Clearcote

Clearcote is an open-source, de-Googled Chromium browser built from the ground up with fingerprint control integrated directly into the engine. Unlike fragile stealth plugins that rely on easily detected JavaScript patches, or expensive closed-source anti-detect platforms that lock you into limited interfaces, Clearcote gives developers a transparent, developer-friendly alternative. It modifies Chromium at the engine level, so every identity signal is consistent, coherent, and native-looking to websites. Instead of an accidentally unique browser fingerprint that screams "automation," Clearcote generates one plausible, human-like identity from a single seed. This makes it ideal for Playwright and Puppeteer workflows, enabling privacy-focused browsing, authorized automation, QA testing, web scraping, research, and multi-profile development with far greater control over fingerprinting surfaces. The project is completely transparent every change is a readable patch, it phones home to no servers, and it is available on npm, PyPI, and NuGet. Developers can start with the free open-source version, then upgrade to Clearcote Pro for advanced profile management, scalable automation, team workflows, premium builds, priority updates, and professional support. Whether you are tired of maintaining brittle stealth scripts or want a privacy-first browser for automation, Clearcote helps you build faster and reduce maintenance overhead.

Engine-Level Fingerprint Control

Identity controls are compiled directly into the Chromium binary, not bolted on via injected JavaScript that is brittle and self-revealing. Pages see native behavior, not a patched DOM. This means your automation looks exactly like a real human browsing session, with no detectable hooks or scripts that anti-bot systems can flag. Every signal from canvas fingerprinting to WebGL renderers is controlled at the engine level for maximum authenticity.

Coherent Per-Site Identity

Signals are controlled together so they stay consistent and stable per site, inspired by Brave's farbling technique. Instead of randomizing individual fingerprints in isolation which can create detectable inconsistencies Clearcote generates a single, coherent identity from a seed. This means your browser's user agent, platform, hardware concurrency, screen geometry, timezone, and dozens of other signals all align to tell the same story about who you are.

Drop-In Automation for Playwright and Puppeteer

Clearcote supports native Playwright and Puppeteer workflows with the same APIs you already know. You just point your automation scripts at the Clearcote binary, and everything works seamlessly. There is no need to rewrite your code or learn a new framework. This makes it incredibly easy to integrate into existing automation stacks for QA testing, scraping, or multi-account management.

De-Googled Privacy Base

Built on ungoogled-chromium, Clearcote removes all Google services, telemetry, and integration by default. This means no phone-home requests, no background data collection, and no hidden trackers. Your automation sessions are truly private and self-contained, giving you complete control over what information leaves your machine. Every patch is readable and auditable, so you know exactly what the browser is doing.

Authorized Web Scraping and Data Collection

For developers who need to collect data from websites without getting blocked, Clearcote provides a reliable, undetectable browser environment. Its engine-level fingerprint control ensures that your scraper looks exactly like a real user, avoiding the common pitfalls of headless browser detection. You can scrape thousands of pages with consistent, human-like identities that do not trigger anti-bot systems.

Multi-Account and Multi-Profile Management

Managing multiple accounts on the same platform is notoriously difficult because browsers leak identity signals across sessions. Clearcote solves this by generating a completely separate, coherent identity for each profile from a unique seed. This makes it perfect for social media management, e-commerce store testing, or any scenario where you need to operate multiple distinct identities without cross-contamination.

QA Testing and Automated Regression Testing

Quality assurance teams can use Clearcote to test how their web applications behave under different browser fingerprints and conditions. By simulating users from different locations, with different hardware, and different browser configurations, you can catch bugs and inconsistencies that would never appear in a standard test environment. The drop-in Playwright and Puppeteer support means your existing test suite works immediately.

Privacy-Focused Research and Investigation

Researchers, journalists, and security professionals can use Clearcote to browse the web without leaving a detectable digital footprint. The de-Googled base ensures no telemetry is sent to third parties, while the fingerprint controls prevent websites from building a profile based on your browser's unique characteristics. This is ideal for investigating sensitive topics or conducting anonymous research.

How is Clearcote different from stealth plugins or anti-detect browsers?

Clearcote operates at the engine level, meaning fingerprint controls are compiled directly into the Chromium binary. Stealth plugins rely on JavaScript patches that can be detected by modern anti-bot systems because they modify the DOM in observable ways. Anti-detect browsers are often closed-source, expensive, and lock you into proprietary interfaces. Clearcote is open-source, transparent, and integrates directly with your existing Playwright or Puppeteer workflows.

Does Clearcote work with Playwright and Puppeteer out of the box?

Yes, absolutely. Clearcote is designed as a drop-in replacement for the standard Chromium binary used by Playwright and Puppeteer. You simply point your automation scripts at the Clearcote executable, and all the same APIs work exactly as expected. There is no need to modify your code or learn new libraries. Support is native and seamless.

What fingerprint signals does Clearcote control?

Clearcote controls an extensive list of signals including Canvas 2D, WebGL renderer, WebGL getParameter limits, WebGPU adapter, AudioContext, fonts, timezone, navigator.language, User-Agent and UA-CH, TLS ClientHello persona (JA3/JA4), hardwareConcurrency, deviceMemory, screen geometry, storage quota, client rects, navigator.webdriver, headless hints, closed shadow roots, WebRTC proxy-IP, battery status, connection type, keyboard layout map, multi-screen details, CSS media queries, and many more over 40 signals in total.

Is Clearcote truly open-source and free to use?

Yes, the core Clearcote project is free and open-source under the BSD-3 license. It is available on npm, PyPI, and NuGet. There is no phone-home functionality, and every change is a readable patch. For advanced features like scalable automation, team workflows, premium builds, and priority updates, there is a paid Clearcote Pro tier. But the foundation is completely free for anyone to use and modify.