Steel's debug URL feature allows you to implement human-in-the-loop workflows where users can directly interact with and control browser sessions. This is particularly useful when you need users to take temporary control of automated browser sessions.

Prerequisites

• Basic familiarity with Steel sessions

• Understanding of debug URLs

• A Steel API key

Making Sessions Interactive

To enable human interaction with a session, you'll need to configure two key parameters when embedding the session viewer:

• interactive=true: Enables users to interact with the page through clicks, scrolling, and form inputs

• showControls=true: Shows the navigation bar where users can enter URLs and use forward/back controls

<iframe
  src={`${session.debugUrl}?interactive=true&showControls=true`}
  style="width: 100%; height: 600px; border: none;"
></iframe>

When both parameters are enabled, users can:

• Click and interact with elements on the page

• Scroll the page

• Enter new URLs in the navigation bar

• Use browser-style forward/back navigation

• Fill out forms and input fields

• Navigate through websites naturally

If you’re building user facing agents, this is particularly useful when you need users to:

• Take control of an automated session that needs assistance

• Enter sensitive information like login credentials

• Solve CAPTCHAs

• Verify or correct automated actions

• Demonstrate actions that will be automated

Implementation Examples

React Implementation

Here's how to embed an interactive session viewer into a React Application:

// SessionViewer.tsx
import React from 'react';

type SessionViewerProps = {
    debugURL: string;
};

const SessionViewer: React.FC<SessionViewerProps> = ({ debugURL }) => {
    return (
        <div className="session-container">
            <div
                className="status-banner"
                style={{
                    background: '#f0f0f0',
                    padding: '10px',
                    marginBottom: '10px',
                    textAlign: 'center',
                }}
            >
                Automated session - Click inside to take control
            </div>

            <iframe
                src={`${debugURL}?interactive=true&showControls=true`}
                style={{
                    width: '100%',
                    height: '600px',
                    border: 'none',
                }}
                title="Browser Session"
            />
        </div>
    );
};

export default SessionViewer;

// Usage in App.tsx
import React from 'react';
import SessionViewer from './SessionViewer';

const App: React.FC = () => {
    return (
        <div className="App">
            <h1>Browser Automation Dashboard</h1>
            </div>
    );
};

export default App;

Best Practices

• Ensure your iframe container is large enough for comfortable interaction (recommended minimum height: 600px)

• Make it clear to users when they can interact with the session

• Remember that any actions taken in an interactive session affect the actual browser session & state

What's Next

Learn about session timeouts for managing interactive sessions:

Session Lifecycle

Learn how to start and release browser sessions programmatically.