browserbase · shrey150 · Jul 1, 2026 · Jul 1, 2026
diff --git a/.changeset/remove-browse-refs.md b/.changeset/remove-browse-refs.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"browse": patch
+---
+
+Remove the `browse refs` command. It only re-printed the `xpathMap`/`urlMap` cached from the last `browse snapshot` — which `browse snapshot` already returns — so it was redundant, and it returned stale maps if the page had changed since that snapshot.
diff --git a/packages/cli/README.md b/packages/cli/README.md
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ browse back           # Navigate backward
 browse forward        # Navigate forward
 ```
 
-### Snapshot & refs
+### Snapshot
 
 The accessibility snapshot is the recommended way for agents to discover elements. It prints a tree of refs like `@0-12` that the element commands accept directly.
 
@@ -93,7 +93,6 @@ browse snapshot                 # Accessibility snapshot + cached refs
 browse snapshot --compact       # Tree only, no ref maps
 browse snapshot --filter submit # Filter lines by text or /regex/, keeping ancestors
 browse snapshot --max-depth 4   # Trim output deeper than this depth
-browse refs                     # Show refs cached from the last snapshot
 ```
 
 ### Element actions

diff --git a/packages/cli/skills/browse/SKILL.md b/packages/cli/skills/browse/SKILL.md
@@ -134,7 +134,6 @@ Page state:
 ```bash
 browse snapshot
 browse snapshot --compact
-browse refs
 browse get url
 browse get title
 browse get text body

diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/refs.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/refs.ts
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/driver/commands/snapshot.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/driver/commands/snapshot.ts
@@ -34,13 +34,4 @@ export const snapshotHandlers: DriverCommandHandlers = {
       xpathMap: snapshot.xpathMap,
     };
   },
-
-  async refs(manager) {
-    const refMaps = manager.getRefMaps();
-    return {
-      count: Object.keys(refMaps.xpathMap).length,
-      urlMap: refMaps.urlMap,
-      xpathMap: refMaps.xpathMap,
-    };
-  },
 };
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/driver/commands/types.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/driver/commands/types.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ export const DRIVER_COMMAND_NAMES = [
   "network.on",
   "network.path",
   "open",
-  "refs",
   "reload",
   "screenshot",
   "select",

diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/driver/session-manager.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/driver/session-manager.ts
@@ -226,10 +226,6 @@ export class DriverSessionManager {
     this.refMaps = refMaps;
   }
 
-  getRefMaps(): RefMaps {
-    return this.refMaps;
-  }
-
   async openResult(page: DriverPage): Promise<OpenResult> {
     return {
       ...this.browserbaseIdentity(),