Desktop Browserbase

A high-fidelity Chrome browser interface that proxies all browsing activity through Browserbase remote browsers with advanced stealth enabled. This Electron application makes cloud browser sessions appear and behave as native desktop Chrome instances.

Download

Download the latest release for your platform:

Note: You'll need a Browserbase account with API access to use this application.

macOS Installation

Since the app is not signed with an Apple Developer certificate, macOS will block it.

If you see "app is damaged" error, run this in Terminal:

xattr -cr /Applications/Desktop\ Browserbase.app

Standard installation:

1. Download the .dmg or .zip file
2. For DMG: Open and drag the app to Applications
3. For ZIP: Extract and move to Applications
4. Right-click the app and select "Open"
5. Click "Open" in the security dialog

Alternative: Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click "Open Anyway"

Features

• Native Chrome Experience - Pixel-perfect Chrome v130+ UI styling
• Tab Management - Full tab synchronization with remote browser sessions
• Navigation - Back, Forward, Reload, Home, URL bar with smart URL/search handling
• Keyboard Shortcuts - All standard Chrome shortcuts (Ctrl+T, Ctrl+W, Ctrl+Tab, etc.)
• Dark Mode - Automatic theme detection matching system preferences
• Window State Persistence - Remembers size and position between sessions
• Bookmarks Bar - Visual bookmarks bar (toggleable with Ctrl+Shift+B)
• Downloads Bar - Download progress tracking
• Stealth Mode - Advanced stealth enabled by default for bot detection bypass

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn
• Browserbase account with API access

Setup

1. Clone and install dependencies:

cd desktop-browserbase
npm install

2. Set required environment variables:

export BROWSERBASE_API_KEY=bb_live_xxxxxxxxxxxx
export BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID=xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

Or create a .env file:

BROWSERBASE_API_KEY=bb_live_xxxxxxxxxxxx
BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID=xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
BROWSERBASE_DEFAULT_URL=https://www.google.com  # optional

3. Build and run:

npm run build
npm start

Development

# Build TypeScript
npm run build

# Start the app
npm start

# Development mode (build + start)
npm run dev

# Create distributable package
npm run dist

Keyboard Shortcuts

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Electron App                         │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │              Chrome-like UI Shell                 │  │
│  │  [←] [→] [↻] [🏠]  [ URL Bar                  ]   │  │
│  │  ┌─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐                  │  │
│  │  │  Tab 1  │  Tab 2  │    +    │                  │  │
│  │  └─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘                  │  │
│  │  ☆ Bookmarks Bar                                  │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │         Browserbase Live-View Embed               │  │
│  │              (iframe)                             │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
            │
            │ WebSocket / API
            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 Browserbase Cloud                       │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │     Remote Browser (Advanced Stealth Enabled)     │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Project Structure

desktop-browserbase/
├── src/
│   ├── main/                 # Electron main process
│   │   ├── index.ts          # Main entry point
│   │   ├── browserbase.ts    # Browserbase API client
│   │   ├── session.ts        # Session management
│   │   ├── ipc.ts            # IPC handlers
│   │   └── preload.ts        # Preload script
│   ├── renderer/             # Electron renderer process
│   │   ├── index.html        # Main window HTML
│   │   ├── styles/
│   │   │   ├── chrome.css    # Chrome UI styles
│   │   │   └── components.css
│   │   ├── components/       # UI components
│   │   └── app.ts            # Renderer entry point
│   └── shared/               # Shared types and utilities
│       └── types.ts
├── assets/
│   └── icons/                # App icons
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── electron-builder.yml

Troubleshooting

"Electron failed to install correctly"

rm -rf node_modules/electron
npm install
node node_modules/electron/install.js

"Missing environment variables"

Make sure BROWSERBASE_API_KEY and BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID are set before running the app.

Connection issues

• Check your internet connection
• Verify your API key is valid
• Check the Browserbase status page

Building for Distribution

To create distributable packages for all platforms:

# Build for your current platform
npm run dist

# Build for specific platforms (requires appropriate OS or CI)
npm run dist -- --win      # Windows (NSIS installer)
npm run dist -- --mac      # macOS (DMG)
npm run dist -- --linux    # Linux (AppImage)

Built packages will be output to the release/ directory.

Platform Requirements

• Windows builds: Can be built on Windows or via CI
• macOS builds: Must be built on macOS (for code signing)
• Linux builds: Can be built on Linux or via CI

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/my-feature
3. Make your changes and add tests if applicable
4. Ensure the build passes: npm run build
5. Commit your changes: git commit -m "Add my feature"
6. Push to the branch: git push origin feature/my-feature
7. Open a Pull Request

Development Guidelines

• Follow the existing code style (TypeScript, ESLint)
• Add JSDoc comments for new public APIs
• Test on multiple platforms when possible
• Keep commits focused and atomic

Security

This application handles sensitive credentials (API keys). Please:

• Never commit .env files or API keys
• Use environment variables for configuration
• Report security vulnerabilities via GitHub Security Advisories

License

MIT