How Re:agent uses a browser
What Re:agent can do on a page, and what each step in the chat means.
Re:agent uses your app in Chromium, on Rehearsal's servers. It reads the page, acts on it, and reads it again, one step at a time.
After every step, Re:agent sees the page as it stands: its address, its title and the elements on it. It also sees the newest errors in the browser console and any requests that failed.
What it can do Link to What it can do
| Step | What Re:agent does |
|---|---|
| Open a page | Goes to an address. |
| Click | Clicks a button, a link or another element. |
| Fill in a field | Types into a field, and can press Enter after. |
| Press a key | Presses one key, such as Enter or Escape. |
| Choose an option | Picks an option in a list. |
| Scroll | Scrolls one screen up or down. |
| Wait | Waits up to a minute for text or an address to appear. |
| Read | Reads the text of one element. |
| Read the test inbox | Reads new email for the test account. See The test inbox. |
| Switch tabs | Moves to another tab of the same browser. |
| Attach a file | Uploads a project file. See Files for uploads. |
Steps in the chat Link to Steps in the chat
Each thing Re:agent does is one row in its reply. Rehearsal writes the words of every row, not Re:agent, so a row says only what happened.
A row names what it acted on, as the page names it, such as Clicked Save changes. A password is never shown in a row.
When a step does not work, the row says so, such as Clicking Save changes did not work. Re:agent reads the page as it is and decides what to do next. A step that did not work does not end the reply.
When Re:agent leaves a page, its rows fold into one line with the page's name and what was done there. When the reply ends, the whole list folds into one line, such as Worked for 2m 10s · opened a browser and took 14 steps. Click a line to open it.
The browser panel Link to The browser panel
The browser appears beside the chat while Re:agent works. If the panel is closed, press Show preview to open it.
- The panel shows the page live, with its steps under it.
- The buttons at the top make the panel bigger or full screen.
- With several browsers, each has its own card. Follow the agent brings you back to the one Re:agent is using.
- Waiting means Re:agent finished its reply. The browser keeps its page for your next message.
- When every browser has closed, the panel says Recordings. You can replay each session there, also after you reload the page.
Limits Link to Limits
- Each browser takes up to 60 steps in one flow. Then Re:agent has to save the flow or close the browser.
- Re:agent takes one step at a time, in one browser at a time.
- Browsers start signed out. Re:agent signs in with a test account, so signing in is part of the flow.
- A password field takes only the test account's password. See Test accounts and secrets.
- A CAPTCHA stops Re:agent. Turn it off for your test accounts or your test environment.
- A browser that waits a long time for your next message closes. Re:agent then has to start the flow again in a new browser.
- An app on your computer must stay connected through the CLI while Re:agent uses it.
Next steps Link to Next steps
- Give Re:agent a test account for flows that sign in.
- Test flows with more than one person, each in a browser of their own.