> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zenrows.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
> ## Agent Instructions
> The Zenrows API (Fetch, Extract via extract=auto, and Batch) is described in OpenAPI 3.1 at https://www.zenrows.com/openapi.json and listed in the RFC 9727 API catalog at https://www.zenrows.com/.well-known/api-catalog. Use the spec for exact parameter names and types.
# Log in once and reuse the session
> Log in to a site once in Zenrows Browser, save the session, and start every later session already signed in.
Log in to a site once in Zenrows Browser, the browser for agents, save the session state to a file, and load it into every new browser session. Your scripts and agents skip the login form on later runs, which makes them faster and keeps the number of logins low.
**Uses:** [Browser](/browser-sessions/introduction) with Playwright's `storage_state`, and the MCP tools `browser_get_cookies` / `browser_set_cookies`
## Ask your AI agent
With the [Zenrows MCP server](/mcp/overview) connected, paste this prompt. Your agent picks the right Zenrows tools and settings on its own.
```text theme={"dark"}
Use the Zenrows browser to log in at https://www.scrapingcourse.com/login with
email admin@example.com and password password. Confirm the dashboard shows the
product grid, list the first product name, and show me the session cookie names.
Then close the browser session.
```
To reuse the login later, ask the agent to "open a new Zenrows browser session with the same cookies" before it visits the protected page.
## Log in and save the session state
Automate logins only for accounts you own or are authorized to use, and follow the site's terms.
The demo login at `scrapingcourse.com/login` accepts `admin@example.com` / `password`. After you submit the form, wait for an element that appears after the login (here, the "Welcome" banner), then save the state with `storage_state`. The file holds cookies and local storage.
```python Python (Playwright) theme={"dark"}
import asyncio
from playwright.async_api import async_playwright
CONNECTION_URL = "wss://browser.zenrows.com?apikey=YOUR_ZENROWS_API_KEY"
async def main():
async with async_playwright() as p:
browser = await p.chromium.connect_over_cdp(CONNECTION_URL)
try:
context = browser.contexts[0]
page = await context.new_page()
await page.goto("https://www.scrapingcourse.com/login")
await page.fill("#email", "admin@example.com")
await page.fill("#password", "password")
await page.click("#submit-button", no_wait_after=True)
# Wait for proof of login rather than for the navigation
await page.get_by_text("Welcome, Scraper!").wait_for()
print("Logged in:", await page.get_by_text("Welcome, Scraper!").inner_text())
await context.storage_state(path="auth.json")
finally:
await browser.close()
asyncio.run(main())
```
```javascript Node.js (Playwright) theme={"dark"}
import { chromium } from "playwright-core";
const connectionURL = "wss://browser.zenrows.com?apikey=YOUR_ZENROWS_API_KEY";
const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(connectionURL);
try {
const context = browser.contexts()[0];
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto("https://www.scrapingcourse.com/login");
await page.fill("#email", "admin@example.com");
await page.fill("#password", "password");
await page.click("#submit-button", { noWaitAfter: true });
// Wait for proof of login rather than for the navigation
await page.getByText("Welcome, Scraper!").waitFor();
console.log("Logged in:", await page.getByText("Welcome, Scraper!").innerText());
await context.storageState({ path: "auth.json" });
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
```
Waiting for a post-login element is the reliable signal for any login form: it confirms the credentials worked, whatever redirects the site runs in between.
## Reuse the session in a new browser
Open a new browser session, create a context from `auth.json`, and go straight to the protected page.
```python Python (Playwright) theme={"dark"}
import asyncio
from playwright.async_api import async_playwright
CONNECTION_URL = "wss://browser.zenrows.com?apikey=YOUR_ZENROWS_API_KEY"
async def main():
async with async_playwright() as p:
browser = await p.chromium.connect_over_cdp(CONNECTION_URL)
try:
context = await browser.new_context(storage_state="auth.json")
page = await context.new_page()
await page.goto("https://www.scrapingcourse.com/dashboard")
await page.get_by_text("Welcome, Scraper!").wait_for()
names = await page.locator(".product-name").all_inner_texts()
print("Second session, still logged in. Products:", names[:3])
finally:
await browser.close()
asyncio.run(main())
```
```javascript Node.js (Playwright) theme={"dark"}
import { chromium } from "playwright-core";
const connectionURL = "wss://browser.zenrows.com?apikey=YOUR_ZENROWS_API_KEY";
const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(connectionURL);
try {
const context = await browser.newContext({ storageState: "auth.json" });
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto("https://www.scrapingcourse.com/dashboard");
await page.getByText("Welcome, Scraper!").waitFor();
const names = await page.locator(".product-name").allInnerTexts();
console.log("Second session, still logged in. Products:", names.slice(0, 3));
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
```
## Example output
```text theme={"dark"}
Logged in: Welcome, Scraper!
Second session, still logged in. Products: ['Chaz Kangeroo Hoodie', 'Teton Pullover Hoodie', 'Bruno Compete Hoodie']
```
The saved `auth.json` holds the site's cookies, including the login session:
```text theme={"dark"}
_ga, AWSALB, AWSALBCORS, XSRF-TOKEN, scrapingcoursecom_session, _ga_NZGD14H87G
```
## Customize it
| Change | How |
| - | - |
| Keep the same IP country across runs | Add `&proxy_country=us` to the URL of both sessions, see [Country targeting](/browser-sessions/features/country) |
| Stay logged in longer in one run | Add `&session_ttl=10m`, see [Session TTL](/browser-sessions/features/session-ttl) |
| Cookies without local storage | `await context.cookies()` to save, `await context.add_cookies(cookies)` to restore |
| Log in from an AI assistant | `browser_get_cookies` and `browser_set_cookies`, see the [MCP tool reference](/mcp/tool-reference) |
| Log in from the terminal | `zenrows browser cookies --session ` and `zenrows browser set-cookies --session --cookies '[...]'`, see [Let your AI assistant browse](/academy/browser/ai-assistant-browsing) |
## Troubleshooting
* **`page.click` waits until it times out after submitting the form**: Playwright is waiting for the navigation to settle. Click with `no_wait_after=True` (`noWaitAfter: true` in Node.js) and wait for an element of the logged-in page instead.
* **The second session lands on the login page**: the saved session expired or the site ties it to an IP. Log in again to refresh `auth.json`, and use the same `proxy_country` on both sessions.
* **`auth.json` has no session cookie**: the state was saved before the login finished. Save it after the post-login element appears.
`auth.json` grants access to the account. Store it like a password: keep it out of version control and share it with the processes that need it.
## Related recipes
Type, select and submit, then verify the result on the page.
The connection URL and its country, region and lifetime options.
Log in, click and read pages from Claude, Cursor or the CLI.
Reuse an IP and submit forms with Fetch, no browser needed.
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