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# Vessel: Your AI-Powered Browser

Vessel is a simple, clean web browser with an AI assistant built in. Browse the web normally, then ask Vessel to help research, navigate pages, summarize what you are reading, fill forms, or keep track of longer tasks. Unlike invisible browser automation, Vessel shows you what the AI is doing in a real browser window. You can follow along, approve important actions, pause or redirect the work, and take over whenever you want. - **A familiar browser, with AI help nearby** — tabs, bookmarks, reader mode, downloads, and a sidebar assistant for web tasks - **Great for longer browsing sessions** — durable conversation threads, a cross-source run inbox, named sessions, checkpoints, notes, bookmarks, and page changes make interrupted work recoverable - **You stay in control** — review what the AI is doing, approve sensitive actions once or for a scoped run/domain, reject with steering, undo recent changes, and switch back to manual browsing at any time - **Open source and extensible** — built on Chromium, with advanced automation support for MCP clients and agent tools when you need it Linux is the most mature install target today. macOS release packaging is available from source. _Vessel is in active development. Treat it as early software, especially for sensitive browsing or account access._ https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0a72b48a-873a-4eb0-b8f2-23e34d8472c4 ## Quick Start Want the complete AI toolkit from day one? [Start a 7-Day Free Trial of Vessel Premium — $5.99/mo](https://vesselpremium.quantaintellect.com/checkout). ### Fastest Install Today Linux AppImage from GitHub Releases: 1. Download the latest `Vessel--x64.AppImage` 2. Mark it executable: `chmod +x Vessel-*.AppImage` 3. Launch it: `./Vessel-*.AppImage` 4. Open Settings (`Ctrl+,`) to choose your AI provider and review advanced connection options ### Install via npm ```bash npm install -g @quanta-intellect/vessel-browser vessel-browser ``` Or run it directly without installing: ```bash npx @quanta-intellect/vessel-browser ``` ### Source Install ```bash curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unmodeled-tyler/vessel-browser/main/scripts/install.sh | bash ``` ### Development From Source Vessel development uses Node.js 22. If you use `fnm`, run `fnm use` from the repo root to pick up `.node-version`. ```bash fnm use npm install npm run dev ``` If you want extra local AI tracing in development, create an optional `src/main/telemetry/trace-logger.local.cjs` file. Vessel will load it only in local dev builds, and packaged production builds ignore it. ### Why Vessel? Most AI tools can answer questions about the web. Vessel is for actually working on the web: reading pages, following links, comparing information, filling forms, tracking changes, and keeping longer browsing sessions organized. Vessel Browser supervisor sidebar showing agent workflow controls

Vessel Browser supervisor sidebar showing agent workflow controls

Vessel Browser command bar and agent-driven page interaction

Vessel Browser persistent session and checkpoint interface

Vessel Browser integrated chat assistant with browser tools

Vessel keeps that work visible. The AI uses a real browser, so you can see the pages it opens, the choices it makes, and the places where it needs your approval. You are never stuck watching a hidden automation run or guessing what happened after the fact. For power users and developers, the same foundation also supports external agents, MCP clients, persistent sessions, checkpoints, and browser automation workflows. ## Features - **AI-assisted browsing** — ask Vessel to help with research, page reading, navigation, form work, and multi-step web tasks - **Human-visible browser UI** — pages render like a normal browser so AI activity stays legible instead of disappearing into a hidden run - **Command Bar** (`Ctrl+L`) — a secondary operator surface for harness-driven workflows and future runtime commands - **Supervisor Sidebar** (`Ctrl+Shift+L`) — live supervision across ten tabs, including a durable Run Inbox, conversation Threads, approvals, checkpoints, changes, and Research - **Chat Assistant** — built-in conversational AI in the sidebar Chat tab; supports Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama, llama.cpp, Mistral, xAI, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint; reads the current page automatically; has full access to the same browser tools as external agents; multi-turn session history; configure provider, model, and API key in Settings - **Skills** (Premium) — reusable browser skills in the sidebar Skills tab; import, view, run, or delete skills the built-in agent can use for research, shopping, and site-specific workflows - **Research Desk** (Beta) — a dedicated sidebar Research tab for structured research reports; start with a topic, complete an in-tab briefing, let Vessel draft research objectives, approve the plan, then dispatch browser sub-agents to collect source-backed claims and synthesize a markdown-exportable report. Starting the brief is free; plan approval, sub-agent execution, and report export require Vessel Premium. - **Dev Tools Panel** (`F12`) — inspect console output, network requests, and MCP/agent activity in a resizable panel at the bottom of the window; export logs by category and date range as JSON - **Browser Basics For Long Runs** — pinned tabs stay compact at the front of the tab strip and are protected from accidental close; tab groups can be color-coded and collapsed; audible tabs show audio indicators with mute controls; open additional browser windows with `Ctrl+N`; print the active page with `Ctrl+P` or save it directly as PDF with `Ctrl+Shift+P` - **Action Undo / Rollback** — restore the browser to the session snapshot captured immediately before the last successful mutating agent action; available from the Supervisor tab and through the `undo_last_action` tool - **Durable Run Inbox** — Chat, MCP, scheduled, and Research work share one persisted lifecycle with status filters, parent/child research runs, redacted inputs, outputs, errors, and tab context - **Persistent Conversation Threads** — group multiple independent chats inside named threads; each chat gets an AI-generated title after its first completed exchange and can be reopened or retitled, while threads can be renamed, archived, or deleted; archived threads follow the configured history period - **Scoped Approval Policies** — approve once, approve for a run, approve for a domain, or reject and steer; explicit denies take precedence and expired scoped rules are ignored - **Agent-Meaningful Bookmarks** — bookmarks carry structured context the agent can read and act on: `intent` (what the page is for), `expectedContent` (what to expect on the page), `keyFields` (important form fields), `agentHints` (arbitrary directives), and a stored `pageSchema`; humans can create and edit this metadata directly in the Bookmarks tab, and all fields are searchable - **Portable Bookmark Export** — export browser-compatible Netscape HTML for import into Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Brave, and other browsers; optionally include Vessel notes/agent metadata, or export a full-fidelity Vessel JSON archive - **Page Schema Inference** — Vessel automatically infers a typed schema for every page: `pageType` (article, product, form, search, checkout, login, dashboard), `primaryEntity` (structured fields for products and articles), `formFields` (with names, types, labels, selectors), and `actionButtons` (with inferred intents: submit, addToCart, login, etc.); schema is attached to every content extraction result - **Bookmarks for Agents** — save pages into folders, attach one-line folder summaries, and search bookmarks over MCP instead of dumping the entire library - **Named Session Persistence** — save cookies, localStorage, and current tab layout under a reusable name, then reload it after a restart - **Annotated Checkpoints** — capture and restore short-lived browser recovery points with names and editable notes, so humans and agents can mark why a checkpoint matters before risky flows - **Page Highlights** — agents can visually highlight text or elements on any page with labeled, color-coded markers that persist across navigation; highlight count and navigation controls appear in the sidebar; cleared explicitly or via tool call - **Agent Transcript Dock** — floating transcript overlay anchored to the browser chrome; configurable display modes (off, summary, full) set in Settings; shows live agent thinking and status updates without occupying sidebar space - **Workflow Flow Tracking** — agents can declare a named multi-step workflow at runtime using `flow_start`; progress is tracked step-by-step with `flow_advance` and visible in the sidebar throughout execution - **Structured Page Visibility Context** — extraction can report in-viewport elements, obscured controls, active overlays, and dormant consent/modal UI - **Popup Recovery Tools** — agents can explicitly dismiss common popups, newsletter gates, and consent walls instead of brute-forcing generic clicks - **Form Autofill Profiles** — save reusable personal or work profiles in Settings and fill common contact, address, and organization fields on the current page; Vessel matches fields using labels, names, placeholders, and autocomplete hints - **Page Diff / "What Changed?"** — Vessel remembers the last snapshot of a page and surfaces a `Changed` badge in the address bar when the title, headings, or main content differ on a later visit; expand it to see a compact summary of what changed since the last snapshot - **What Changed Timeline** (Premium) — the sidebar Changes tab keeps a per-page history of recent change bursts, showing when each update was detected and a compact summary of what changed - **Per-Tab Ad Blocking Controls** — tabs default to ad blocking on, but agents can selectively disable and re-enable blocking when a page misbehaves - **Domain Policy** — allowlist or blocklist domains globally in Settings; agents cannot navigate to blocked domains - **Agent Credential Vault** (Premium) — encrypted credential storage for agent-driven logins; credentials are filled directly into login forms via a "blind fill" pattern and are never sent to AI providers; user consent dialog before every use; TOTP 2FA support; domain-scoped access; append-only audit log - **Screenshot & Visual Analysis** (Premium) — take a full-page screenshot and pass the image directly to the AI for visual layout analysis; useful when text extraction fails on heavy or canvas-rendered pages - **Obsidian Memory Hooks** (Premium) — optional vault path for agent-written markdown notes, page captures, and research breadcrumbs - **Runtime Health Checks** — startup warnings for MCP port conflicts, unreadable settings, and user-data write failures - **Reader Mode** — extract article content into a clean, distraction-free view; toggle on and off from the address bar - **Focus Mode** (`Ctrl+Shift+F`) — hide all chrome, content fills the screen - **Resizable Panels** — drag the sidebar edge to resize; width persists across sessions - **Minimal Dark Theme** — warm dark grays, restrained accent color, and no pure black/white ### Reliability, History, and Approvals The Supervisor sidebar now keeps longer-running work understandable across Chat, external MCP agents, scheduled jobs, and Research: - Open **Runs** to filter work that needs attention, is active, failed, completed, or comes from any source. Each run has a chronological timeline with status changes, approvals, outputs, errors, and relevant tab context; records can be exported as Markdown or JSON or deleted from Vessel. - Open **Threads** to organize multiple chats under a named topic. Chats can be reopened or retitled independently, while their parent thread can be renamed, archived, or deleted. New chats receive a generated title after their first completed exchange. - Approval cards show the action, redacted arguments, domain, and whether undo is available. You can approve once, approve matching work for the current run or domain, reject, or reject with written steering. Persisted scoped rules remain visible in Supervisor and can be removed there. - If Vessel closes while a run is active or waiting for approval, that run is marked **interrupted** on the next launch instead of being left misleadingly active. Vessel does not claim to resume or retry the unfinished execution automatically. - Terminal run history and archived threads follow `historyRetentionDays` (`90` days by default; supported values are `7`, `30`, `90`, `180`, `365`, or `null` for no automatic expiry). Active runs and unarchived threads are preserved. Conversation history is encrypted through Electron's `safeStorage` API when encryption is available. If secure storage is unavailable, Vessel keeps conversations in memory for that session instead of writing plaintext chat history. Run records redact sensitive argument fields and limit stored output size before persistence or export. ## Positioning Most browsers treat automation as secondary and assume a human is the primary actor. Vessel is the opposite: it is the browser for the agent, with a visible interface that keeps the human in the loop. That means the product should optimize for: - persistent browser state across tasks and sessions - clear visibility into what the agent is doing right now - lightweight human intervention instead of constant manual driving - a browser runtime that can serve long-lived agent systems such as Hermes Agent or OpenClaw-style harnesses ## Stack | Layer | Technology | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Engine | Chromium (Electron 40) | | UI Framework | SolidJS | | Language | TypeScript | | Build | electron-vite + Vite | | AI Control | External agent harnesses (Hermes Agent, OpenClaw, MCP clients) + built-in chat (Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama, llama.cpp, and any OAI-compatible endpoint) | | Content Extraction | @mozilla/readability | ## Architecture ``` Main Process Renderer (SolidJS) ├── TabManager (WebContentsView[]) ├── TabBar, AddressBar ├── AgentRuntime (session + supervision) ├── CommandBar (secondary surface) ├── Run, conversation, and policy managers ├── AI Sidebar (Supervisor/Runs/Threads/Chat/...) ├── MCP server for external agents ├── DevTools Panel (Console/Network/Activity) ├── AI providers (Anthropic + OAI-compatible) ├── Agent Transcript Dock ├── Bookmarks, checkpoints, and page history └── Signal stores (runtime/runs/conversations/policies/...) └── IPC handlers ◄──contextBridge──► Preload API ``` Each browser tab is a separate `WebContentsView` managed by the main process. The browser chrome (SolidJS) runs in its own view layered on top. All communication between renderer and main goes through typed IPC channels via `contextBridge`. The sidebar Skills tab renders skill forms entirely in the renderer and passes the rendered prompt to the built-in agent via the same `query()` path used by the Chat tab — no additional IPC surface is needed. The Changes tab reads the current page's diff timeline through IPC and unlocks persisted history for Premium users. The Research tab has a dedicated IPC surface for its state machine: briefing is available to everyone, while objective approval, parallel browser sub-agents, report synthesis, and markdown export are Premium-gated during the beta. ## Getting Started The installer: - clones or updates Vessel into `~/.local/share/vessel-browser` - installs dependencies and builds the app - creates a `vessel-browser` launcher in `~/.local/bin` - creates a `vessel-browser-launch` helper in `~/.local/bin` - creates a `vessel-browser-update` helper in `~/.local/bin` - creates a `vessel-browser-status` helper in `~/.local/bin` - creates a desktop entry for Linux app launchers - writes `~/.config/vessel/vessel-settings.json` with MCP port `3100` - writes `~/.config/vessel/mcp-stdio-snippet.json` - writes `~/.config/vessel/mcp-http-snippet.json` - installs a `vessel-browser-mcp` helper that can run as a stdio-to-HTTP proxy (`--stdio`) or print config snippets - prints the exact recommended stdio MCP snippet to paste into your harness config The packaged AppImage path: - does not require a local Node/Electron toolchain - uses the packaged Vessel app icon and metadata - is the recommended path for early adopters who just want to run Vessel Windows packaged releases: - use the `Vessel--x64-setup.exe` NSIS installer - can be installed over an existing Vessel install when upgrading - preserve Vessel app data during the normal upgrade path You do not need to uninstall Vessel before installing a newer Windows release. Uninstall first only if you are recovering from a broken install or intentionally removing local Vessel data. After install: ```bash vessel-browser ``` ```bash # Use the pinned Node.js 22 runtime fnm use # Install dependencies npm install # If Electron download fails, use a mirror: ELECTRON_MIRROR="https://npmmirror.com/mirrors/electron/" npm install # Development (with HMR) npm run dev # Production build npm run build # Smoke-test the MVP release path npm run smoke:test # Package an unpacked Linux app npm run dist:dir # Package a Linux AppImage npm run dist # Package an unpacked universal macOS app bundle (run on macOS) npm run dist:mac:dir # Package universal macOS DMG + ZIP artifacts (run on macOS) npm run dist:mac # Verify a universal macOS build contains Intel and Apple Silicon slices npm run verify:mac:universal # Package signed macOS DMG + ZIP artifacts (run on macOS with signing set up) npm run dist:mac:signed ``` Notes: - `npm run dev` still launches the stock Electron binary, so Linux may continue showing the default Electron gear icon in development - packaged builds created with `npm run dist` / `npm run dist:dir` use the Vessel app icon - `npm run build:icon:mac` regenerates `resources/vessel-icon.icns` from `resources/vessel-icon.png` for macOS packaging - `npm run dist:mac` and `npm run dist:mac:dir` build universal macOS artifacts by default, so the same app runs natively on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs - `npm run dist:mac:x64` and `npm run dist:mac:arm64` are available when you need smaller architecture-specific test artifacts - `npm run verify:mac:universal` uses `lipo` to confirm the packaged app executable and Electron framework include both `x86_64` and `arm64` slices - `npm run dist:mac`, `npm run dist:mac:dir`, `npm run dist:mac:x64`, and `npm run dist:mac:arm64` intentionally disable auto-signing so local packaging works on any Mac without keychain setup - `npm run dist:mac:signed` and `npm run dist:mac:dir:signed` build universal artifacts and use normal `electron-builder` signing discovery; if your login keychain has duplicate Apple certs, clean those up or use a dedicated keychain before running the signed path - signed builds are still not notarized by this repo out of the box, so Gatekeeper warnings remain until notarization is added for release publishing - the tracked smoke test runs typecheck, build, the MCP stdio proxy regression check, and the Electron navigation regression harness - for headless CI, run the smoke test under `xvfb-run -a npm run smoke:test` - run `npm run test:navigation-regression` for the standalone navigation suite; it builds fresh test/preload bundles, opens focused test windows, and uses a temporary profile and loopback server - the navigation runner requires a completed-suite report as well as a zero exit, times out after three minutes, and removes its temporary files on normal completion or failure ### Setting up Vessel for Hermes Agent or OpenClaw Vessel is designed to act as the browser runtime that your external agent harness drives. 1. Launch Vessel 2. Open Settings (`Ctrl+,`) to confirm MCP status, copy the endpoint, or change the MCP port 3. Optional: set an Obsidian vault path, create autofill profiles, or adjust session preferences 4. Start Hermes Agent or OpenClaw and point it at Vessel — the easiest way is `vessel-browser-mcp --stdio` as the MCP command (auth is resolved automatically), or connect directly to `http://127.0.0.1:/mcp` with the bearer token from `~/.config/vessel/mcp-auth.json` 5. Use the Supervisor panel in Vessel's sidebar to pause the agent, change approval mode, review pending approvals, checkpoint, undo the last mutating action, or restore the browser session while the harness runs 6. Open Runs to inspect or export activity from Chat, MCP, scheduled jobs, and Research; use Threads to reopen and organize durable conversations 7. Use the Bookmarks panel to organize saved pages into folders, edit agent-facing bookmark metadata, export bookmarks for other browsers, and expose saved pages back to the agent over MCP Notes: - Vessel exposes browser control to external agents through its local MCP server - The MCP endpoint supports both legacy clients and the modern `2026-07-28` protocol revision, including `server/discover` - The default MCP port is `3100` - Hermes Agent and OpenClaw should treat Vessel as the persistent, human-visible browser rather than launching their own separate browser session - Vessel supports a built-in Chat tab with configurable AI provider; open Settings (`Ctrl+,`) and enable Chat Assistant to set a provider and model - The sidebar Research tab is marked Beta; use it to turn a broad research topic into a brief, approve a multi-thread plan, run browser sub-agents, and export the final report as markdown. Briefing is free, while full execution and export require Premium. - `llama.cpp (Local)` is a first-class chat provider in Settings and targets `http://localhost:8080/v1` by default; Vessel auto-fetches the active model from `llama-server` - For `llama-server`, use `--ctx-size 16384` minimum and `32768` recommended for reliable Vessel agent loops; lower values often fail once prompt, tool schema, and tool history accumulate - Approval policy is controlled live from the sidebar Supervisor panel rather than a separate global settings screen - Settings now show MCP runtime status, active endpoint, startup warnings, and allow changing the MCP port with an immediate server restart - Settings also include reusable Form Autofill profiles for one-click filling of common contact and address forms on the active page - The address bar can also show a `Changed` badge when Vessel detects that a previously visited page has meaningfully changed since the last saved snapshot - Premium users can open the sidebar Changes tab for the full What Changed timeline for the active page - The Bookmarks tab can export browser-compatible HTML, HTML with Vessel notes, or a full Vessel JSON archive with agent metadata intact - Agents can selectively disable ad blocking for a problematic tab, reload, retry the flow, and turn blocking back on later - Agents can persist authenticated state with named sessions, for example `github-logged-in`, and reload that state in later runs - The intended control plane is an external harness driving Vessel through MCP - If you set an Obsidian vault path in Settings, harnesses can write markdown notes directly into that vault via Vessel memory MCP tools ### Using llama.cpp as the built-in chat provider Vessel can talk directly to a local `llama-server` through its OpenAI-compatible API. Example: ```bash llama-server -m /path/to/model.gguf --port 8080 --ctx-size 32768 ``` Then in Vessel: 1. Open Settings (`Ctrl+,`) 2. Enable Chat Assistant 3. Choose `llama.cpp (Local)` as the provider 4. Click refresh if needed; Vessel will auto-detect the active model from `http://localhost:8080/v1` Notes: - `--ctx-size 16384` is the minimum practical setting for Vessel agent loops - `--ctx-size 32768` is the recommended default for longer browsing sessions - Vessel will warn in Settings if it detects a `llama-server` context size below the recommended floor, or if it cannot detect the ctx size from the running server Initial memory tools: - `vessel_memory_note_create` - `vessel_memory_append` - `vessel_memory_list` - `vessel_memory_search` - `vessel_memory_page_capture` - `vessel_memory_link_bookmark` Bookmark and folder tools exposed today include: - `vessel_bookmark_list` - `vessel_bookmark_search` - `vessel_bookmark_open` - `vessel_bookmark_save` - `vessel_bookmark_remove` - `vessel_create_folder` - `vessel_folder_rename` - `vessel_folder_remove` Page interaction and recovery tools exposed today include: - `vessel_extract_content` - `vessel_read_page` - `vessel_scroll` - `vessel_dismiss_popup` - `vessel_set_ad_blocking` - `vessel_wait_for` - `vessel_screenshot` (Premium) — capture the full page as an image for visual AI analysis - `undo_last_action` — restore the browser to the snapshot captured before the last successful mutating agent action Page highlight tools: - `vessel_highlight` — visually mark text or an element on the page with a labeled, color-coded overlay; persists until cleared - `vessel_clear_highlights` — remove all highlights from the current page Workflow tracking tools: - `vessel_flow_start` — begin a named multi-step workflow and declare its steps upfront; progress appears in the sidebar throughout execution - `vessel_flow_advance` — mark the current step complete and advance to the next - `vessel_flow_status` — check current workflow progress - `vessel_flow_end` — clear the active workflow tracker Data extraction tools (Premium): - `vessel_extract_table` — extract a page table as structured JSON rows with column headers Named session tools exposed today include: - `vessel_save_session` - `vessel_load_session` - `vessel_list_sessions` - `vessel_delete_session` Session files are sensitive because they may contain login cookies and tokens. Vessel stores them under the app user-data directory with restrictive file permissions. Agent Credential Vault tools (Premium): - `vessel_vault_status` — check whether stored credentials exist for a domain (returns labels/usernames, never passwords) - `vessel_vault_login` — fill a login form using stored credentials (blind fill — credentials go directly into the page, never into the AI conversation) - `vessel_vault_totp` — generate and fill a TOTP 2FA code from a stored secret Session performance tools (Premium): - `vessel_metrics` — show per-tool call counts, average durations, error rates, and total session stats Vault security model: - Credentials are encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM with a key protected by the OS keychain (Electron safeStorage) - Credential values are **never** sent to AI providers — they flow only through the main process to the content script - Every credential use triggers a user consent dialog ("Allow Once" / "Allow for Session" / "Deny") - All credential access is recorded in an append-only audit log - Credentials are domain-scoped — they can only be used on matching domains - Users manage credentials in Settings > Agent Credential Vault Notable extraction modes include: - `visible_only` — only currently visible, in-viewport, unobstructed interactive elements plus active overlays - `results_only` — likely primary search/result links only - `full` / `summary` / `interactives_only` / `forms_only` / `text_only` The extraction output can distinguish: - active blocking overlays - dormant consent/modal UI present in the DOM but not active for the current session or region Stdio proxy MCP config (recommended — resolves auth automatically): ```json { "mcpServers": { "vessel": { "command": "vessel-browser-mcp", "args": ["--stdio"] } } } ``` The stdio proxy reads the bearer token from `~/.config/vessel/mcp-auth.json` at connection time and preserves both legacy and `2026-07-28` protocol negotiation, so no manual token management is needed. Vessel must already be running when your MCP client connects, and `~/.config/vessel/mcp-auth.json` must exist from install or first launch. Generic HTTP MCP config (requires copying the token manually): ```json { "mcpServers": { "vessel": { "type": "http", "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3100/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer " } } } } ``` Hermes Agent `config.yaml` MCP config: ```yaml mcp_servers: vessel: url: "http://127.0.0.1:3100/mcp" headers: Authorization: "Bearer " timeout: 180 connect_timeout: 30 ``` ## Configuration The installer writes three snippets to: - `~/.config/vessel/mcp-stdio-snippet.json` - `~/.config/vessel/mcp-http-snippet.json` - `~/.config/vessel/mcp-hermes-snippet.yaml` It also installs a helper command: ```bash vessel-browser-mcp ``` Helper examples: ```bash # Run as stdio-to-HTTP proxy (for MCP client integration) vessel-browser-mcp --stdio # Recommended stdio MCP snippet vessel-browser-mcp # Generic JSON snippet with Authorization header vessel-browser-mcp --format json # Hermes-ready YAML snippet with Authorization header vessel-browser-mcp --format hermes # Raw MCP endpoint URL vessel-browser-mcp --format url # Raw MCP bearer token vessel-browser-mcp --format token ``` Source install update helpers: ```bash # Check whether a source-install update is available vessel-browser-update --check # Fetch, rebuild, and update the local source install vessel-browser-update ``` Status helper: ```bash # Human-readable local install + MCP status vessel-browser-status # Machine-readable status for harnesses vessel-browser-status --json ``` Smart launch helper: ```bash # Launch Vessel using the best available local install vessel-browser-launch # Show the chosen launch path without starting anything vessel-browser-launch --dry-run ``` `vessel-browser-launch` prefers a healthy source install and falls back to the newest local AppImage when the source install is likely blocked by Electron sandbox permissions. ## Keyboard Shortcuts | Shortcut | Action | | ------------------- | ----------------------- | | `Ctrl+L` | AI Command Bar | | `Ctrl+Shift+L` | Toggle AI Sidebar | | `Ctrl+Shift+F` | Toggle Focus Mode | | `F12` | Toggle Dev Tools Panel | | `Ctrl+N` | New Window | | `Ctrl+T` | New Tab | | `Ctrl+W` | Close Tab | | `Ctrl+Shift+T` | Reopen Closed Tab | | `Ctrl+Shift+N` | New Private Window | | `Ctrl+F` | Find in Page | | `Ctrl++` / `Ctrl+=` | Zoom In | | `Ctrl+-` | Zoom Out | | `Ctrl+0` | Reset Zoom | | `Ctrl+P` | Print Active Page | | `Ctrl+Shift+P` | Save Active Page as PDF | | `Ctrl+,` | Settings | ## Project Structure ``` src/ ├── main/ # Electron main process │ ├── ai/ # Agent tools, query flow, and AI provider implementations │ ├── tabs/ # Tab + TabManager (WebContentsView) │ ├── agent/ # Agent runtime, checkpoints, supervision, flow tracking │ ├── conversations/ # Secure conversation thread and chat storage │ ├── runs/ # Durable cross-source run records, timelines, export redaction │ ├── policy/ # Action classification and scoped approval policies │ ├── persistence/ # Debounced JSON and secure-storage persistence helpers │ ├── content/ # Readability extraction, reader mode, screenshot, page snapshots/diff │ ├── config/ # Settings persistence │ ├── autofill/ # Autofill profile persistence and form-field matching │ ├── ipc/ # IPC handler registry │ ├── vault/ # Agent Credential Vault (encrypted storage, consent, audit) │ ├── mcp/ # MCP server for external agent control │ ├── devtools/ # CDP session management for Dev Tools panel │ ├── highlights/ # Page highlight capture, injection, and persistence │ ├── health/ # Runtime health monitoring (MCP, settings, ports) │ ├── premium/ # Subscription management, feature gating, Stripe integration │ ├── bookmarks/ # Bookmark and folder persistence │ ├── history/ # Browse history │ ├── memory/ # Obsidian vault hooks │ ├── network/ # Ad blocking, URL safety, link validation, downloads │ ├── sessions/ # Named session save/load/delete │ ├── startup/ # App initialization, menu, shortcuts, renderer bootstrap │ ├── telemetry/ # PostHog analytics (opt-in) │ ├── tools/ # Tool definitions, input coercion, pruning │ ├── window.ts # Window layout manager │ └── index.ts # App entry point ├── preload/ # contextBridge scripts │ ├── index.ts # Chrome UI preload │ └── content-script.ts # Web page preload (readability) ├── renderer/ # SolidJS browser UI │ └── src/ │ ├── components/ │ │ ├── chrome/ # TitleBar, TabBar, AddressBar, AgentTranscriptDock │ │ ├── ai/ # CommandBar, Sidebar (Supervisor/Runs/Threads/Bookmarks/Checkpoints/Chat/Skills/History/Changes/Research) │ │ ├── devtools/ # DevTools panel (Console, Network, Activity) │ │ └── shared/ # Settings panel │ ├── stores/ # SolidJS stores (runtime, runs, conversations, policies, tabs, AI, etc.) │ ├── styles/ # Theme, global CSS │ └── lib/ # Keybindings, markdown, skills registry └── shared/ # Types + IPC channel constants ``` ## Design Principles - **Agent first** — the browser is the agent's operating surface, not just a human tool with automation bolted on - **Human visible** — the UI should make agent behavior easy to follow, audit, and steer - **Persistent by default** — browser state should survive long-running workflows and repeated sessions - **Content first** — chrome is 110px, everything else is your page - **Easy on the eyes** — warm dark grays, muted text, no visual noise - **Linux-native** — frameless window, system font fallbacks, XDG conventions ## License MIT _Developed by Tyler Williams in Portland, Oregon (2026)_