CloakBrowser
A Chromium browser modified for stealth, meant to be a drop-in swap for Playwright.
- Stars
- 32.7k
- Forks
- 2.7k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Python
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
CloakBrowser is a modified build of the Chromium browser that changes browser fingerprint details at the source-code level, so websites are less likely to flag it as automated. It is designed to be used through the Playwright or Puppeteer API, so existing automation code needs only a small import change. People use it for web scraping and browser automation on sites with bot protection.
- Open a page with the launch() call and read its contents in a few lines of code
- Run the bundled detection test via Docker with docker run --rm cloakhq/cloakbrowser cloaktest
- Keep cookies and localStorage across sessions with launch_persistent_context()
- Route traffic through a proxy with geoip=True so timezone and locale match the proxy IP
Great for
- Python or JavaScript developers already using Playwright who need automation to get past bot checks
- Scraping projects blocked by Cloudflare Turnstile or similar anti-bot systems, paired with a residential proxy
- Teams building AI agents that drive a real browser and hit bot detection
Not ideal for
- People who need CAPTCHAs solved automatically: the README says it prevents CAPTCHAs from appearing and does not include solving services
- Users who need built-in proxy rotation: the README says you must bring your own proxies
- Anyone wanting a no-code tool: it requires writing Python or JavaScript
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Python (version not stated in README)
Install the Python package
pip install cloakbrowser - 2
Run it
- Install the package with pip install cloakbrowser
- Run the example: from cloakbrowser import launch, then browser = launch(), page = browser.new_page(), page.goto("https://example.com")
- Close the browser with browser.close()
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Add a residential proxy with geoip=True to match timezone and locale to the proxy IP
- Set headless=False for sites that detect headless mode, per the README
- Enable humanize=True for human-like mouse, keyboard, and scroll behavior
- Use launch_persistent_context() to keep sessions across runs
Downloads
Strengths
- Source-level patches are described as harder for detection sites to spot than JavaScript injection
- Drop-in API compatibility with Playwright and Puppeteer reduces migration effort
- Active project with recent releases and a large star count
Trade-offs
- The core claim of passing every bot test is marketing language; the README reports results from its own tests against 50+ sites
- Best results require a paid Pro build for some features such as the higher reCAPTCHA score; the free build is described as the latest but its scope is less clear
- The binary is about 200MB and downloads on first run
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CloakBrowser (this) | 32.7k | Library | beginner | 4 days ago | Python or JavaScript developers already using Playwright who need automation to get past bot checks |
| invisible_dots | 32.4k | AI model / agent | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers who want a self-hosted agent and are comfortable with a command-line setup |
| camofox-browser | 12.1k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers building AI agents that need to read or interact with websites |
| browser-use | 120k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Python developers who want to prototype an AI agent that operates websites |
| stagehand | 25.9k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers building browser agents that must work on sites they do not control |
| page-agent | 29.6k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers adding an AI copilot to their own web app |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.