_build_browser_env() is shared by the npx cache warmer (hermes update / doctor
--fix), the lazy Chromium auto-installer, the Lightpanda engine's env and
browser_use_cli. Hooking bot_desktop.auto_start there made every one of those
block up to 15 s spawning Xvnc+Xfce with browser.headed on, against
desktop_env()'s own "never starts anything" contract.
The hook now sits where a headed Chromium is actually spawned for a tool
action, mirroring computer_use dispatch: _spawn_and_collect (the first
agent-browser command forks the daemon; Lightpanda engine excluded), the Chrome
fallback from Lightpanda, and the real-profile Chrome launch. The regression
test asserts both halves: the env builder never starts the screen, the headed
Chromium spawn does, a headless or Lightpanda spawn does not.
Full Chromium serves both headed and headless sessions. The separate
shell duplicates the browser payload and is not needed for either mode.
Remove the shell from PM and Docker. Select the managed Chromium
executable for agent-browser and the full Chromium channel for direct
Playwright callers. Route setup through PM and remove retired packages
from cached bundle stores without changing the user's tool store.
Update signing, architecture checks, launch probes and install guidance.
Leave llama packages and Docker archive cleanup unchanged.
Verification:
- Real agent-browser navigation, clicks, DOM reads and screenshots pass
in headed and headless modes with the same Chromium executable.
- The direct Playwright doctor probe passes.
- Focused Python and desktop packaging tests pass, as do six Docker
checks and both real-browser task-scroll tests.
- The built linux/amd64 image is 1.393 GB compressed, 223.6 MB smaller.
- The broader PM suite and two unrelated setup tests still fail.
Those failures reproduce on unchanged HEAD.
- Five updated eval scripts parse; their full scenarios were not run.
