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Watch the browser

A panel that shows exactly what the agent's browser shows, live. When the agent hits something only a person can do, like a login or a text code, the owner can take the controls and then hand them back.

Where you see it​

When an agent gets stuck in a website, its row turns to the "needs you" color and shows Open the browser. There is also a Watch the browser button in the header of the Office and the Chats drawer.

The panel slides up over the page. Inside is a live picture of the agent's whole browser window. The buttons are Take over, Hand back, and a back button. A small caption explains that you see exactly what the agent sees.

On a narrow phone screen the panel may use an older, simpler page view instead.

What happens, step by step​

  1. An agent is signing in to a supplier's website. The site opens a "Continue with Google" pop-up and then asks for a code.
  2. The agent's row turns to the "needs you" color. The Office shows Open the browser.
  3. The owner taps it. The panel opens with a live view of the browser.
  4. The owner taps Take over. Now the owner's clicks and typing reach the real browser. Anything the agent tries to type is dropped while a person drives.
  5. The owner clicks "Continue with Google" and types the code from the text message.
  6. The owner taps Hand back. The agent picks up where the owner left off.
  7. Closing the panel stops nothing. The browser keeps running behind it.

Each tier (a kind of user, like the owner or a client) has one shared browser. A browser started from any chat shows the same red dot in every chat of that tier.

What powers it​

PartWhat it does
browser_panel.jsThe slide-up panel. One shared part, loaded by the Office and the Chats drawer.
browser_relay.pyStarts the browser in its own screen on the box and picks the right browser tab to watch.
noVNCA screen viewer that runs in the page. It draws the browser's whole screen.
/api/browser/vnc/...A live connection that carries the picture one way and the owner's clicks the other. Guarded by the sign-in check.
_RfbInputGateDrops the agent's own input while a person is driving.
watch_browser.pyThe agent's own tool for driving and looking at the browser. It can grab a picture of the whole screen to confirm a pop-up appeared before it asks for help.

Why it works this way​

It shows the whole screen, not just the page. Dropdown menus and pop-up windows (like "Continue with Google") live outside the web page. The owner can only help with what the owner can see, so the view shows the whole browser window, pop-ups and all.

One step, then hand back

Take over is for the steps only a person can do: a login, a text code, a checkbox. The owner does that one step in the real browser, then hands the rest back to the agent.

Connected to​