browser-toolslisted

# Browser Tools VS Code 1.127+ ships browser tools GA as agent-invocable capabilities. Reach for these when `fetch_webpage` can't do the job or when the deliverable itself is visual. ## When to Fire Prefer browser tools over `fetch_webpage`: | Scenario | Why fetch_webpage fails | What browser tools do | |---|---|---| | Bot-protected sites (CloudFlare, PerimeterX, Akamai Bot Manager, Datadome) | Static HTTP fetch is fingerprinted as automation; challenge page returned instead of content | Real browser session clears the challenge naturally | | JavaScript-rendered content (SPAs, dashboards, docs sites that hydrate client-side) | Plain HTML returned before JS executes; body div is empty | Browser waits for DOM to render, then `read_page` returns actual content | | Interactive gates (consent banners, cookie walls, age gates, region prompts) | HTTP fetch sees the gate, not the content behind it | `click_element` accepts the gate, then read the underlying page | | Rate-limited / API-throttled endpoints | HTTP fetch triggers throttle; real browser sessions are more forgiving | Same read, different fingerprint | | **Design validation of frontend changes** | HTML source ≠ rendered pixels; you can't see spacing, color, layout regressions from HTML | `screenshot_page` captures the actual visual for review | | Cross-browser visual check | fetch_webpage returns one HTML shape; browser tools can drive Chromium runs | `screenshot_page` + `run_playwright_code` for scripted checks | Pref