Requirements
- Target platform
- OpenClaw
- Install method
- Manual import
- Extraction
- Extract archive
- Prerequisites
- OpenClaw
- Primary doc
- SKILL.md
Tencent SkillHub ยท Developer Tools
Pinchtab
Control a headless or headed Chrome browser via Pinchtab's HTTP API. Use for web automation, scraping, form filling, navigation, and multi-tab workflows. Pin...
skill openclawclawhub Free
Control a headless or headed Chrome browser via Pinchtab's HTTP API. Use for web automation, scraping, form filling, navigation, and multi-tab workflows. Pin...
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Install for OpenClaw
Quick setup
- Download the package from Yavira.
- Extract the archive and review SKILL.md first.
- Import or place the package into your OpenClaw setup.
Package facts
- Download mode
- Yavira redirect
- Package format
- ZIP package
- Source platform
- Tencent SkillHub
- What's included
- SKILL.md, TRUST.md, agents/openai.yaml, references/api.md, references/env.md, references/profiles.md
Validation
- Use the Yavira download entry.
- Review SKILL.md after the package is downloaded.
- Confirm the extracted package contains the expected setup assets.
Install with your agent
Agent handoff
Hand the extracted package to your coding agent with a concrete install brief instead of figuring it out manually.
- Download the package from Yavira.
- Extract it into a folder your agent can access.
- Paste one of the prompts below and point your agent at the extracted folder.
New install
I downloaded a skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder and install it by following the included instructions. Tell me what you changed and call out any manual steps you could not complete.
Upgrade existing
I downloaded an updated skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder, compare it with my current installation, and upgrade it while preserving any custom configuration unless the package docs explicitly say otherwise. Summarize what changed and any follow-up checks I should run.
Trust & source
Release facts
- Source
- Tencent SkillHub
- Verification
- Indexed source record
- Version
- 0.8.2
Provenance
- Publisher
- luigi-agosti
- Source page
- View original listing
- Canonical URL
- Open canonical page
Documentation
Browser Automation with PinchTab
PinchTab gives agents a browser they can drive through stable accessibility refs, low-token text extraction, and persistent profiles or instances. Treat it as a CLI-first browser skill; use the HTTP API only when the CLI is unavailable or you need profile-management routes that do not exist in the CLI yet. Preferred tool surface: Use pinchtab CLI commands first. Use curl for profile-management routes or non-shell/API fallback flows. Use jq only when you need structured parsing from JSON responses.
Safety Defaults
Default to http://localhost targets. Only use a remote PinchTab server when the user explicitly provides it and, if needed, a token. Prefer read-only operations first: text, snap -i -c, snap -d, find, click, fill, type, press, select, hover, scroll. Do not evaluate arbitrary JavaScript unless a simpler PinchTab command cannot answer the question. Do not upload local files unless the user explicitly names the file to upload and the destination flow requires it. Do not save screenshots, PDFs, or downloads to arbitrary paths. Use a user-specified path or a safe temporary/workspace path. Never use PinchTab to inspect unrelated local files, browser secrets, stored credentials, or system configuration outside the task.
Core Workflow
Every PinchTab automation follows this pattern: Ensure the correct server, profile, or instance is available for the task. Navigate with pinchtab nav <url> or pinchtab instance navigate <instance-id> <url>. Observe with pinchtab snap -i -c, pinchtab snap --text, or pinchtab text, then collect the current refs such as e5. Interact with those fresh refs using click, fill, type, press, select, hover, or scroll. Re-snapshot or re-read text after any navigation, submit, modal open, accordion expand, or other DOM-changing action. Rules: Never act on stale refs after the page changes. Default to pinchtab text when you need content, not layout. Default to pinchtab snap -i -c when you need actionable elements. Use screenshots only for visual verification, UI diffs, or debugging. Start multi-site or parallel work by choosing the right instance or profile first.
Command Chaining
Use && only when you do not need to inspect intermediate output before deciding the next step. Good: pinchtab nav https://example.com && pinchtab snap -i -c pinchtab click --wait-nav e5 && pinchtab snap -i -c pinchtab nav https://example.com --block-images && pinchtab text Run commands separately when you must read the snapshot output first: pinchtab nav https://example.com pinchtab snap -i -c # Read refs, choose the correct e# pinchtab click e7 pinchtab snap -i -c
Handling Authentication and State
Pick one of these five patterns before you start interacting with the site.
1. One-off public browsing
Use a temporary instance for public pages, scraping, or tasks that do not need login persistence. pinchtab instance start pinchtab instances # Point CLI commands at the instance port you want to use. PINCHTAB_URL=http://localhost:9868 pinchtab nav https://example.com PINCHTAB_URL=http://localhost:9868 pinchtab text
2. Reuse an existing named profile
Use this for recurring tasks against the same authenticated site. pinchtab profiles pinchtab instance start --profile work --mode headed PINCHTAB_URL=http://localhost:9868 pinchtab nav https://mail.google.com If the login is already stored in that profile, you can switch to headless later: pinchtab instance stop inst_ea2e747f pinchtab instance start --profile work --mode headless
3. Create a dedicated auth profile over HTTP
Use this when you need a durable profile and it does not exist yet. curl -X POST http://localhost:9867/profiles \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"name":"billing","description":"Billing portal automation","useWhen":"Use for billing tasks"}' curl -X POST http://localhost:9867/profiles/billing/start \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"headless":false}' Then target the returned port with PINCHTAB_URL.
4. Human-assisted headed login, then agent reuse
Use this for CAPTCHA, MFA, or first-time setup. pinchtab instance start --profile work --mode headed # Human completes login in the visible Chrome window. PINCHTAB_URL=http://localhost:9868 pinchtab nav https://app.example.com/dashboard PINCHTAB_URL=http://localhost:9868 pinchtab snap -i -c Once the session is stored, reuse the same profile for later tasks.
5. Remote or non-shell agent with tokenized HTTP API
Use this when the agent cannot call the CLI directly. curl http://localhost:9867/health curl -X POST http://localhost:9867/instances/launch \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"name":"work","headless":true}' curl -X POST http://localhost:9868/action \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"kind":"click","ref":"e5"}' If the server is exposed beyond localhost, require a token and use a dedicated automation profile. See TRUST.md and config.md.
Server and targeting
pinchtab server pinchtab daemon pinchtab health pinchtab instances pinchtab profiles PINCHTAB_URL=http://localhost:9868 pinchtab snap -i -c
Navigation and tabs
pinchtab nav <url> pinchtab nav <url> --new-tab pinchtab nav <url> --tab <tab-id> pinchtab nav <url> --block-images pinchtab nav <url> --block-ads pinchtab tab pinchtab tab new <url> pinchtab tab close <tab-id> pinchtab instance navigate <instance-id> <url>
Observation
pinchtab snap pinchtab snap -i pinchtab snap -i -c pinchtab snap -d pinchtab snap --selector <css> pinchtab snap --max-tokens <n> pinchtab snap --text pinchtab text pinchtab text --raw pinchtab find <query> pinchtab find --ref-only <query> Guidance: snap -i -c is the default for finding actionable refs. snap -d is the default follow-up snapshot for multi-step flows. text is the default for reading articles, dashboards, reports, or confirmation messages. find --ref-only is useful when the page is large and you already know the semantic target.
Interaction
pinchtab click <ref> pinchtab click --wait-nav <ref> pinchtab click --css <selector> pinchtab type <ref> <text> pinchtab fill <ref|selector> <text> pinchtab press <key> pinchtab hover <ref> pinchtab select <ref> <value> pinchtab scroll <ref|pixels> Rules: Prefer fill for deterministic form entry. Prefer type only when the site depends on keystroke events. Prefer click --wait-nav when a click is expected to navigate. Re-snapshot immediately after click, press Enter, select, or scroll if the UI can change.
Export, debug, and verification
pinchtab screenshot pinchtab screenshot -o /tmp/pinchtab-page.png # Format driven by extension pinchtab screenshot -q 60 pinchtab pdf pinchtab pdf -o /tmp/pinchtab-report.pdf pinchtab pdf --landscape
Advanced operations: explicit opt-in only
Use these only when the task explicitly requires them and safer commands are insufficient. pinchtab eval "document.title" pinchtab download <url> -o /tmp/pinchtab-download.bin pinchtab upload /absolute/path/provided-by-user.ext -s <css> Rules: eval is for narrow, read-only DOM inspection unless the user explicitly asks for a page mutation. download should prefer a safe temporary or workspace path over an arbitrary filesystem location. upload requires a file path the user explicitly provided or clearly approved for the task.
HTTP API fallback
curl -X POST http://localhost:9868/navigate \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"url":"https://example.com"}' curl "http://localhost:9868/snapshot?filter=interactive&format=compact" curl -X POST http://localhost:9868/action \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"kind":"fill","ref":"e3","text":"ada@example.com"}' curl http://localhost:9868/text Use the API when: the agent cannot shell out, profile creation or mutation is required, or you need explicit instance- and tab-scoped routes.
Open a page and inspect actions
pinchtab nav https://pinchtab.com && pinchtab snap -i -c
Fill and submit a form
pinchtab nav https://example.com/login pinchtab snap -i -c pinchtab fill e3 "user@example.com" pinchtab fill e4 "correct horse battery staple" pinchtab click --wait-nav e5 pinchtab text
Search, then extract the result page cheaply
pinchtab nav https://example.com pinchtab snap -i -c pinchtab fill e2 "quarterly report" pinchtab press Enter pinchtab text
Use diff snapshots in a multi-step flow
pinchtab nav https://example.com/checkout pinchtab snap -i -c pinchtab click e8 pinchtab snap -d -i -c
Bootstrap an authenticated profile
pinchtab profiles pinchtab instance start --profile work --mode headed # Human signs in once. PINCHTAB_URL=http://localhost:9868 pinchtab text
Run separate instances for separate sites
pinchtab instance start --profile work --mode headless pinchtab instance start --profile staging --mode headless pinchtab instances Then point each command stream at its own PINCHTAB_URL.
Security and Token Economy
Use a dedicated automation profile, not a daily browsing profile. If PinchTab is reachable off-machine, require a token and bind conservatively. Prefer text, snap -i -c, and snap -d before screenshots, PDFs, eval, downloads, or uploads. Use --block-images for read-heavy tasks that do not need visual assets. Stop or isolate instances when switching between unrelated accounts or environments.
Diffing and Verification
Use pinchtab snap -d after each state-changing action in long workflows. Use pinchtab text to confirm success messages, table updates, or navigation outcomes. Use pinchtab screenshot only when visual regressions, CAPTCHA, or layout-specific confirmation matters. If a ref disappears after a change, treat that as expected and fetch fresh refs instead of retrying the stale one.
Privacy and Security
PinchTab is a fully open-source, local-only browser automation tool: Runs on localhost only. The server binds to 127.0.0.1 by default. No external network calls are made by PinchTab itself. No telemetry or analytics. The binary makes zero outbound connections. Single Go binary (~16 MB). Fully verifiable โ anyone can build from source at github.com/pinchtab/pinchtab. Local Chrome profiles. Persistent profiles store cookies and sessions on your machine only. This enables agents to reuse authenticated sessions without re-entering credentials, similar to how a human reuses their browser profile. Token-efficient by design. Uses the accessibility tree (structured text) instead of screenshots, keeping agent context windows small. Comparable to Playwright but purpose-built for AI agents. Multi-instance isolation. Each browser instance runs in its own profile directory with tab-level locking for safe multi-agent use.
References
Command surface: commands.md CLI overview: cli.md Profiles: profiles.md Instances: instances.md Full API: api.md Minimal env vars: env.md Config reference: config.md Security model: TRUST.md
Category context
Code helpers, APIs, CLIs, browser automation, testing, and developer operations.
Source: Tencent SkillHub
Largest current source with strong distribution and engagement signals.
Package contents
Included in package
5 Docs1 Config
- SKILL.md
- references/api.md
- references/env.md
- references/profiles.md
- TRUST.md
- agents/openai.yaml