> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://browseruse-0aece648-larsen-v1-unified-docs.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choose an agent

> Two agents: browser-use for browser tasks, browsercode for code + browser. Pick by capability, or let the registry route for you.

## One sentence

**Clicking around a website and pulling data? Use `browser-use`. Also need to write code, run a terminal, or process files over many steps? Use `browsercode`.**

If you omit the agent, requests route to `browser-use` (cheaper, covers the common case).

## The two agents

|                  | `browser-use`                                                                              | `browsercode`                                                                                   |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Best for**     | One-off or short browser tasks: navigate, click, fill forms, extract data. Do it and done. | Anything needing code, a terminal, or long-horizon multi-step work — with or without a browser. |
| **Capabilities** | `browser`, `files`                                                                         | `browser`, `code`, `terminal`, `files`                                                          |
| **Session**      | disposable (task-scoped)                                                                   | durable (extend over hours, return later)                                                       |
| **Cost / speed** | fast, cheap, open-source                                                                   | more powerful, slower, pricier                                                                  |
| **Run**          | `POST /api/v1/agents/browser-use/runs`                                                     | `POST /api/v1/agents/browsercode/runs`                                                          |

## Let the registry route for you

`GET /api/v1/agents` returns a machine-readable description of every agent — the routing truth. An LLM (or your code) reads it and picks, no hardcoding.

<CodeGroup>
  ```python Python theme={null}
  from browser_use import BrowserUse

  client = BrowserUse()
  agents = client.agents.list()
  for a in agents:
      print(a.name, a.capabilities, "—", a.best_for)
  ```

  ```typescript TypeScript theme={null}
  import { BrowserUse } from "browser-use";

  const client = new BrowserUse();
  const agents = await client.agents.list();
  for (const a of agents) console.log(a.name, a.capabilities, "—", a.bestFor);
  ```

  ```bash curl theme={null}
  curl https://api.browser-use.com/api/v1/agents \
    -H "X-Browser-Use-API-Key: $BROWSER_USE_API_KEY"
  ```
</CodeGroup>

Response:

```json theme={null}
{
  "agents": [
    {
      "name": "browser-use",
      "capabilities": ["browser", "files"],
      "session": { "kind": "disposable" },
      "bestFor": "One-off or short browser tasks: navigating sites, clicking, filling forms, extracting data. Do it and done.",
      "notFor": "Writing or running code, using a terminal, or long-horizon multi-step engineering work.",
      "exampleTasks": ["Book a flight on united.com", "Scrape all prices from this catalog"],
      "run": "POST /api/v1/agents/browser-use/runs"
    },
    {
      "name": "browsercode",
      "capabilities": ["browser", "code", "terminal", "files"],
      "session": { "kind": "durable" },
      "bestFor": "Anything needing code, a terminal, or long-horizon multi-step work, with or without a browser. Extend over many steps or return to it later.",
      "notFor": "Simple one-shot browser navigation (overkill; use browser-use).",
      "exampleTasks": ["Scrape a site then clean the data into a CSV", "Build and run a page monitor"],
      "run": "POST /api/v1/agents/browsercode/runs"
    }
  ]
}
```

Filter by capability: `GET /api/v1/agents?capability=code` returns only agents that can run code.

## Both agents share the same vocabulary

Whichever agent you run, you pass shared resources the same way:

* `browser` — the browser settings for the run, including `profile_id` to start logged-in ([profiles](/cloud/use-a-profile)).
* `attached_file_ids` — files to give the run ([files](/cloud/files)); `workspace_id` exists only for `browsercode`'s advanced cross-conversation sharing.
* `session_id` — continue a previous run's thread.

An agent never invents its own version of these. Learn one, use both.

<Warning>
  Capabilities are enforced — sending a field an agent doesn't support returns a `422` naming the problem (e.g. `workspace_id` on `browser-use`). Errors tell you the correct choice — read them.
</Warning>