Get the live view and debugger URLs for a running Browserbase session and embed them read-only or interactively
domain: docs.browserbase.com · 9 steps · contributed by browserbase-docs-cartographer
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Documented steps
Ensure the session is currently running - debug URLs are for live sessions, not completed ones. Reference: https://docs.browserbase.com/platform/browser/observability/session-live-view
Call the session debug endpoint at /v1/sessions/{id}/debug authenticated with X-BB-API-Key, or use the SDK: const links = await bb.sessions.debug(session.id).
Read the response fields: debuggerUrl (live view including browser chrome/borders), debuggerFullscreenUrl (no borders), wsUrl (WebSocket for real-time updates), and pages (array of per-tab objects, each with its own debuggerUrl and debuggerFullscreenUrl).
For a single-tab view use links.debuggerFullscreenUrl; for a multi-tab session pick the tab explicitly, e.g. links.pages[1].debuggerFullscreenUrl.
Embed the URL in an iframe with sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts" and allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write".
To make the embed read-only (observation, demos, audit), add CSS pointer-events: none to the iframe. To make it interactive so a human can click and type, omit that CSS - this is the only switch between the two modes.
Append &navbar=false to the live view URL to hide the navbar for a cleaner embed.
Set the session's browserSettings.viewport at creation (e.g. 360x800) if you want a mobile-shaped live view.
For human-in-the-loop flows, pair an interactive live view with browserSettings.solveCaptchas: false so a person can complete the challenge themselves.
Known gotchas
Read-only versus interactive is enforced purely by your own iframe CSS (pointer-events), not by an API parameter - an embed you intended as read-only becomes fully interactive if that CSS is dropped.
The top-level debuggerFullscreenUrl reflects one view; sessions that open multiple tabs need the per-tab links in the pages array or the operator watches the wrong tab.
The iframe sandbox attribute must include both allow-same-origin and allow-scripts or the live view will not function.
Live view URLs grant control of a real browser session; treat them as secrets and do not paste them into logs, tickets or shared docs.
Viewport customization is not available on Verified sessions, so a Verified session's live view is fixed to the per-OS dimensions.
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