AI Subroutines
Run automation scripts inside your browser tab
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We built AI Subroutines in rtrvr.ai. Record a browser task once, save it as a callable tool, replay it at: zero token cost, zero LLM inference delay, and zero mistakes.The subroutine itself is a deterministic script composed of discovered network calls hitting the site's backend as well as page interactions like click/type/find.The key architectural decision: the script executes inside the webpage itself, not through a proxy, not in a headless worker, not out of process. The script dispatches requests from the tab's execution context, so auth, CSRF, TLS session, and signed headers get added to all requests and propagate for free. No certificate installation, no TLS fingerprint modification, no separate auth stack to maintain.During recording, the extension intercepts network requests (MAIN-world fetch/XHR patch + webRequest fallback). We score and trim ~300 requests down to ~5 based on method, timing relative to DOM events, and origin. Volatile GraphQL operation IDs are detected and force a DOM-only fallback before they break silently on the next run.The generated code combines network calls with DOM actions (click, type, find) in the same function via an rtrvr.* helper namespace. Point the agent at a spreadsheet of 500 rows and with just one LLM call parameters are assigned and 500 Subroutines kicked off.Key use cases:- record sending IG DM, then have reusable and callable routine to send DMs at zero token cost- create routine getting latest products in site catalog, call it to get thousands of products via direct graphql queries- setup routine to file EHR form based on parameters to the tool, AI infers parameters from current page context and calls tool- reuse routine daily to sync outbound messages on LinkedIn/Slack/Gmail to a CRM using a MCP serverWe see the fundamental reason that browser agents haven't taken off is that for repetitive tasks going through the inference loop is unnecessary. Better to just record once, and get the LLM to generate a script leveraging all the possible ways to interact with a site and the wider web like directly calling backed API's, interacting with the DOM, and calling 3P tools/APIs/MCP servers.
HN · launched Apr 17, 2026 · 46 upvotes (top 17%) · 0 views
Niche: browser automation tools · 71 launches, 2 in the last 7 days · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Horizontal
- Workflow automation
- Prosumer
- AI feature
- Commercial product
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 71 launches in browser automation tools →
Could you build this?
Partial Capturing browser events and network traffic to synthesize deterministic, replayable automation scripts requires intricate DevTools Protocol engineering and DOM/API heuristics beyond basic vibe coding.
What it would actually take: The architecture requires a Chrome Extension or Chromium instrumentation layer utilizing the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) to record network requests and DOM mutations. The core challenge is the heuristic engine that diffs network calls, identifies dynamic tokens/session parameters, filters out noise (analytics/trackers), and generates a robust deterministic script. Building this reliably requires deep expertise in web internals, network reverse-engineering, and headless browser automation.
Discussion
17 comments analyzed.
Competitors mentioned: Playwright, Chrome DevTools with manual network request capture, Web agents/live web agents
Concerns raised: Extension update control and trustworthiness of browser extensions, Risk of extension being sold to bad actors or data being harvested, Sites breaking automation through protection mechanisms (captchas, LLM tarpins, PoW challenges), Never-ending cat and mouse game with site changes, CSP (Content Security Policy) blocking inline scripts on strict sites
Feature requests: Export recordings as Playwright scripts, Self-healing mechanisms for broken scripts, Local model integration to handle site variations without per-token costs
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 331 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #68 of 332 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 167 days after the earliest competitor.
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