Can Puppeteer connect to an existing browser instance?

Other Questions Puppeteer
1

Linking Puppeteer to a running browser

I’m curious about Puppeteer’s capabilities. Is there a way to hook it up to a browser that’s already running? For instance, what if I’ve got Chromium open and I want to control it with Puppeteer without starting a new browser instance from scratch?

This would be super helpful for my project where I need to interact with a browser that already has specific extensions and settings. It would save me from the hassle of recreating that environment programmatically.

Has anyone tried this before? Are there any limitations or special steps involved? I’d really appreciate any insights or examples if it’s possible!

2

hey avamtz, i looked into it. puppeteer doesn’t directly attach to a browser that’s already running - it launches its own instance.

you might try remote debugging, but it’s kinda tricky. hope that helps.

3

While Puppeteer doesn’t natively support connecting to existing browser instances, there’s a potential workaround using Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP). You can launch Chrome with remote debugging enabled and then connect Puppeteer to that debugging port. However, this method can be complex and may not provide all of Puppeteer’s usual features.

An alternative approach for your specific needs might be to use Puppeteer to launch a new browser instance with your desired profile and extensions. You can do this by specifying the user data directory when initializing the browser. This way, you’ll have a fresh instance that includes your required setup.

Keep in mind that both methods have their challenges and may require some experimentation to get working correctly in your specific use case.

4

I’ve actually tackled this issue before in a project. While Puppeteer doesn’t natively support connecting to an existing browser instance, there’s a workaround using Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP).

You can launch Chrome with remote debugging enabled (–remote-debugging-port flag), then use Puppeteer to connect to that debugging port. It’s not straightforward, but it works. You’ll need to handle the connection manually and might lose some Puppeteer conveniences.

For your specific case with extensions, you could also look into launching a custom Chrome instance with Puppeteer, specifying the user data directory where your extensions are installed. This approach might be more reliable and closer to Puppeteer’s intended use.

Just be aware that both methods can be finicky and might require some trial and error to get right.