Automate
Complete a public web task without running the browser.
Describe the task and starting URL. Tabstack handles navigation and interaction inside the call and returns progress events and the final result.
Public websites · Task events · Guardrails
OPEN
NAVIGATE
READ
RUNNING
- Opened the page
- Chose the date
- Reading the result
- Returning it
The Automate API
Can Tabstack automate a public website without my team running a browser?
Yes. Send Tabstack Automate a public starting URL and a task. Tabstack runs the browser interaction, streams task events, and returns the completed result without requiring your team to operate browser infrastructure.
public pages
navigate, click
fill, paginatedoes not log in
no account access
pilo, self-hostedRead versus act
Use Automate when reading the page is not enough.
Extract, for content and fields
The answer is already on the page and you need it in a usable shape.
Automate, for public flows
The job needs browser actions: navigation, clicks, form completion, pagination, or multi-step interaction.
How it works
How a task runs.
Provide a starting URL
The hosted product begins on a public page.
Describe the result
State the task you want done in plain language.
Set the controls
Set the action firewall, trusted hosts, and whether it can pause for input.
Stream the progress
Follow task events while the browser is working.
Receive the result
Use the final answer or task output in your application.
The boundary
The hosted Automate endpoint is for public websites.
The hosted Automate endpoint does not log in to private accounts. Do not send account passwords or build a hosted flow that depends on authenticated access. If the automation engine must run under your control, Pilo is the open-source self-hosted path.
Public pages, yes
Public pages that need no sign-in.
Accounts, no
No credentials, and no flow that depends on being signed in.
Your own environment, Pilo
The engine runs where you put it, under your control.
Guardrails
Keep the task inside the actions you allow.
These settings limit what a hosted task can do.
| Control | What it governs |
|---|---|
| Action firewall | Which browser actions the task may take |
| Trusted hostnames | Which hosts the task may fill and submit on |
| Human input | When the task pauses for a person |
| Timeouts | How long the task may run |
| Cancellation | How a running task is stopped |
Use cases
Public workflows that require interaction.
Submit a public search
Fill a public search form and return the result.
Compare a catalog
Navigate a public catalog and compare the options.
Page through records
Work through public records and retrieve the document.
Finish a multi-step flow
Complete a public flow and return the final state.
Reach data behind a click
Collect what only appears after an interaction.
Self-hosted
Run the automation engine yourself with Pilo.
Pilo is Mozilla's open-source browser automation engine and the self-hosted path for teams that need control of where the engine runs. The repository carries the deployment instructions, the license, and the current limitations.
public pages
navigate, click
fill, paginatedoes not log in
no account access
pilo, self-hostedChoosing the call
When another option fits better.
- Is the content already on the page? Extract returns it without any interaction.
- Do you want sessions and browser infrastructure rather than a finished task? A raw browser service is the closer fit.
- Must the engine run in your environment? Pilo is the self-hosted path.
- Is the workflow authenticated or air-gapped? The hosted Automate endpoint is not built for it. Use Pilo, which runs in your environment.
Trust
Know what the hosted task sends and where it runs.
Never trained on. Private by default. The hosted Automate endpoint sends task text and page content to a contracted model provider, and the Trust page lists the account controls.
tabstack
task text and page content
to a contracted providernever trained on
private by default