🌐 Browser control from this VM

How a Claude Code session running on the ustyle-dev VM can drive a Chrome browser — read this if you (Claude) have been asked to use the browser, or pointed here by the user.

What this is. This VM's Claude Code can control Google Chrome running on the user's Mac (their real browser, with their logins), via the playwright MCP server. The browser is on the Mac; the user watches it live there. The VM only runs the lightweight Playwright driver, connected over a reverse SSH tunnel to the Mac's Chrome at localhost:9222.

1. First, check the browser is connected

The Mac must be running its claude-browser launcher (debug Chrome + tunnel). Verify from this VM:

curl -s http://localhost:9222/json/version

Returns Chrome version JSON → connected. Go ahead and use the browser.
Empty / connection refused → NOT connected. Tell the user: "Run ~/bin/claude-browser on your Mac and leave the terminal open, then start me again." Do not keep retrying.

2. Use it

The mcp__playwright__* tools are available (they were added at user scope, so any fresh VM Claude session has them — if you don't see them, start a new session). Drive the browser with them, e.g.:

mcp__playwright__browser_navigate — open a URL
mcp__playwright__browser_snapshot — read the page (structured DOM/accessibility tree — prefer this over screenshots for reading)
mcp__playwright__browser_click / browser_type / browser_fill_form — interact
mcp__playwright__browser_take_screenshot — capture an image if the user wants to see a still

Everything you do appears live in the user's Mac Chrome window. It uses their existing logins (e.g. Reddit) from the persistent debug profile.

3. Notes & troubleshooting

Browser runs on the Mac → it uses zero VM memory. Safe even when the VM is under memory pressure.
If browser actions fail mid-task with connection errors, the tunnel dropped (Mac Wi-Fi/IP changed). Ask the user to re-run ~/bin/claude-browser.
Don't trigger native OS dialogs / file pickers; stay within the page.
The user's normal Chrome is a separate profile and is untouched.

Setup reference: Playwright MCP on the VM was added with claude mcp add playwright -s user -- npx @playwright/mcp@latest --cdp-endpoint http://localhost:9222. Mac launcher: ~/bin/claude-browser.