Let agents open Browser tabs on this computer for the user

[robertvanhoesel]

Request

Let an agent open a URL in T3 Code's Browser panel on this computer, for the user, without creating an agent-controlled tab in the environment's browser.

This is the user-opened-tab behavior introduced by #17316, exposed through an agent-callable action. It is not a request to open the system browser.

Current behavior

In a T3 Code session connected to a remote Linux environment, I asked the agent to open https://firstlook.gg with preview_open. The page opened visibly in the Browser panel, but as a streamed, agent-controlled tab. The tool reported control.owner: "agent".

The available preview_open arguments allow choosing a URL, tab, and browser profile, but do not expose Open on this computer or an option to open a tab for the user without attaching agent automation. Setting open: true and show: true did not change the runtime or ownership.

Expected behavior

An agent can honor a request such as “open firstlook.gg for me in the Browser panel” by opening a tab with the same local-rendering behavior as a user-opened tab on desktop:

• Open on this computer, rather than in the environment's browser.
• Leave the tab for the user to interact with, without claiming agent control.
• Return a clear result that the tab was opened for the user and is not available for agent inspection or interaction.
• Keep the existing preview_open automation behavior available for requests that actually need agent browser access.

This could be an explicit option or a separate agent-callable action; the request does not depend on a particular API name. On clients without a local browser runtime, report that limitation rather than silently creating a streamed automation tab when the user requested local browsing.

Related work checked

• fix(web): desktop opens remote environments' browser tabs locally #17316 (merged): desktop opens remote environments' browser tabs locally. Its description explicitly leaves agent-opened tabs in the environment's browser and adds Open on this computer / Open in 's browser to the More menu. This request is for an agent-accessible entry point to the user-opened behavior.
• [Bug]: Streamed server-browser previews are high-latency and CPU-heavy on remote GPU-less hosts, with no local-render path #16827 and [Bug]: Server-side browser makes previews blurry, with no way to opt out #16578: streamed-browser latency, image quality, and the missing local-render path.
• [Feature]: Allow opting out of explicit Take control in the collaborative browser #17057 / feat(preview): add automatic browser control preference #17081: automatic Take control / Release control behavior. That changes interaction with collaborative tabs, not whether an agent can open a local tab solely for the user.

I searched related issues and PRs and did not find this exact agent-callable capability.

Filed at the user's explicit request by Codex in T3 Code. The repository directs new feature proposals to Ideas discussions; this issue records the requested capability and can be converted if appropriate.