FAQ

Short answers to common questions, starting with the problems people hit most.

The agent cannot see my tab. What should I check?

Run these in order:

abg status
abg tabs --compact
abg audit --lines 20

The tab may have closed, moved to another origin, or been revoked. Share it again from the extension popup, then run abg tabs --compact for its current ref. For error codes, see If it does not work.

Why did my tab get a different ref?

A ref belongs to one share. A tab shared again after a revoke gets a new ref, such as t2. Refs can also change when the Gateway restarts. Run abg tabs --compact to get the current one.

Can I use ABG in incognito windows?

Yes, after you turn on Allow in incognito on the extension details page. Chrome disables extension access to incognito windows by default.

How do I update ABG?

• Homebrew: brew upgrade --cask agent-browser-gateway
• DMG: download the newer DMG and run Install Agent Browser Gateway.app again.
• Agent skills: npx skills update -g

Can the agent see every tab?

Not by default. The agent sees only tabs you share. All-tabs mode is a separate opt-in for isolated profiles and sandbox machines.

Does ABG send browser data to a cloud service?

Local mode uses 127.0.0.1 (or an explicitly paired private phone connection). Optional Cloud mode in extension 1.3.6 sends shared content and requested results through the selected gateway to authorized clients and uses Web account login. It needs no desktop app. Neither mode adds analytics or advertising telemetry. See the Cloud guide.

Which agents work with ABG?

Any agent that can run shell commands, such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or Cline. Claude Code and Codex also have skills: run npx skills add arcmanagement/agent-browser-gateway -g.

Does ABG support MCP?

Yes. abg mcp-server runs a stdio MCP server with one abg_cli tool that calls the local CLI. The CLI stays the source of truth: it works with any shell-capable agent and is easy for people to debug. See Agent skills and MCP.

How do I investigate a Cloud disconnect?

In extension 1.3.6, open Advanced → Connection history and choose Save JSON. The browser-local timeline retains up to 200 events within seven days across restarts, including close codes, authentication failures and intentional disconnects. It excludes credentials and page content. Exact recognized proxy-restart reasons on a 1001 close appear as cloudflare_proxy_restarting; code 1001 alone does not identify the cause. A 1006 close alone cannot identify the underlying network/service cause; correlate the UTC time with service logs. See the diagnostic guide.

Is ABG a Playwright replacement?

No. Use Playwright when you want a clean, repeatable browser that the automation owns. Use ABG when the browser session already exists and you want to hand one tab, or an isolated all-tabs profile, to an agent.

Where are plugins stored?

Bundled plugins live inside the app bundle. User-installed plugins live under ~/.abg/plugins/. Development Gateway runs on port 8766 use ~/.abg-dev/plugins/.

Does ABG store plugin settings in a database?

No. Plugin enablement is stored in plugin-state.json under the active ABG user directory.

How do private plugin repositories work?

abg plugin install uses your local git command. Private repositories use your existing SSH keys, git credential helper, or GitHub CLI-backed git authentication. ABG does not ask for or store GitHub tokens.