[Feature] Auto-launch Chrome when Browser Bridge extension is not connected

[hlj206]

Feature Request: Auto-launch Chrome when Browser Bridge extension is not connected

Problem

When the Chrome extension (Browser Bridge) is not connected, opencli immediately throws a BROWSER_CONNECT error with no recovery attempt:

ok: false
error:
  code: BROWSER_CONNECT
  message: Browser Bridge extension not connected

This creates a poor UX — users must manually start Chrome, verify the extension is loaded, then retry the command.

Proposed Solution

Before throwing BROWSER_CONNECT, opencli should proactively attempt to start Chrome and wait briefly for the extension to connect, similar to the self-healing logic already present in some CLI wrappers.

Pseudo-code (~5 lines):

if (error.code === "BROWSER_CONNECT") {
  console.warn("Chrome not connected, attempting to start...");
  spawn("google-chrome", [...args]); // or appropriate platform command
  await sleep(2000); // wait for extension to init
  // retry once, then fail with original error if still failing
}

Why this helps

• New users: Get a running experience instead of a cryptic error
• WSL/Linux users: Chrome often needs manual export DISPLAY=:0 + launch
• Recoverable: Only adds ~2s delay on failure; transparent to already-connected users

References

• Similar pattern in opencli doctor and Chrome auto-restart crontab setups
• BROWSER_CONNECT is the top user friction point in WSL environments

[Astro-Han]

I checked current main. The daemon already auto-starts, but when the extension is not connected the CLI waits and then returns Browser Bridge extension not connected.

So the open question is narrower: should browser-backed commands also launch Chrome automatically when no connected browser is available?

I think the main trade-off here is surprise versus convenience. Auto-launch helps first-time and WSL users, but it can also be unexpected on machines with multiple profiles or remote display setups.

If this moves forward, it would help to clarify whether you want:

• default auto-launch for all browser commands
• an opt-in flag
• or an env var or config toggle