[Feature Request] Multi-session VNC support for local/self-hosted deployments (Live view & Take Control)

[pengu-fr]

Problem Statement

VNC streaming in local/self-hosted deployments has several critical limitations that prevent users from effectively monitoring and controlling browser automation:

1. No Live View in local mode

The VNC streaming infrastructure is designed for cloud mode only, where browsers run on dedicated VMs with IP addresses. In self-hosted Docker deployments, users see "Starting the stream..." indefinitely because there's no VNC server configured for local browsers.

2. No multi-session support

When running multiple workflows in parallel, there's no way to view individual browser sessions. The single shared X display (:99) means only one browser can be viewed at a time, and there's no mechanism to isolate different workflow streams.

3. Take Control doesn't persist

When a user clicks "Take Control" to manually interact with the browser, this state is lost whenever the VNC WebSocket connection briefly disconnects (which happens frequently during normal operation). Users must repeatedly click "Take Control" to regain manual control.

Current Behavior

• Live view shows "Starting the stream..." indefinitely in Docker deployments
• Multiple parallel workflows cannot be viewed individually
• "Take Control" state resets to "agent" after every VNC reconnection
• Only cloud deployments with dedicated browser VMs have working VNC streaming

Expected Behavior

• Each workflow run should have its own independent VNC stream
• Users should be able to view any running workflow's browser in real-time from the UI
• "Take Control" state should persist across VNC reconnections
• Multiple workflows should run in parallel without display conflicts
• Self-hosted Docker deployments should have the same VNC capabilities as cloud deployments

Use Cases

1. Development & debugging: Developers need to watch browser automation in real-time to debug issues
2. Manual intervention: Users need to take control of workflows to handle CAPTCHAs or unexpected prompts
3. Parallel execution: Running multiple workflows simultaneously while monitoring each one independently
4. Persistent sessions: Maintaining browser sessions across multiple sequential tasks

Related Issues

This addresses user requests and problems reported in:

• Live Streaming fails #4296 - Live Streaming fails
• Live stream doesn't work when put behind reverse proxy #2968 - Live stream doesn't work when put behind reverse proxy
• VNC and CDP Debug Integration #3260 - VNC and CDP Debug Integration
• Is there a way to run multiple consequent tasks within the same browser tab? #2779 - Is there a way to run multiple consequent tasks within the same browser tab?
• Run multiple skyvern instances #1930 - Run multiple skyvern instances
• persist_browser_session flag saves sessions but never retrieves them on subsequent runs #4390 - persist_browser_session flag saves sessions but never retrieves them on subsequent runs
• Issue: Cookies Not Persisting Between Workflows in Persistent Browser Sessions #3897 - Cookies Not Persisting Between Workflows in Persistent Browser Sessions

Environment

• Deployment: Self-hosted Docker / docker-compose
• Skyvern version: 0.2.x - current

[skyvern-agent]

Thank you for your detailed feature request regarding multi-session VNC support for local/self-hosted deployments. We recognize the limitations you've described, particularly around live view capabilities, multi-session support, and the persistence of the "Take Control" state.

Next Steps:

1. Feature Request Submission: We recommend formally submitting this feature request through our official channels (GitHub Issues or support ticket) for further evaluation by our development team.

2. Monitoring Existing Issues: Keep an eye on the related issues you've mentioned. Some may already be under consideration for future updates. Engage with those discussions to share your insights.

3. Documentation & Updates: Regularly check our documentation and updates on the Skyvern platform for announcements related to VNC functionalities as we continuously improve our offerings.

If you require immediate workarounds for your current setup, you may explore using individual container instances per workflow to manage sessions separately until multi-session support is implemented.

Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions or need assistance!

Need another reply? Mention @better-auth-agent in a comment.

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