Your browser is where the work happens. Now an AI agent can help.
Think about how much of your workday takes place inside a web browser. You check competitor websites, fill out forms, post job listings, compare prices across platforms, submit applications, and monitor reviews. These tasks are repetitive, time-consuming, and mind-numbing. But they require a browser, so traditional file-based automation cannot touch them.
The Claude in Chrome extension changes this. It gives the Claude Cowork AI agent the ability to see and interact with web pages just like you do. It can navigate to websites, read page content, click buttons, fill in form fields, scroll through listings, and extract data. Combined with Cowork's ability to create local files and documents, this means you can run workflows that start on a website and end with a polished spreadsheet or report on your desktop.
This guide covers 10 practical browser automation workflows you can run with this AI agent today. Each one involves tasks that require navigating real websites.
For file-based workflow automations that do not require a browser, see our workflow automation guide. For a broader overview of all agent use cases, check out our complete guide to AI agent use cases.
What you need before starting
This guide uses Claude Cowork. If you have not set it up yet, start with our setup guide. Browser automation requires one additional step beyond the standard setup:
- Install Claude in Chrome: Go to the Chrome Web Store and install the Claude extension. Once installed, Cowork can see and interact with web pages in your browser.
- Grant folder access: Select a working folder when starting a Cowork session. This is where the AI agent will save any documents, spreadsheets, or reports it creates from the data it finds online.
- How it works: You give Cowork a prompt. When the task requires visiting a website, the extension opens the page in your browser, reads its contents, and interacts with it on your behalf. You can watch it work in real time and intervene at any step.
Important: Browser automation works best as a collaborative process. Cowork handles navigation, data extraction, and form filling while you supervise and approve at each step. This is especially true for tasks involving logins, payments, or submissions.
1. Competitive price monitoring
Keeping up with competitor pricing is something most teams know they should do regularly but rarely have time for. An AI agent with browser access can visit competitor websites and extract the data for you.
"Visit the pricing pages of our five main competitors: Acme Software (acme-software.com/pricing), TechFlow (techflow.io/pricing), DataBridge (databridge.co/plans), Streamline (streamline.app/pricing), and CloudFirst (cloudfirst.com/pricing). For each competitor, extract: their plan names, the price for each tier (monthly and annual if both are listed), the key features included in each tier, and any notable limitations. Compare what you find against our pricing spreadsheet in the Strategy folder called 'Our_Pricing_2026.xlsx'. Create a competitive pricing report that highlights: any price changes since our last review, areas where we are significantly more expensive or cheaper, feature gaps where competitors offer something we do not (or vice versa), and your observations about overall market pricing trends. Save the report and also update the comparison spreadsheet with the latest data."
This combines browser automation (visiting competitor sites and extracting pricing data) with local file analysis (comparing against your own pricing). Running this monthly gives you a living competitive intelligence document that stays current without any manual effort.
2. Multi-site job posting and tracking
Hiring requires posting the same position across multiple job boards, each with its own interface and requirements. An AI agent can handle the repetitive parts while you focus on evaluating candidates.
"I need to post our new Senior Marketing Manager position across multiple job boards. The full job description is in 'Senior_Marketing_Manager_JD.docx'. Walk me through posting the listing on LinkedIn Jobs, Indeed, and Glassdoor. For each platform, navigate to their job posting page, help me fill in the required fields using the information from the job description, and guide me through any platform-specific options (like targeting criteria on LinkedIn or sponsored placement on Indeed). Once we have posted on all three platforms, create a tracking spreadsheet called 'Marketing_Manager_Hiring_Tracker.xlsx' with columns for: platform, posting URL, date posted, posting status, number of applicants, and notes. Add the initial data for each platform we just posted on. Set up the spreadsheet so I can use it as a centralized dashboard for the entire hiring process."
The "walk me through" framing is intentional. Browser automation works best as a collaborative process where the AI agent navigates and fills in fields while you verify and approve at each step. This is especially important for job postings where accuracy matters.
3. Lead research and contact enrichment
Sales teams spend hours visiting company websites, LinkedIn profiles, and industry directories to build prospect profiles. An AI agent with browser access can do this research systematically across dozens of prospects at once.
"I have a list of 20 target companies in 'Prospect_List.xlsx' with just the company name and website URL. For each company, visit their website and find: what they do (one-sentence summary), their approximate company size (check their About page or LinkedIn), their industry, the name and title of the most relevant decision-maker for our product (typically VP of Operations or Head of IT), and any recent news or announcements on their site. Also check if they have any job postings that suggest they are investing in the area our product addresses (like hiring for data analytics roles). Add all of this information to the spreadsheet as new columns. Flag any companies where you could not find a clear decision-maker so I can research those manually. At the end, sort the list by how closely each company matches our ideal customer profile based on what you found."
This turns a half-day of manual research into a 15-minute review. The sorting by fit at the end helps your sales team prioritize the most promising leads instead of working through the list blindly.
4. Online reputation monitoring
Your brand's online reputation is shaped by what customers say on review sites, social media, and forums. Monitoring these manually is impossible to do consistently, but an AI agent can check them all in one session.
"Check the following review and mention platforms for our company, Brightpath Analytics: Google Reviews (search for our business listing), G2 (g2.com/products/brightpath-analytics), Capterra (search for our listing), and Trustpilot (trustpilot.com/review/brightpath.com). For each platform, extract: our current overall rating, the total number of reviews, the three most recent reviews with their star rating and key comments, and any recurring themes in the feedback (both positive and negative). Also search for our company name on Reddit and any relevant industry forums to see if anyone has mentioned us in the past month. Compile everything into a reputation monitoring report organized by platform. Include a section at the end called 'Action Items' listing any negative reviews that should be responded to, any recurring complaints that suggest a product issue, and any positive reviews we could ask permission to use as testimonials. Save the report as a Word document."
Running this monthly gives you a clear picture of how customers perceive your brand across every major platform. The action items section turns passive monitoring into a concrete response plan.
5. Multi-provider quote comparison
Getting quotes from multiple service providers means visiting each website, navigating their quote forms, entering the same information repeatedly, and then comparing the results. This is a perfect use case for browser automation.
"I need to compare business insurance quotes for our company. Visit the quote pages of these four providers: Hartford (thehartford.com/business-insurance), Hiscox (hiscox.com/small-business-insurance), Next Insurance (nextinsurance.com), and Progressive Commercial (progressivecommercial.com). For each provider, navigate to their quote request form and help me fill it in with the following details: company name is Brightpath Analytics LLC, industry is technology consulting, 12 employees, annual revenue approximately $2 million, and we need general liability plus professional liability coverage. Walk me through each form step by step. For any provider that gives an instant quote, record the price. For those that require a callback, note what information they asked for and what the next step is. Create a comparison spreadsheet showing: provider, coverage types offered, quoted price (or 'callback pending'), deductible options, notable inclusions or exclusions, and your assessment of which offers the best value. Save the spreadsheet and a summary document."
Insurance shopping is one of the most tedious browser-based tasks because every provider's form is different. The AI agent handles the navigation and data entry while you confirm the details are correct at each step.
6. Government forms and compliance filings
Business owners and compliance teams regularly need to file forms, renew licenses, and submit documentation through government websites. These portals are often confusing to navigate and the forms are long. An AI agent can guide you through the process.
"I need to renew our business license with the City of Toronto. Navigate to the City of Toronto business license renewal portal. Help me fill out the renewal form with the following information: business name is Brightpath Analytics LLC, license number is BL-2024-08712, business address is 100 King Street West Suite 400, license category is Professional Services, and the primary contact is Michael Torres. Walk me through each page of the renewal form, filling in fields with the information I have provided and flagging any fields where you need me to provide additional details. If the portal requires any supporting documents, list what is needed so I can upload them. Once we have completed the form, take a screenshot of the confirmation page and create a document called 'Business_License_Renewal_2026.docx' that records: the date of submission, the confirmation number, what we submitted, any fees paid, and the expected renewal date."
Government portals are notoriously difficult to navigate, and mistakes can cause significant delays. Having the AI agent handle the navigation while you verify the information at each step reduces errors and saves the frustration of figuring out which button to click next.
7. Apartment or office space research
Whether you are looking for a new apartment, a co-working space, or office space for your team, the process involves browsing dozens of listings across multiple platforms. An AI agent can do this research across sites and compile the results into a single comparison.
"I am looking for a new office space for our team of 15 in downtown Toronto. Search the following listing platforms: Spacelist (spacelist.ca), LoopNet (loopnet.com), and Regus (regus.com). Apply these filters: location within the Financial District or Entertainment District, minimum 2,000 square feet, budget of $5,000 to $8,000 per month. For each listing that matches, extract: the address, price per month, square footage, lease term, included amenities (like meeting rooms, reception, parking), and the listing URL. Take note of any that offer virtual tours or flexible lease terms. Compile all matching listings into a comparison spreadsheet sorted by price. Add a column for your assessment of value (price per square foot). Flag the top five options based on a combination of price, location, and amenities. Save the spreadsheet and also create a summary document with the top five highlighted for easy sharing with my business partner."
This replaces hours of browsing across multiple real estate platforms with a single organized spreadsheet. The value assessment column helps you compare listings objectively instead of getting overwhelmed by the volume of options.
8. Subscription audit and cleanup
Most professionals are paying for subscriptions they forgot about or no longer use. An AI agent with browser access can help you identify, review, and cancel the ones you do not need.
"Help me audit my software subscriptions. Start by checking my email for any recent subscription receipts or renewal notices from the past three months (search for subjects containing 'receipt', 'renewal', 'subscription', or 'billing'). For each subscription you find, visit the service's account or billing page and check: the plan I am on, the monthly or annual cost, when it last renewed, and when the next renewal date is. Compile a master list in a spreadsheet called 'Subscription_Audit_2026.xlsx' with columns for: service name, what it does, cost per month (annualized if paid yearly), last used date if visible, next renewal date, and my recommendation (keep, downgrade, or cancel). For any subscriptions I am paying for but have not used in over 60 days, flag them as candidates for cancellation. Calculate the total monthly spend and the potential savings if I cancel or downgrade everything you flagged."
Most people are shocked by how much they spend on forgotten subscriptions. The AI agent systematically checks each one and gives you a clear picture of where your money is going, along with specific recommendations for cutting costs.
9. Social media competitor analysis
Understanding what your competitors are doing on social media helps you refine your own strategy. But manually reviewing multiple accounts across multiple platforms is tedious and easy to procrastinate on.
"Analyze the social media presence of our three main competitors: TechStart Inc, GlobalSolutions, and DataBridge. For each competitor, visit their profiles on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), and Instagram. On each platform, note: their follower count, how frequently they post (daily, weekly, or less), the types of content they share (thought leadership, product updates, customer stories, team culture, industry news), their average engagement level (likes, comments, shares on recent posts), and any standout posts from the past month that got significantly more engagement than usual. Compile everything into a competitive social media report with a section for each competitor. Add a comparison table at the end showing all three side by side across each metric. Finish with a 'Takeaways for Our Strategy' section identifying: content themes we should consider adopting, posting frequencies that seem to work well in our industry, and any gaps in competitor coverage that we could fill. Save as a Word document."
Running this quarterly gives you a data-driven social media strategy instead of guessing what works. The standout post analysis is particularly valuable because it reveals what resonates with your shared audience.
10. Website QA and user journey testing
Before launching updates or periodically checking your own website, you need to verify that everything works correctly. An AI agent can click through your site the way a real user would and identify issues.
"Test our company website at brightpath.com by completing these five user journeys: First, visit the homepage and check that all navigation links work, all images load, and the page looks correct. Second, go through the full sign-up flow from the pricing page through account creation, testing the free trial sign-up. Third, navigate to our blog, open three recent posts, and verify that the formatting, images, and internal links all work correctly. Fourth, test the contact form by filling it out with test data and confirming the submission goes through. Fifth, test the site on a mobile viewport by checking the responsive layout on the homepage, pricing page, and one blog post. For each journey, document: what you tested, what worked correctly, and any issues you found (broken links, missing images, formatting problems, error messages, slow-loading pages, or confusing navigation). Create a QA report organized by journey with screenshots described for each issue. Categorize issues as critical (blocks a user from completing a task), medium (noticeable but not blocking), or low (cosmetic). Save the report as a Word document."
This is something development teams know they should do regularly but rarely have time for. The AI agent tests your site the way a real user would, catching issues that automated testing tools miss because they require visual judgment and contextual understanding.
Tips for effective browser automation
Supervise sensitive actions. For any task that involves logging in, submitting forms, or making payments, stay present and approve each step. The AI agent handles the navigation and data entry; you handle the judgment calls.
Be specific about what to extract. When asking the AI agent to pull data from websites, list exactly what fields you want. "Check their pricing" is vague. "Extract the plan name, monthly price, annual price, and the three most important features for each tier" gives you consistent, comparable results.
Save everything locally. Always ask Cowork to save extracted data to a spreadsheet or document in your working folder. Browser data is temporary; local files are permanent. This also creates a historical record you can compare against next time.
Combine browser and file workflows. The most powerful prompts combine data from websites with your local files. Extracting competitor pricing from the web is useful. Comparing it against your own pricing spreadsheet and generating a strategic recommendation is transformative.
