{
  "id": 4975080,
  "title": "Your automation is not logged out: a missing `--cdp` flag started a second Chrome",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/your-automation-is-not-logged-out-a-missing-cdp-flag-started-a-second",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-02T00:08:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/vinhnguyenthanhdn/your-automation-is-not-logged-out-a-missing-cdp-flag-started-a-second-chrome-207a"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A scheduled job was using a real Chrome profile that remained signed in to the DEV platform, as the API could read comments but not create them. One run resulted in the dashboard being replaced by the sign-in page, with the log showing it had opened the sign-in page while the actual destination was a new comments page. The profile itself remained unaffected. The debugging port returned a live Chrome, but the dashboard rendered the account's own identity links normally. This led to two browsers running on the same machine at the same time, with different outcomes. The first step to investigate is to check if the session expired, as it would require re-authentication and erase the logged-in session. However, cookies were cleared by a recent Chrome update, making this a less likely cause. Another potential issue is that the debug port failed, causing the tool to fall back to a new browser with an empty profile. This new browser was not signed in to any account, resulting in a different browsing experience. The automation tool is designed to attach to an existing Chrome browser when the --cdp flag is provided. If the flag is omitted, it starts a new browser with its own profile, which is not signed in to any account. This can lead to confusion when the automation reports a logged-out session, as it is actually looking at a different browser's session. The issue lies in the fact that the tool succeeds quietly when the flag is missing, handing back a browser that is not the user's profile. The key indicator of this problem is the appearance of \"launched browser\" in the output, indicating that the wrong browser has been started. To prevent this issue, it is recommended to always include the --cdp flag when running the automation tool, even if the port is already provided as an argument. This ensures that the tool attaches to the correct browser and maintains the user's logged-in session. Measured on a macOS system with Chrome 152.0.7977.65 and the npx build of the agent-browser tool, the described behavior was observed and confirmed.",
  "summary": "A scheduled job of mine drives a real Chrome profile that stays signed in to DEV, because the API can read comments but cannot create them. One run came back with the dashboard replaced by the sign-in page: the log said it had opened https://dev.to/dashboard , and what it actually landed on was https://dev.to/magic_links/new , with zero links to my own profile anywhere in the DOM. The profile…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}