What is LobsterCLI

LobsterCLI is a web automation tool that works as a CLI, a Chrome extension, and an npm library. It handles everything from simple page fetching to full AI-powered browser automation — and 80% of features work without any API key.

npm install -g lobster-cli

Requires Node.js 20+.

CLI

# Extract content from any page
lobster fetch https://example.com

# Discover APIs on a site
lobster explore https://reddit.com

# AI agent navigates a site for you
lobster agent "find pricing on example.com" --url https://example.com

# Stealth mode for bot-protected sites
lobster fetch https://linkedin.com --stealth

# Use a persistent browser profile (cookies survive restarts)
lobster agent "check my notifications" --url https://github.com --profile work

# Attach to your running Chrome (use your logged-in sessions)
lobster agent "check inbox" --url https://gmail.com --attach

Commands

| Command | AI needed? | What it does | |---------|-----------|-------------| | lobster fetch <url> | No | Extract page content as markdown, text, or structured data | | lobster explore <url> | No | Discover APIs, detect frameworks, find hidden endpoints | | lobster run <url> | No | Run site-specific adapters and automation pipelines | | lobster agent "task" | Yes | AI agent that reasons, clicks, types, and navigates for you | | lobster setup | No | Interactive setup wizard | | lobster doctor | No | Diagnose your setup | | lobster config | No | View and edit settings |

Chrome Extension

Chat-style side panel that analyzes any page you're browsing.

Install from Chrome Web Store or load the extension manually:

1. Open chrome://extensions/ and enable Developer mode
2. Click "Load unpacked" and select the extension/ folder
3. Click the LobsterCLI icon to open the side panel

What it can do

Without AI (free):

• Summarize any page — headings, word count, content preview, framework detection
• Extract full page as Markdown
• Detect all forms and input fields
• Show key links on the page
• Monitor live API calls
• DOM snapshot

With AI (bring your own key):

• Ask any question about the current page
• YouTube video transcript extraction and Q&A
• PDF document analysis
• Visual analysis — describes what's on screen
• Smart intent detection — only gathers what's needed to answer your question

AI Setup (optional)

lobster setup

| Provider | Cost | |----------|------| | Google Gemini | Free tier available | | Ollama | Free (runs locally) | | OpenAI | Pay per token | | Anthropic | Pay per token |

The extension has its own settings page — click the gear icon in the side panel.

Key Capabilities

• Works without AI — most features need zero API keys or tokens
• Persistent browser sessions — login once, cookies survive restarts
• Chrome attach — connect to your running Chrome with all your logins
• Stealth mode — anti-bot detection built in
• Site-specific adapters — custom automation for any website
• Domain restrictions — lock the tool to specific websites for vertical products
• Full modern web support — React, Vue, Angular, shadow DOM, iframes, dynamic content

License

Copyright (c) 2025 iexcalibur. All rights reserved.

See LICENSE for terms.