> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.webrayn.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Browser Profiles

> Persistent per-account browser profiles in webrain — what they hold (cookies, session state, cf_clearance), when to create vs reuse, and how they carry authentication across runs.

# Browser Profiles

A **profile** is a persistent per-account browser state — cookies (including
HttpOnly session cookies and cf\_clearance), localStorage, and site data — kept on
disk as Chrome's `--user-data-dir` under `WEBRAIN_PROFILES_DIR` (default
`%APPDATA%/webrain/profiles/<service>/<profile>`).

## Why profiles matter

A profile is what survives a Chrome restart. Reusing a profile restores the
site's session and auth state — no re-login, no re-solving. That is why
protected or authenticated workflows **start with a persistent profile**, never
an anonymous first attempt.

## When to create vs reuse

| Situation                         | Action                                                                                           |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| First login for a service         | Create: `webrain launch <service> <profile> <url>` or `webrain_session(op=login)` with the vault |
| Every later task for that account | Reuse the same profile                                                                           |
| After a challenge / auth failure  | Reuse — never discard a working profile                                                          |

## Profiles and sessions

A profile is the durable state; a session is the live browser bound to it. See
[Browser Sessions](/concepts/sessions). List vault profiles with
`webrain_session(op=profiles)` — names only, never secrets.

## Cross-browser auth transfer

1. Log in once in real Chrome on a persistent profile.
2. Export cookies on the live browser (`webrain_session(op=cookies)` or CLI
   `webrain cookies`). Session cookies do NOT survive a Chrome restart — export
   while Chrome is alive.
3. Import on the target connection (`webrain_session(op=setcookies)`), then batch
   on that same connection.
4. Or use `webrain_session(op=save_state)` / `op=restore_state` for portable
   cookies + localStorage JSON per profile.