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Workspace
Agents
Plugins
Reference
← sero-ai.dev
Start Here
Workspace
Agents
Plugins
Reference

Browser and Capture

Sero has two related visual surfaces:

  • the visible Explorer browser, which opens workspace-scoped browser tabs
  • the UI-backed app/capture bridge, which can switch apps, inspect UI, capture screenshots, preview dev servers, and record short MP4s

They are useful for development previews, support reports, and agent/operator workflows, but they are not a replacement for a full browser automation framework.

Quick path: preview a dev server

  1. Start the server in a container-backed workspace and register it.
sero devserver register --name "Web app" --port 3000 --command "npm run dev -- --host 0.0.0.0" --framework vite
sero devserver list
  1. Open the listed URL in the visible browser or in a capturable app preview.
sero browser open http://<container-ip>:3000
sero app preview http://<container-ip>:3000
  1. Capture what Sero sees.
sero app screenshot --save ./preview.png

For container networking details, see Containers and Dev Servers.

Visible browser

The browser namespace controls loaded in-app browser tabs.

sero browser open https://example.com
sero browser list
sero browser get-text
sero browser screenshot

Important behavior:

  • browser tabs are scoped to the current workspace
  • explicit tab ids cannot control another workspace's tabs
  • only http: and https: URLs are accepted for open/navigate
  • get-text and screenshot default to the active tab in the current workspace
  • tabs appear in list only after their browser view is loaded

Use the visible browser for normal preview and page-reading workflows. Use sero app preview when you specifically need the preview inside the app panel for app screenshot/record capture.

App navigation and screenshots

The app namespace goes through Sero's renderer bridge.

sero app list
sero app open explorer
sero app active
sero app screenshot --save ./sero-app.png
sero app screenshot --app explorer --save ./explorer.png

Screenshots return an image block to the agent and can optionally save a PNG to disk. Relative --save paths resolve from the command cwd.

Failures usually mean the app panel is not available or not visible. Open the target app first, wait for it to render, then retry.

DOM interactions

Sero can perform simple interactions against the currently visible app panel.

sero app click "button[data-testid='save']"
sero app click --x 240 --y 180
sero app type "hello" --selector "textarea"
sero app scroll --direction down --amount 500
sero app hover ".menu-item"
sero app inspect --x 120 --y 80
sero app get-text --selector "main"

click, type, scroll, select, and hover auto-capture a screenshot after the action. inspect returns JSON and skips the post-action screenshot.

Limitations:

  • selector support depends on the rendered DOM in Sero's app panel
  • coordinate actions are relative to the app screenshot, not the entire desktop
  • typing requires an input, textarea, or contenteditable target
  • hidden, offscreen, sandboxed, or cross-origin content may not expose useful DOM targets

Recording MP4s

Use recording for short visual evidence of UI behavior.

sero app record start
# perform actions manually or with `sero app ...`
sero app record status
sero app record stop
sero app record stop --save ./demo.mp4

Recording captures at 2 FPS. The default save location is:

<workspace>/sero-recordings/

If MP4 output is not available for a capture, Sero may save a PNG frame folder instead. Recording state is bridge-local and ephemeral; do not expect it to survive renderer reloads or app restarts.

Screenshots for support reports

A useful support report usually includes:

sero app active
sero app screenshot --save ./support-screenshot.png
sero session info
sero devserver list

Redact private code, tokens, account data, and personal content before sharing screenshots or recordings.

Recovery tips

Symptom Try this
No active tab from sero browser screenshot Open a tab with sero browser open <url> or switch to the Browser panel.
Browser tab belongs to another workspace Switch to that workspace or open the URL in the current workspace.
app panel not found or not visible Run sero app open <app> and wait for the app panel to render.
Click/type misses the target Run sero app screenshot, inspect coordinates/selectors, then retry.
Recording stop fails Confirm sero app record status shows recording and that frames were captured.
Preview URL fails after container restart Run sero devserver list and reopen/register the fresh container-IP URL.

Related docs

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