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What is ego (lite)

What ego (lite) is, and what it does better than browser extensions, cloud browsers, built-in agent browsers, browser CLIs, and AI browsers.

ego (lite) is a Chromium browser for macOS that you and your AI agents use together. You browse in it the same way you browse in Chrome. Your agents use the same browser to do web tasks for you, such as research, filling in forms, collecting data from websites, and testing web apps.

Agents control ego (lite) through the ego-browser skill. Any agent that can run shell commands can use it, including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Continue, Gemini CLI, Hermes Agent, OpenClaw, OpenCode, and your own custom agent.

How ego (lite) works

Each feature below has its own page under "Features".

Space

A Space is a separate workspace inside ego (lite) where an agent runs a task. Each Space has its own tabs. While the agent works in its Space, you keep using your own tabs. The agent does not switch your tabs or take keyboard focus from you.

A Space is not a new window, a second Chrome profile, or a headless browser. All Spaces run inside the same ego (lite) browser, and agents can use the logins you already have there.

You can run many Spaces at the same time, usually one per task. How many depends on your computer's memory and CPU. You can open any Space to watch the agent, stop the task, or take over.

→ Space

Snapshot

A Snapshot is the text version of a page that the agent reads. ego (lite) lists the elements on the page and gives each one a short reference, such as @3. A typical page fits in 200 to 400 tokens, which is far fewer than its raw HTML.

Calling snapshotText() on a login page returns something like this:

Page: Example - Log in
URL: https://example.com/login

@1 [heading] "Log in"
@2 [form]
  @3 [input type="email"] placeholder="Email"
  @4 [input type="password"] placeholder="Password"
  @5 [button type="submit"] "Continue"
  @6 [link] "Forgot password?"

The agent acts on the references directly, for example fill('@3', '...') and click('@5'). It does not need to guess CSS selectors, so a change to a class name does not break the task.

ego (lite) builds Snapshots inside its modified Chromium engine, not with a script added to the page. Because of this, Snapshots include content that script-based tools often miss: nested cross-origin iframes, shadow DOM, and third-party components such as Stripe checkout, Salesforce embeds, and Intercom panels.

→ Snapshot

ego-browser

ego-browser is the command-line tool that agents use to control ego (lite). The agent writes a short Node.js script, and ego-browser runs the whole script in one call:

ego-browser nodejs <<'EOF'
await useOrCreateTaskSpace('follow-ego-agent')
await openOrReuseTab('https://x.com/ego_agent', { wait: true })
await snapshotText()
await click('@92')  // @92 is the Follow button from the snapshot
cliLog('Done.')
EOF

This one call opens a page, reads it, clicks a button, and reports the result. With many other tools, each of these actions is a separate call, and the model has to read the result of one call before it sends the next. Fewer calls means fewer model turns across the whole task, so the task finishes sooner and uses fewer tokens.

→ ego-browser

Experience accumulation (coming soon)

When a task succeeds, ego (lite) will save how it was done as a reusable tool or workflow, grouped by website. The next time an agent runs a task on the same website, it can reuse the saved method instead of repeating the trial and error.

→ Skills

What ego (lite) does better than other browser automation tools

Most tools that let AI agents use a browser are one of five types. The table gives the short answer. The sections after it explain what ego (lite) does better than each type.

Type	How it works	What ego (lite) does better
Browser extension	An extension connects the agent to the Chrome window you are using.	ego (lite) is the browser, so there is nothing to pair. The agent works in its own Space, not in your tabs.
Cloud browser	The browser runs on the provider's servers.	ego (lite) runs on your computer. Your logins stay on your device, and there is no fee for browser time.
Built-in agent browser	A browser panel inside one AI app.	ego (lite) is a full Chromium browser with your logins, and any agent can use it.
Browser CLI	The agent usually controls a browser that starts with no logins, one step at a time.	The agent starts from your logins and runs several actions in each call.
AI browser	A browser with the company's own AI assistant in a sidebar.	Your own agent drives ego (lite), so it can also work with your local code and files.

Compared with browser extensions

Examples: Claude in Chrome, the Codex Chrome extension, the Kimi Chrome extension.

With an extension, the agent sends commands to an extension installed in your Chrome browser, and the extension carries them out in your Chrome window. This works well for quick help on the page you are looking at, such as filling in one form. For multi-step tasks that run while you keep working, ego (lite) does better in these ways:

Nothing to install, pair, or keep connected. With an extension, pairing can fail, the connection can drop during a task, you may see permission prompts, and the extension can conflict with other extensions. ego (lite) is the browser itself, so none of these steps exist.
The agent does not use your tabs. An extension works in the same window as you, so the agent can use the tab you are on or take window focus while you are working. In ego (lite), each agent task runs in its own Space with its own tabs. Your mouse, keyboard focus, notifications, and active tabs stay yours.
Several tasks can run while you keep browsing. Each task gets its own Space, so agents can work on several tasks at the same time. You can open any Space to watch the agent, pause the task, or take over.

Detailed comparisons: ego (lite) vs Claude in Chrome, ego (lite) vs Codex Chrome extension, ego (lite) vs Kimi Chrome extension.

Compared with cloud browsers

Example: Browserbase.

A cloud browser runs on the provider's servers, and your agent connects to it over the internet. This suits products that run a large number of browsers on servers, such as 100 or more at once, and tasks that must keep running while your computer is off. For tasks on your own accounts, run from your own computer, ego (lite) does better in these ways:

Your logins stay on your computer. To use your own accounts in a cloud browser, you have to give the provider your passwords, cookies, or a saved signed-in session. ego (lite) runs on your computer. Your passwords, cookies, login sessions, and the data you imported from Chrome stay on your device, and ego (lite) does not upload your browsing data to a hosted browser service.
No charge for browser time. Cloud browsers usually charge per session or per minute. The ego (lite) app is free. Your model and network costs still apply.
Fewer CAPTCHAs caused by unfamiliar IP addresses. A cloud browser sends traffic from the provider's IP addresses. Other customers share these addresses, and they may be in a different country from you, so some websites show more CAPTCHAs or security checks. ego (lite) uses your own internet connection and follows your VPN or proxy settings, so websites see the same kind of session they see when you browse yourself. Websites can still ask for a CAPTCHA or another security check, and ego (lite) does not bypass them.

Detailed comparison: ego (lite) vs Browserbase.

Compared with built-in agent browsers

Examples: the Codex browser, the browser built into Cursor.

Some AI apps include their own browser. It usually opens in a panel inside the app, and only that app's agent can use it. It needs no setup, and its separate login state keeps the agent away from your real accounts. When you want the agent to work with your real accounts in your usual browser, ego (lite) does better in these ways:

Your logins are already there. A built-in browser often has its own login state, so you have to sign in to websites again inside it. With ego (lite), you can import your Chrome profile in one click during setup, including tabs, bookmarks, passwords, extensions, cookies, login sessions, and profiles.
It is a complete browser. A built-in browser has fewer features than a full browser. ego (lite) is a complete Chromium browser with tabs, tab groups, windows, profiles, bookmarks, saved passwords, extensions, downloads, and incognito mode. You can use it as your regular browser while your agents work in the same browser.
Several tasks can run at the same time. A built-in browser may limit how many tasks run at once. In ego (lite), each task runs in its own Space, and several Spaces can run at the same time.
It works with any agent. A built-in browser only works inside its own app. Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenClaw, and other agents all use ego (lite) through ego-browser. You can change agents without changing browsers.

Detailed comparison: ego (lite) vs Codex browser.

Compared with browser CLIs

Examples: playwright-cli, Browser Harness, agent-browser, chrome-devtools-cli.

A browser CLI is a command-line tool that an AI agent runs to control a browser. Most are built on browser automation frameworks such as Playwright or Puppeteer, or directly on the Chrome DevTools Protocol. They work well when you want a fresh browser for every run, for example in scripts or CI. When an agent does tasks on real websites, ego (lite) does better in these ways:

The agent starts signed in. By default, these tools start a browser with an empty profile and no logins. To work on a site that needs a login, you have to script the login or load saved cookies. In ego (lite), if you are signed in to a site, the agent opens that site already signed in. This can mean fewer 2FA prompts and SSO redirects during tasks. Websites can still ask you to confirm your identity, and ego (lite) does not bypass these checks.
The whole task takes fewer model turns. With these tools, the agent usually works one step at a time: it sends a command or a small group of actions, waits for the result, reads the page again, and then decides the next step. Each step costs a model turn. In ego (lite), the agent can run several actions in one call: open a page, read it, click, fill in a form, and report the result. Together with compact Snapshots, this means the whole task takes fewer model turns, so it finishes sooner and uses fewer tokens.
You can see what the agent is doing. These tools often run the browser in headless mode, with no visible window. In ego (lite), you can open the agent's Space at any time to watch it, pause the task, or take over a step that needs you, such as a QR-code login.

In the Real-World Bench, we ran ego (lite) and the four browser CLIs above on the same 31 tasks on live websites, with the same model and the same scoring. ego (lite) completed 30 of the 31 tasks with a perfect score, the highest rate of the five tools. It was also the fastest, used the fewest model turns, and had the lowest model cost per task.

Detailed comparisons: ego (lite) vs Browser Harness, ego (lite) vs agent-browser, ego (lite) vs Playwright, ego (lite) vs Playwright MCP, ego (lite) vs Puppeteer.

Compared with AI browsers

Examples: Perplexity Comet, Dia.

An AI browser is a browser with the browser company's own AI assistant in a sidebar. The assistant runs on the company's AI service and works inside the browser. This works well for quick help with the page you are reading, such as a summary or a translation. When you want an agent to do real work across websites and your own computer, ego (lite) does better in these ways:

Your agent can also work with your computer. The assistant in an AI browser usually cannot read your local files, run commands, or open your code repository. In ego (lite), the agent is your own agent, such as Claude Code or Codex, so it can use the browser and your computer in the same task. For example, it can review the UI of a web app you are building: open the page on your local dev server, find a layout problem, change the code in your repository, reload the page, and check the fix. An AI browser's assistant can look at the page, but it cannot change your code.
The rules come from the agent you choose. The assistant in an AI browser follows the safety rules its company sets, and these rules are often stricter. For example, it may refuse a task that collects data from many pages. ego (lite) does not decide which tasks your agent may run. That depends on the agent you chose and the limits you set for it.
You choose which model reads your pages. The assistant in an AI browser sends the pages it works on to the company's AI service. With ego (lite), page content goes to the model your agent uses. You choose that model, and it can be a local model that runs on your computer.
No paid plan for agent features. AI browsers often limit their agent features by plan, and running tasks in the background or several at once can need a higher plan. The ego (lite) app is free, and each task runs in its own Space, so several tasks can run at the same time. You keep paying for your agent and model as you do today.

Privacy

ego (lite) runs on your computer, and your browsing data stays there. The passwords, cookies, history, bookmarks, extensions, and profiles you import from Chrome are not uploaded.

When an agent works on a page, the agent reads the page content and sends it to the model it uses. ego (lite) runs the browser and passes commands and results between the browser and your agent.

The only thing ego (lite) records at install time is whether you chose to import data from Chrome.

You do not need an account or an email address to use ego (lite).

Platforms and price

ego (lite) is available for macOS. Windows and Linux versions are planned.

ego (lite) is free to download and use. There is no subscription, no per-task fee, and no charge for browser time. You use your own agent and your own model, and you pay for them as you do today.

Download for Mac

Get your agents running in parallel, each in its own Space