AdsPower CLI: Automate Browser Management from the Command Line

AdsPower has officially launched a standalone CLI (Command Line Interface) tool.

Tasks that previously required clicking through the AdsPower desktop interface can now be completed with a single command-line instruction. Browser profile creation and management, browser launch and shutdown, proxy switching, fingerprint refresh, cookie retrieval, cache cleanup, group management, and tags are all supported directly from the terminal.

The CLI runs independently from the AdsPower desktop client. It does not share local cache, browser kernels, or runtime environments with the main application.

How to Install

There are two installation methods available.

Way 1: Install via npm (Recommended for Users with Node.js)

npm install -g adspower-browser

After installation, the following commands are all available and function identically: adspower-browser , adspower , ads

Way 2: Install Directly

on Windows:

Windows users can also install the CLI directly from the official AdsPower download page.

irm https://www.adspower.com/install.ps1 | iex

on macOS:

curl -fsSL https://www.adspower.com/install.sh | bash

on Linux:

curl -fsSL https://www.adspower.com/install.sh | bash

If the command does not execute successfully, you can download the installer locally and run it manually.

How to Get Started

Start the CLI:

ads start -k <KEY>

If you have already configured the ADS_API_KEY environment variable, you can simply run: ads start

Example: Open a browser profile:

ads open-browser <profile_id>

Example: Close a browser profile:

ads close-browser <profile_id>

With just three commands, a browser instance can be fully launched and managed.

Quick Reference for Daily Operations

Browser Profile Management

ads create-browser '{"group_id":"0","user_proxy_config":{"proxy_soft":"no_proxy"}}'
ads update-browser '{"profile_id":"..."}'
ads delete-browser '{"profile_id":["..."]}'
ads get-browser-list '{}'

Proxy Management

ads create-proxy '[{"type":"http","host":"127.0.0.1","port":"8080"}]'
ads get-proxy-list '{}'
ads update-proxy '{"proxy_id":"proxy-1","proxy_url":"https://refresh.example.com"}'
ads delete-proxy '{"proxy_id":["..."]}'

Fingerprints, Cookies, and Cache

ads new-fingerprint <profile_id>
ads get-profile-cookies <profile_id>
ads delete-cache-v2 '{"profile_id":["..."],"type":["cookie","history"]}'
ads get-profile-ua <profile_id>

Groups and Tags

ads create-group '{"group_name":"My Group"}'
ads get-group-list '{}'
ads create-tag '{"tags":[{"name":"test","color":"darkBlue"}]}'

Browser Kernel Management

ads get-kernel-list '{"kernel_type":"Chrome"}'
ads download-kernel '{"kernel_type":"Chrome","kernel_version":"..."}'

You can view the complete parameter list for every command using: ads -h or ads -h

How This Helps Real Business Operations

Here are several practical use cases where the AdsPower CLI can significantly improve workflow efficiency.

Bulk Account Creation

• Before: Create profiles one by one in the GUI.
• After: Write a loop script to create 50 or 100 profiles at once, each with automatic proxy assignment and group tagging.

Scheduled Maintenance

Fingerprint refreshes, cache cleanup, and other maintenance tasks can now be added to scheduled jobs and executed automatically every day.

No manual monitoring is required. Everything can run directly on a server environment.

Batch Operations

Need to update proxies for hundreds of accounts? Move multiple profiles into a new group? Refresh fingerprints in bulk?

The CLI makes it possible to complete large-scale account management tasks with a single command instead of repetitive manual clicks.

Server Deployment and Docker Support

The AdsPower CLI also supports Docker deployment.

docker-compose -f ./docker-compose.yml up -d
docker-compose exec adspower-cli /bin/bash

Once inside the container, users can directly manage browser instances using the ads command.

This allows AdsPower to operate fully in headless server environments without a graphical interface.

AI Integration: MCP & Skills

AI Coding Assistants

The CLI's GitHub repository includes Skill support for AI coding assistants. Install into Cursor and similar tools with one command:

npx skills add AdsPower/adspower-browser

MCP (Model Context Protocol) Support

The repository also integrates MCP support, enabling AI agents like Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and OpenCode to control AdsPower browser instances directly.

After setup, AI assistants automatically gain AdsPower context. Describe what you want to do in natural language, and the AI generates the corresponding CLI commands—perfect for users unfamiliar with command-line interfaces.

Why This Matters: As AI agents take on more execution roles in workflows, the browser, as the core tool for agent and web interaction, needs corresponding integration capabilities. CLI, MCP, and Skills are all available now.

Source:

1. GitHub Documentation
2. Download and install the AdsPower CLI here