---
title: Overview
description: OpenBrowse is the open source browser agent — a free, model-agnostic Chrome extension.
---

import { Callout } from "fumadocs-ui/components/callout";

OpenBrowse is a free, open source Chrome extension that puts an AI agent in your browser. It can read pages, click, navigate, run code, and connect to external services via MCP — all under your control, with any model you choose.

## Install

OpenBrowse is launching on the Chrome Web Store soon. While the listing
is being approved, you can install the latest build manually in about
30 seconds.

<Callout type="info" title="Your data carries over">
  Manual installs share the same extension ID as the future Chrome Web
  Store install, so when you switch over later, your conversations,
  API keys, MCP connectors, memories, and workspaces will all persist
  automatically.
</Callout>

### Manual install (current)

1. Download **openbrowse-&lt;version&gt;-chrome.zip** (the latest version) from the latest
   [GitHub Release](https://github.com/openbrowse-ai/openbrowse/releases/latest).
2. Unzip it anywhere on your machine. Keep the folder around — Chrome
   loads it from disk; deleting the folder uninstalls the extension.
3. Open `chrome://extensions` and toggle **Developer mode** on (top
   right of the page).
4. Click **Load unpacked** and select the unzipped folder.
5. Pin OpenBrowse to your toolbar so you can find it easily — click the
   puzzle-piece icon in the top-right of Chrome, then the pin next to
   OpenBrowse.

That's it. No account, no signup.

<Callout type="warn" title="Updating manual installs">
  Manual installs don't auto-update. To pick up a new release, download
  the new zip, replace the contents of the same folder, then click the
  refresh icon next to OpenBrowse in `chrome://extensions`.
</Callout>

### Chrome Web Store (coming soon)

Once the listing is approved, install will be a one-click affair:

1. Open the OpenBrowse listing on the Chrome Web Store.
   _(Link goes live as soon as the listing is approved.)_
2. Click **Add to Chrome**, then confirm.
3. If you have a manual install loaded, remove it first from
   `chrome://extensions` — Chrome won't run two extensions with the
   same ID simultaneously. Your data carries over to the Web Store
   install regardless.

## What you can do

- **Browse and act** — read page content, click elements, type, navigate, take screenshots
- **Organize tabs** — group windows into Spaces with per-space color themes
- **Run quick actions** — global command palette (`⌥K`) on every tab
- **Connect tools** — MCP integrations for GitHub, Linear, Slack, Notion, and more
- **Stay private** — run fully on-device with a local model; no server, no telemetry

## Next steps

- [Comparison](/docs/comparison) — how OpenBrowse compares to Claude for Chrome and others
- [Basic Usage](/docs/basic-usage) — keyboard shortcuts and getting around
- [Agent](/docs/agent-overview) — what the browser agent can do
