CloakBrowser: Automate Chromium with Modified Fingerprints

Overview

CloakBrowser is a Python and JavaScript wrapper for a custom Chromium binary, with a community-maintained .NET client also documented. It aims to make automated browsing appear more like ordinary browser use by changing browser fingerprint signals in Chromium itself, rather than relying only on JavaScript injections or launch configuration.

It may suit developers building browser automation, scraping, or agent workflows that need to work with bot-protected sites. It does not provide CAPTCHA solving or proxy rotation, and its detection results are claims documented by the project, not a guarantee for every site or setup.

Key Features

• Playwright-compatible launch APIs for Python and JavaScript, plus a Puppeteer entry point for JavaScript.
• Custom Chromium builds with source-level changes to fingerprint and automation signals.
• Automatic binary download and caching on first use.
• Optional human-like mouse, keyboard, and scrolling behavior through humanize.
• Proxy configuration, with optional timezone and locale detection from the proxy IP.
• Persistent browser contexts for retaining cookies, local storage, and profiles between sessions.
• Docker image and CDP server mode for running and connecting to browser sessions.
• Integrations and examples for browser automation frameworks and AI-agent tooling.

Use Cases

• Web-scraping developers can try it when ordinary Playwright sessions are blocked by browser fingerprint checks.
• QA and monitoring teams can automate workflows on sites that treat headless browsers differently from regular browsers.
• AI-agent developers can use its Playwright-compatible browser in workflows that interact with websites.
• Automation teams can retain sessions and profiles across runs with persistent contexts.

Getting Started

Install the Python package and use its launch function:

pip install cloakbrowser

from cloakbrowser import launch

browser = launch()
page = browser.new_page()
page.goto("https://example.com")
browser.close()

The first launch downloads and caches a browser binary. For JavaScript, install cloakbrowser with the relevant Playwright or Puppeteer core package. See the README for platform setup, configuration, and examples.

Alternatives

• PinchTab: PinchTab controls standard Chrome through a Go-based bridge and stealth injection, while CloakBrowser uses a custom Chromium build and Playwright- or Puppeteer-compatible APIs.
• browser-rs-mcp: browser-rs-mcp exposes stealth-oriented browser control through an MCP server in Rust, while CloakBrowser provides a custom Chromium build with Playwright- and Puppeteer-compatible APIs.
• donutbrowser: Donut Browser manages separate desktop Chromium profiles and their proxies, while CloakBrowser focuses on source-level fingerprint changes for automation and scraping.

Considerations

• The project targets anti-bot detection, so use it only where automated access is permitted and consistent with the target site's terms and applicable law.
• Passing a detection check is not assured. Results can depend on the target, browser build, proxy reputation, headless mode, fonts, and other environment details.
• The browser binary is about 200 MB and downloads on first use. Linux deployments may need additional fonts or system libraries; the README documents platform-specific setup.
• Proxy rotation and CAPTCHA solving are not built in. The project expects users to supply proxies when needed.
• The README describes free and Pro binaries with different versions and patch sets. Check current project documentation for availability and licensing terms for each distribution.