Camoufox vs Chrome

Purpose

Compare the two browser-automation options for Hermes’s browser tool.

At a glance

CamoufoxChrome
In use on this installYes — configured cloud_providerNo evidence found
Configbrowser.camofox.managed_persistence: true (note: key is spelled camofox in config, not camoufox)n/a
Drivercua-driver v0.9.0 at /home/hermes/.cua-driver/packages/releases/0.9.0-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/cua-drivern/a
DisplayHeaded, via Xvfb :99 + fluxbox — see headless-servern/a
use_gatewayfalsen/a

Detail

Camoufox (in use)

  • Verified: browser.cloud_provider: camofox, inactivity_timeout: 120s, allow_private_urls: true.
  • Runs headed under Xvfb rather than a true headless mode, per headless-server — fluxbox provides the window manager, x11vnc/noVNC expose it for human viewing.
  • cua-driver bridges Hermes’s computer-use tool calls to the browser.

Chrome (not found in use)

  • No google-chrome, chromium, or CDP-only launch flags found in the sanitized config or running process list during this audit.
  • Included in the comparison because the page existed as a placeholder — if Chrome/CDP was evaluated and rejected, that reasoning isn’t captured anywhere; worth a index entry if anyone remembers why Camoufox was chosen over stock Chrome.

Verdict

This install uses Camoufox exclusively. There’s no evidence Chrome/Chromium was ever wired in as an alternative on this host — the comparison exists more as a placeholder for a decision that may have been made outside this wiki than as an active either/or choice today.