camofox) for operator workflows
• REST API (port 9377 by default) for programmatic control
• OpenClaw plugin integration (plugin.ts) with 19 plugin tools

This skill is optimized for bot-evasion workflows where default browser automation gets flagged.

Camofox vs generic browser skills

Use this skill instead of generic browser tooling when at least one applies:

• You need anti-detection browser identity continuity across sessions.
• You need proxy-aware geolocation behavior and region presets.
• You need OpenClaw plugin compatibility with dedicated camofox tool names.
• You need both CLI and REST API control paths against the same runtime.

Do not use this skill if you only need a simple local static page script and anti-detection is irrelevant.

Fast interface chooser

Use CLI when:

• You are running interactive ops/debugging from terminal.
• You want local encrypted vault prompts for credentials.
• You want quick one-shot command chaining with active tab memory.

Use REST API when:

• You are integrating from another service/agent runtime.
• You need strict request/response control with explicit userId and tabId.
• You need OpenClaw-compatible route shape (/tabs/open, /act, /snapshot).

1) Core Workflow (CLI + API dual interface)

Follow this loop for reliable automation:

1. Create/open tab
2. Snapshot to get fresh eN refs
3. Interact using refs
4. Re-snapshot after DOM/navigation changes
5. Keep userId stable for session continuity

CLI:

camofox open https://example.com --user agent1
camofox snapshot --user agent1
camofox click e5 --user agent1
camofox type e7 "hello world" --user agent1

API:

curl -X POST http://localhost:9377/tabs \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"userId":"agent1","sessionKey":"default","url":"https://example.com"}'

curl "http://localhost:9377/tabs/<tabId>/snapshot?userId=agent1"

curl -X POST http://localhost:9377/tabs/<tabId>/click \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"userId":"agent1","ref":"e5"}'

Dual interface mapping (most common path):

Ref format reminder:

• Camofox refs are eN values (example e1, e2) in normal command usage.
• Some subcommands accept bracketed values in form assignments ([e1]="value").

2) Anti-Detection Overview (Camoufox-specific)

Camofox differs from generic browser tools by using Camoufox launch options and per-profile fingerprint persistence:

• Camoufox launch via camoufox-js (launchOptions)
• Generated fingerprint (generateFingerprint) persisted per profile dir
• Humanization enabled (humanize: true)
• Proxy-aware geo behavior (geoip: true when proxy configured)
• Persistent contexts per user (~/.camofox/profiles/<user>) to keep believable identity continuity

Operational anti-detection behaviors:

• Stable identity per userId
• Optional proxy credentials from PROXY_HOST/PORT/USERNAME/PASSWORD
• Optional headed/virtual display modes with Xvfb fallback on Linux

Execution behavior that helps evade brittle bot checks:

• Persistent profile directories avoid fresh-device fingerprints every run.
• Consistent session reuse lowers abrupt storage/token churn.
• Engine-level spoofing avoids fragile JS-patch race with site updates.

See deep-dive: references/anti-detection.md.

3) Essential CLI Commands (quick reference)

Core:

camofox open <url> [--user <user>] [--viewport <WxH>] [--geo <preset>]
camofox close [tabId] [--user <user>]
camofox snapshot [tabId] [--user <user>]
camofox click <ref> [tabId] [--user <user>]
camofox type <ref> <text> [tabId] [--user <user>]

Navigation + interaction:

camofox navigate <url> [tabId] [--user <user>]
camofox screenshot [tabId] [--output <file>] [--full-page] [--user <user>]
camofox fill '[e1]="john" [e2]="john@example.com"' [tabId] [--user <user>]
camofox press Enter [tabId] [--user <user>]

Inspection:

camofox get-text [tabId] [--selector <css>] [--user <user>]
camofox get-links [tabId] [--user <user>]
camofox eval '<js expression>' [tabId] [--user <user>]
camofox wait <selector|navigation|networkidle> [tabId] [--timeout <ms>] [--user <user>]

Search:

camofox search "openclaw plugin" --engine github [tabId] [--user <user>]

Full catalog (all 50): references/cli-commands.md.

Global flag reminders:

--user <user>
--port <port>
--format json|text|plain

4) Essential API Endpoints (quick reference)

Core tab flow:

POST   /tabs
GET    /tabs
POST   /tabs/:tabId/navigate
GET    /tabs/:tabId/snapshot
POST   /tabs/:tabId/click
POST   /tabs/:tabId/type
DELETE /tabs/:tabId

State + assets:

POST   /sessions/:userId/cookies
GET    /tabs/:tabId/cookies
GET    /tabs/:tabId/screenshot
GET    /tabs/:tabId/downloads
GET    /users/:userId/downloads

Advanced:

POST   /tabs/:tabId/evaluate
POST   /tabs/:tabId/evaluate-extended
POST   /tabs/:tabId/extract-resources
POST   /tabs/:tabId/batch-download
POST   /tabs/:tabId/resolve-blobs

OpenClaw compatibility routes:

GET    /
POST   /tabs/open
POST   /start
POST   /stop
POST   /navigate
GET    /snapshot
POST   /act

Full endpoint map (all 48): references/api-endpoints.md.

Compatibility warning:

• plugin.ts includes a tool targeting /youtube/transcript, but current server route registration does not expose this endpoint.

5) Common Patterns

A) Form fill + submit

CLI:

camofox snapshot --user agent1
camofox fill '[e4]="Jane Doe" [e5]="jane@example.com"' --user agent1
camofox press Enter --user agent1

Safety notes:

• Re-snapshot if the form mutates between fields.
• Keep same --user on every step to preserve tab ownership.

API:

curl -X POST http://localhost:9377/tabs/<tabId>/type \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"userId":"agent1","ref":"e5","text":"jane@example.com"}'

B) Stealth scraping loop

camofox open https://target.example --user scraper-us
camofox snapshot --user scraper-us
camofox get-text --selector "main" --user scraper-us
camofox get-links --user scraper-us

Recommended loop shape:

1. open page
2. snapshot
3. capture text/links/resources
4. paginate or navigate next URL
5. snapshot again

C) Search workflow (CLI engines)

camofox search "best playwright anti-detection" --engine duckduckgo --user research1

When using CLI search:

• Engine list is fixed to the 8 implemented CLI engines.
• Use API macro navigate for 14 macro targets where supported.

D) API macro navigation

curl -X POST http://localhost:9377/tabs/<tabId>/navigate \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"userId":"agent1","macro":"@google_search","query":"camoufox js"}'

6) Authentication (Auth Vault)

Auth Vault is local encrypted credential storage for CLI workflows.

Commands:

camofox auth save <profile-name> [--url <url>] [--notes <notes>]
camofox auth load <profile-name>
camofox auth load <profile-name> --inject [tabId] --username-ref <ref> --password-ref <ref> [--user <user>]
camofox auth list [--format <format>]
camofox auth delete <profile-name>
camofox auth change-password <profile-name>

Security model (implemented):

• Payload encryption: AES-256-GCM
• KDF: Argon2id preferred, PBKDF2 fallback
• Salt: 16 bytes
• IV: 12 bytes
• Vault dir mode: 0700
• Secret file mode: 0600

Operational guidance:

• Avoid scripting raw passwords in shell history.
• Prefer vault injection for login workflows in shared-agent logs.
• Rotate vault profile master password regularly for long-lived bots.

See: references/authentication.md.

7) Session Management (userId isolation)

Session identity is scoped by userId and persistent profile dir:

• Browser context keyed by userId
• Cookies, profile, fingerprint continuity tied to same userId
• Mixing users in one flow breaks tab lookup consistency

CLI pattern:

camofox open https://example.com --user account-a
camofox snapshot --user account-a
camofox click e9 --user account-a

Cookie session file helpers:

camofox session save checkout-flow --user account-a
camofox session load checkout-flow --user account-a

Isolation reminder:

• tabId lookup is user-scoped.
• Using wrong userId with valid tabId returns not found behavior.

8) Search Macros (CLI vs API — distinct systems)

Important distinction:

• CLI search supports 8 engines: google, youtube, amazon, bing, reddit, duckduckgo, github, stackoverflow

• API navigate macro supports 14 macros in src/utils/macros.ts: @google_search, @youtube_search, @amazon_search, @reddit_search, @reddit_subreddit, @wikipedia_search, @twitter_search, @yelp_search, @spotify_search, @netflix_search, @linkedin_search, @instagram_search, @tiktok_search, @twitch_search

CLI example:

camofox search "vite plugin" --engine github --user dev1

API macro example:

curl -X POST http://localhost:9377/tabs/<tabId>/navigate \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"userId":"dev1","macro":"@google_search","query":"vite plugin github"}'

Note: API macros and CLI search engines are different systems. Keep CLI/API behavior separate.

Macro mismatch reminder:

• CLI has github and stackoverflow engines.
• API macro set does not define @github_search or @stackoverflow_search in current macro implementation.

9) Geo Presets (8 presets)

Built-in preset names:

• us-east
• us-west
• japan
• uk
• germany
• vietnam
• singapore
• australia

CLI:

camofox open https://example.com --geo japan --user jp-agent

API:

curl -X POST http://localhost:9377/tabs \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"userId":"jp-agent","sessionKey":"default","preset":"japan","url":"https://example.com"}'

Preset best practice:

• Keep preset and proxy region coherent to avoid obvious locale/network mismatch.

10) Security (proxy, anti-detection settings)

Use environment variables for hardened operation:

export CAMOFOX_API_KEY='<api-key>'
export CAMOFOX_ADMIN_KEY='<admin-key>'
export PROXY_HOST='proxy.example.net'
export PROXY_PORT='8080'
export PROXY_USERNAME='proxy-user'
export PROXY_PASSWORD='proxy-pass'

Behavior notes:

• Cookie import/export and evaluate endpoints enforce bearer auth only when CAMOFOX_API_KEY is configured.
• OpenClaw /stop requires admin key authorization.
• camofox download is currently a stub/placeholder in CLI (documented intentionally).

Suggested baseline environment:

export CAMOFOX_PORT=9377
export CAMOFOX_HEADLESS=virtual
export CAMOFOX_MAX_SESSIONS=20
export CAMOFOX_MAX_TABS=10

11) Scripting (camofox run)

camofox run is a sequential script runner (not a DAG/orchestration pipeline).

camofox run script.txt
camofox run script.txt --continue-on-error
cat script.txt | camofox run -

Script format:

• One command per line
• # comments supported
• Supports quoted args
• Nested run is rejected

Example script (login-and-capture.cf):

# open login page
open https://example.com/login --user ops1
snapshot --user ops1
fill '[e3]="user@example.com" [e4]="not-stored-here"' --user ops1
press Enter --user ops1
wait networkidle --timeout 12000 --user ops1
screenshot --output login-result.png --user ops1

12) Deep-Dive Documentation

• references/cli-commands.md — Full CLI command catalog and usage patterns.
• references/api-endpoints.md — Complete REST API route map and request/response notes.
• references/openclaw-tools.md — OpenClaw plugin tool list and route/tool mapping.
• references/anti-detection.md — Camoufox anti-detection model, fingerprint continuity, and stealth guidance.
• references/authentication.md — Auth Vault encryption model and credential workflows.
• references/session-management.md — userId isolation, context lifecycle, and session continuity.
• references/search-macros.md — CLI search engines vs API macro navigation behavior.
• references/proxy-presets.md — Geo presets, proxy settings, and region-alignment practices.
• references/scripting.md — camofox run script format, constraints, and execution behavior.
• references/snapshot-refs.md — Snapshot reference handling (eN), refresh rules, and element targeting reliability.
• references/media-extraction.md — Screenshot/download/resource extraction and media workflows.
• references/display-vnc.md — Headed/virtual display modes and VNC operation guidance.

13) Ready-to-Use Templates

• templates/stealth-scraping.sh — Stealth scraping workflow with anti-detection defaults.
• templates/search-and-extract.sh — Search across engines and extract structured results.
• templates/authenticated-session.sh — Auth Vault login and authenticated session flow.
• templates/form-automation.sh — Form automation using snapshot-interact-verify loops.
• templates/multi-session-pipeline.sh — Parallel multi-session collection pipeline.
• templates/screenshot-capture.sh — Screenshot capture workflow for audits and evidence.

14) Important Notes

• Plugin system in this repository is OpenClaw plugin tools, not MCP tools.
• There is no MCP server implementation in this codebase.
• OpenClaw plugin currently defines 19 tools in plugin.ts.
• A plugin tool references /youtube/transcript, but this route is not registered in current server routes (core.ts, openclaw.ts). Treat it as unavailable endpoint.
• CLI element refs are eN (for example e1, e2), not @eN.
• Source of truth for development decisions: AGENTS.md.

High-confidence troubleshooting checklist:

1. camofox health --format json
2. Confirm tab exists with camofox get-tabs --user <user> --format json
3. Refresh refs with camofox snapshot
4. Re-run failing action with same --user
5. If display mode changed, create new tab (old tab ids invalid)

Appendix A — 50-command quick index

Core (5):

• open
• close
• snapshot
• click
• type

Navigation (4):

• navigate
• screenshot
• go-back
• go-forward

Content (7):

• get-text
• get-url
• get-links
• get-tabs
• eval
• wait
• search

Interaction (6):

• fill
• scroll
• select
• hover
• press
• drag

Console/error capture (2):

• console
• errors

Tracing (5):

• trace start
• trace stop
• trace chunk-start
• trace chunk-stop
• trace status

Session (4):

• session save
• session load
• session list
• session delete

Download/cookie (4):

• cookie export
• cookie import
• download (stub)
• downloads

Auth (5):

• auth save
• auth load
• auth list
• auth delete
• auth change-password

Server (3):

• server start
• server stop
• server status

Advanced (4):

• annotate
• health
• version
• info

Pipeline (1):

• run

Appendix B — API endpoint families

Core REST routes (core.ts):

• Cookies: import/export by user/tab
• Lifecycle: health, presets, tab create/list/close, session close
• Interaction: navigate, snapshot, wait, click, type, press, scroll, scroll-element
• Eval: evaluate + evaluate-extended
• Navigation state: back, forward, refresh
• Extraction: links, screenshot, stats, extract-resources, batch-download, resolve-blobs
• Download tracking: list/get/content/delete
• Display mode: toggle-display

OpenClaw routes (openclaw.ts):

• /, /tabs/open, /start, /stop, /navigate, /snapshot, /act

Appendix C — response handling recommendations

CLI output handling:

• Prefer --format json for machine parsing.
• Use plain only when expecting one scalar (for example direct path or status string).
• Avoid parsing text output with fragile shell splitting.

API response handling:

• Treat 4xx errors as actionable request/user/tab mismatch first.
• Retry only idempotent reads (GET) by default.
• For evaluate-extended, handle 429 and 408 explicitly.

Appendix D — mismatch and compatibility guardrails

Documented guardrails for this repository revision:

• OpenClaw plugin tool system exists and is first-class.
• MCP server implementation does not exist in this codebase.
• Plugin tool camofox_youtube_transcript references a route not currently registered in route files.
• CLI download remains placeholder/stub and should be treated as non-functional direct download command.

Appendix E — minimum safe automation contract

If you need robust automations, enforce this contract in your agent logic:

1. Always pass explicit userId (or --user) for every command/call.
2. Always obtain snapshot before actions that depend on refs.
3. Always reacquire refs after navigation or major dynamic update.
4. Always close user sessions (DELETE /sessions/:userId) on teardown in long-running systems.
5. Always persist auth/cookies via vault or cookie import rather than plaintext scripts.