fix(browser): install Playwright runtime in package dir, not cwd

[LonestoneBot]

Problem

Clicking Install Runtime in the Browser panel spins for a moment, then silently reverts to "not installed" — no error is shown and nothing in the server console indicates a failure. The runtime never becomes usable.

Root cause

installRuntime() in browser-use.service.ts runs the install commands through runCommand(), which spawns them with:

cwd: process.cwd()

process.cwd() is whatever directory CloudCLI happened to be launched from. So npm install --no-save playwright installs Playwright into that directory's node_modules (e.g. ~/some-project/node_modules/playwright).

But the runtime is later resolved with:

const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
function getPlaywright() { try { return require('playwright'); } catch { return null; } }

require('playwright') resolves relative to this module inside the CloudCLI install, walking up its directory tree — never the launch directory. The two locations never meet:

1. Install "succeeds" (and Chromium even downloads fine to the shared ~/.cache/ms-playwright / ~/Library/Caches/ms-playwright).
2. The runtime probe still calls require('playwright'), which still throws → playwrightInstalled: false.
3. The UI re-renders the same "not installed" state → the button appears to do nothing.

Reproduced against @cloudcli-ai/cloudcli@1.36.1 installed globally: after clicking the button, playwright ends up in the launch dir's node_modules, while require('playwright') from the global package keeps failing.

Fix

Run the install commands from the package root (the nearest package.json ancestor of this module) instead of process.cwd(), so Playwright lands in a node_modules that require() can actually resolve. Verified: installing into the package root makes require('playwright') resolve and the runtime report ready. Works in both the compiled layout (dist-server/...) and dev (tsx server/...), since both resolve to the repo/package root.

runCommand gains an optional cwd param defaulting to the package root, keeping the change contained (it is only used by the install path).

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Bug Fixes
  • Improved the reliability of runtime browser dependency installations by running them from the correct application directory.
  • Prevented installation behavior from being affected by the server’s current working directory.

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: c7b87d91-2d25-4715-b341-3f2d35d3ce6b

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 5884573 and a58edac.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• server/modules/browser-use/browser-use.service.ts

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Runtime command execution now finds the nearest owning package.json, caches that package root, and uses it as the default working directory, with process.cwd() as fallback. Callers can still provide an explicit cwd.

Changes

Package-root execution

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Resolve and apply package root server/modules/browser-use/browser-use.service.ts	Package-root detection walks upward from the module directory, caches the result, falls back to process.cwd(), and supplies it as the default runCommand working directory.

Poem

A rabbit hops through folders bright,
Finds package.json by moonlit light.
Commands now run where packages grow,
With cached roots guiding the flow.
If none appear, the cwd says “go!”

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 25.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly matches the main change: Playwright installs now run from the package directory instead of the process cwd.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

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