bmux browser automation with visible, reusable workspaces

What does the bmux website actually help you do?

The bmux website distributes a free, open source Chromium/Electron browser built for people and external agents. In the app, keep reference pages beside the page an agent is operating, then inspect what happened. Developers testing web agents and researchers juggling project pages can work in a visible environment rather than reconstructing a task from logs.

Its tmux-style organization describes panes and keyboard controls; tmux itself is not required. The verified agent interface is the CLI. No bundled model subscription or built-in natural-language task planner has been established.

Keep a project workspace and its logins organized

Split pages horizontally or vertically, float a reference pane, dock it again and save the layout. Ctrl+B followed by %, a double quote, s or ? provides splits, session selection and help. A session contains internal windows; each window contains panes, while a desktop client attaches to a session.

Profiles hold cookies, site storage, history, permissions and connections. Panes using one profile share logins; different sessions alone do not separate accounts. A pane keeps its assigned profile, so create another pane for a different account.

Detaching leaves live pages running. Quit stops the browser; a restart reopens URLs and layouts without recovering arbitrary JavaScript state or unsaved forms. Restoring a layout replaces the window's current pages.

Everyday tools include ad/tracker blocking, Dark Reader, bookmarks/history and encrypted saved non-password form fields. Filling does not submit, and sensitive fields are excluded. Chrome extensions, including the documented Bitwarden route, remain experimental. Cloud sync and embedding existing Chrome/Brave windows are unsupported.

Run one agent task and inspect the result

Start with a bot profile or create a background profile using bmux profile create NAME --background; ordinary inactive pages are throttled. The Official browser automation guide documents this initial sequence:

bmux new-session -s agents --profile bot
bmux list-windows -t agents
bmux list-panes -t <window-id>
bmux navigate -t <pane-id> https://example.com
bmux wait -t <pane-id> --selector 'main' --timeout 15000
bmux dom -t <pane-id>
bmux screenshot -t <pane-id> --output /tmp/page.png

Replace the window and pane placeholders with IDs returned by the list commands, then substitute your target URL and selector. Inspect JSON ok/result, the actual URL, DOM and PNG output before treating the task as complete. Closed pane IDs can be reused. Input typing inserts at the cursor rather than clearing the field, and ordinary selectors target the main document.

CLI navigation, waits, JavaScript, clicks, typing and screenshots do not need to steal focus. Commands serialize within a pane; separate panes support independent workers. Raw per-pane CDP is an Electron debugger interface, not an external Playwright connection endpoint. Screenshots capture rendered content; scroll and wait for lazy pages before capture.

Default local protection allows ten minutes of automation followed by a twenty-minute break, spaces social-site actions by at least two seconds and pauses on account warnings, challenges or rate limits. Resolve a warning manually before resuming. These rules do not guarantee platform acceptance.

Use mobile presets and connections for a checked collection task

Pixel 8, Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max presets adjust viewport, density, touch and identity; orientation, locale, timezone and optional location are configurable. An iPhone preset still runs Chromium, so it cannot replace Safari or real-device testing.

Profiles support HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS5 connections. Test the exit IP and save the connection for new panes; existing panes keep their previous connection. Credentials use Electron safeStorage. Cookies may be copied when changing connections within a profile, so use a fresh profile for account separation.

The collection workflow starts with one background profile, optional proxy/device settings, small scrolls, waits and DOM reads. Verify one worker before adding others. This is browser-driven collection, without a verified hosted scraping API or turnkey crawler/export system. See Profiles, proxies and device settings.

Understand local control and remote access

Application data stays in platform data directories, with BMUX_DATA_DIR available for a separate instance and local YAML bookmarks. The current-user control socket exposes no network debugging port by default, but the same user's CLI can control all profiles. Local script plugins also run with OS-user privileges.

Remote hosting and access describes Linux Electron/Xvfb hosts and web or desktop remote viewing. Owners grant Watch or Control; WebRTC carries video, input and page state while services handle access and metadata. Activity/count reporting has a thirty-day history and is best effort; your queue must own scheduling, retries and durable outcomes. No product-wide zero-retention or no-training commitment was verified.

Install the current free release

Checked on October 4, 2026, Latest downloads and release notes identifies v0.1.5, with macOS Apple Silicon/Intel DMGs, Windows x64 and Linux x64/arm64 host archives. Linux hosting is a separate deployment experience. Homebrew supports brew install --cask tonisives/tap/bmux. The CLI requires Node 22.12+; source development uses pnpm 11.

Release notes report macOS signing/notarization and a fix for v0.1.3's damaged bundle. Published macOS builds check updates at startup/daily and apply them on quit; Windows/Linux use manual downloads. v0.1.3 needs an initial manual upgrade.

The browser is free; external models, proxies and hosts can cost extra. Current GPL license is GPL v3, with GPL-3.0-only in package metadata and the former MIT notice retained. The website's older MIT label is not the current license. This early preview needs testing with your actual authentication, extensions and DRM sites.

Common questions about bmux

How can an AI agent control bmux?

An external agent uses the CLI with explicit pane IDs to navigate, inspect DOM, act and capture screenshots. Check returned JSON and visible output; select a background profile for ongoing work.

Is bmux free to use?

The current browser is free and GPL-licensed. Model-provider, proxy and infrastructure charges are separate; no bmux model-credit plan was verified.

Do profiles prevent local automation from seeing other accounts?

Profiles separate browser storage, but the current OS user's CLI can access all profiles. Remote permissions add another control boundary that must be configured separately.

Official resources and developer support

• Official source repository — source, current README and development instructions.
• Public issue tracker — known problems and reproducible bug reports.
• Browser tools guide — browsing conveniences and settings.

No separate official social community, status page or support response-time commitment was verified.