Commands Reference
Server & Daemon
pinchtab server # Start the full server (dashboard + API)
pinchtab server --extension /path/to/ext # Start with extension (repeatable)
pinchtab bridge # Start bridge-only server (no dashboard)
pinchtab mcp # Start the MCP stdio server
pinchtab daemon # Show daemon status
pinchtab daemon install # Install as background service
pinchtab daemon start # Start the background service
pinchtab daemon stop # Stop the background service
pinchtab daemon restart # Restart the background service
pinchtab daemon uninstall # Remove the background service
Navigation
pinchtab nav <url> # Navigate to URL in current tab
pinchtab nav <url> --new-tab # Navigate in a new tab
pinchtab nav <url> --tab <id> # Navigate a specific tab
pinchtab nav <url> --block-images # Navigate with image blocking
pinchtab nav <url> --block-ads # Navigate with ad blocking
pinchtab quick <url> # Navigate + snapshot accessibility tree
pinchtab back # Go back in browser history
pinchtab back --tab <id> # Go back in specific tab
pinchtab forward # Go forward in browser history
pinchtab forward --tab <id> # Go forward in specific tab
pinchtab reload # Reload current page
pinchtab reload --tab <id> # Reload specific tab
Hidden aliases: goto, navigate, open
Tab Management
pinchtab tab # List all tabs
pinchtab tab <id> # Focus tab by ID
pinchtab tab new # Open a new empty tab
pinchtab tab new <url> # Open a new tab with URL
pinchtab tab close <id> # Close tab by ID
Alias: tabs
Numeric arguments are resolved as 1-based tab indices via /tabs. Non-numeric arguments are passed through as tab IDs.
Interaction
pinchtab click <ref> # Click element by ref
pinchtab click --css <selector> # Click element by CSS selector
pinchtab click --wait-nav <ref> # Click and wait for navigation
pinchtab dblclick <ref> # Double-click element by ref
pinchtab dblclick --css <selector> # Double-click element by CSS selector
pinchtab type <ref> <text> # Type into element
pinchtab fill <ref|selector> <text> # Fill input directly (no keystroke events)
pinchtab press <key> # Press key (Enter, Tab, Escape...)
pinchtab hover <ref> # Hover over element
pinchtab hover --css <selector> # Hover by CSS selector
pinchtab select <ref> <value> # Select dropdown option
pinchtab scroll <ref|pixels> # Scroll to element or by pixel amount
Page Analysis
pinchtab snap # Snapshot accessibility tree
pinchtab snap -i # Interactive elements only
pinchtab snap -c # Compact output
pinchtab snap -d # Diff from previous snapshot
pinchtab snap --selector <css> # Scope to CSS selector
pinchtab snap --max-tokens <n> # Limit token budget
pinchtab snap --depth <n> # Limit tree depth
pinchtab snap --text # Text output format
pinchtab text # Extract page text (markdown)
pinchtab text --raw # Raw text extraction
pinchtab find <query> # Find elements by natural language
pinchtab find --threshold <0-1> # Minimum similarity score
pinchtab find --explain # Show score breakdown
pinchtab find --ref-only # Output just the element ref
pinchtab eval <expression> # Evaluate JavaScript
Capture & Export
pinchtab screenshot # Take a screenshot (JPEG)
pinchtab screenshot -o <path> # Save to specific path (format based on extension)
pinchtab screenshot -q <0-100> # Set JPEG quality
pinchtab pdf # Export page as PDF
pinchtab pdf -o <path> # Save PDF to path
pinchtab pdf --landscape # Landscape orientation
pinchtab pdf --scale <n> # Page scale (e.g. 0.5)
pinchtab pdf --paper-width <in> # Paper width in inches
pinchtab pdf --paper-height <in> # Paper height in inches
pinchtab pdf --page-ranges <r> # Page ranges (e.g. 1-3)
pinchtab download <url> # Download a file
pinchtab download <url> -o <path> # Download to specific path
pinchtab upload <file> # Upload a file
pinchtab upload <file> -s <css> # Upload to specific file input
Instances & Profiles
pinchtab instances # List running instances
pinchtab instance start # Start a new browser instance
pinchtab instance start --profile <name> # Start with specific profile
pinchtab instance start --port <n> # Start on specific port
pinchtab instance start --extension /path/to/ext # Load extension (repeatable)
pinchtab instance stop <id> # Stop an instance
pinchtab instance logs <id> # View instance logs
pinchtab instance navigate <id> <url> # Navigate instance to URL
pinchtab profiles # List browser profiles
pinchtab health # Check server health
Configuration
pinchtab config show # Show current configuration
pinchtab config init # Create default config file
pinchtab config path # Show config file path
pinchtab config validate # Validate config file
pinchtab config get <path> # Get a config value
pinchtab config set <path> <val> # Set a config value
pinchtab config patch <json> # Patch config with JSON
Security
pinchtab security # Review security posture
pinchtab security up # Apply recommended security defaults
pinchtab security down # Relax security settings
Global Flags
Most browser commands support --tab <id> to target a specific tab.
Commands with --tab: nav, snap, click, dblclick, type, fill, press, hover, scroll, select, eval, screenshot, pdf, find, text
pinchtab <command> --tab <id> # Run command against specific tab
pinchtab --help # Show help
pinchtab --version # Show version