Stagehand is a free, open-source SDK from Browserbase that lets AI agents use a web browser. Rather than hand-writing fragile selectors, you describe what you want using three core commands: act to click or type, observe to locate elements on a page, and extract to pull out clean data in a format you define. It keeps a Playwright-style feel (goto, click, locator), so anyone who has used Playwright will pick it up quickly, and it works with TypeScript, Python and Go. It also adapts when a website changes its layout, which saves a lot of script maintenance.
To start, install the package, launch a local Chrome browser, add an API key for your preferred AI model, then point it at a page and give it instructions. Stagehand is MIT licensed, so the SDK itself costs nothing, but you will pay for your own AI model usage. Running it on Browserbase’s cloud browsers is a separate service with its own pricing.
