fix: prevent browser target and focus surprises

- Respect the globally selected browser when renaming client aliases.
- Pass the resolved local profile into sync and async local transports so
  BROWSER_CLI_PROFILE is honored consistently.
- Stop tabs.active from explicitly focusing the OS browser window, avoiding
  virtual-desktop jumps during tab activation.
- Make window merging skip audible, unmuted windows so video playback windows
  are not selected as merge targets.
- Bump the Python package and extension manifest versions to 0.12.2.
- Add regression coverage for browser selection and focus-stealing behavior.

browser_cli/client/core.py

@@ -137,10 +137,10 @@ def send_command(
     response = (
       _send_remote(remote_endpoint, msg, private_key)
       if remote_endpoint
-      else local_transport.send_local_sync(profile, payload, target_discovery.resolve_socket)
+      else local_transport.send_local_sync(requested_profile, payload, target_discovery.resolve_socket)
     )
   except (FileNotFoundError, ConnectionRefusedError, OSError):
-    raise messages.remote_connection_error(remote_endpoint) if remote_endpoint else messages.local_connection_error(profile)
+    raise messages.remote_connection_error(remote_endpoint) if remote_endpoint else messages.local_connection_error(requested_profile)
 
   return messages.decode_response(response)
 
@@ -192,9 +192,9 @@ async def send_command_async(
     response = (
       await _send_remote_async(remote_endpoint, msg, private_key)
       if remote_endpoint
-      else await local_transport.send_local_async(profile, payload, target_discovery.resolve_socket)
+      else await local_transport.send_local_async(requested_profile, payload, target_discovery.resolve_socket)
     )
   except (FileNotFoundError, ConnectionRefusedError, OSError):
-    raise messages.remote_connection_error(remote_endpoint) if remote_endpoint else messages.local_connection_error(profile)
+    raise messages.remote_connection_error(remote_endpoint) if remote_endpoint else messages.local_connection_error(requested_profile)
 
   return messages.decode_response(response)

browser_cli/commands/clients.py

@@ -159,11 +159,14 @@ def _print_clients(all_clients: list) -> None:
   help="Browser profile alias to rename. Overrides the global --browser option for this command.",
 )
 @click.argument("alias")
-def cmd_clients_rename(target_browser, alias):
+@click.pass_context
+def cmd_clients_rename(ctx, target_browser, alias):
   """Set the profile alias used to identify this browser instance."""
+  root_obj = ctx.find_root().obj or {}
+  selected_browser = target_browser or root_obj.get("browser")
   try:
-    _ensure_unique_browser_alias(alias, target_browser)
+    _ensure_unique_browser_alias(alias, selected_browser)
-    send_command("clients.rename_profile", {"alias": alias}, profile=target_browser)
+    send_command("clients.rename_profile", {"alias": alias}, profile=selected_browser)
   except BrowserNotConnected as e:
     console.print(f"[red]Error:[/red] {e}")
     sys.exit(1)

extension/manifest.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "manifest_version": 3,
   "name": "browser-cli",
-  "version": "0.12.1",
+  "version": "0.12.2",
   "description": "Control your browser from the terminal or Python SDK",
   "permissions": [
     "tabs",

extension/src/commands/tabs.ts

@@ -70,8 +70,6 @@ export class TabsMutationCommands extends CommandGroup {
   }
 
   private async tabsActive({ tabId }: TabIdArgs) {
-    const tab = await chrome.tabs.get(tabId);
-    await chrome.windows.update(tab.windowId, { focused: true });
     await chrome.tabs.update(tabId, { active: true });
     return { tabId };
   }
@@ -110,22 +108,29 @@ export class TabsMutationCommands extends CommandGroup {
     });
   }
 
+  private windowHasAudibleTabs(window: chrome.windows.Window): boolean {
+    return Boolean(window.tabs?.some(tab => tab.audible && !tab.mutedInfo?.muted));
+  }
+
   private async tabsMergeWindows({ gentleMode, __job }: TabsMergeWindowsArgs = {}) {
     return runLargeOperation("tabs.merge_windows", async () => {
-      const current = await chrome.windows.getCurrent();
       const all = await chrome.windows.getAll({ populate: true });
+      const movableWindows = all.filter(w => !this.windowHasAudibleTabs(w));
+      const target = movableWindows.find(w => w.focused) || movableWindows[0];
+      if (!target) return { moved: 0, skippedAudibleWindows: all.length };
+
       let moved = 0;
-      const totalTabs = all.filter(w => w.id !== current.id).reduce((sum, w) => sum + (w.tabs?.length || 0), 0);
+      const totalTabs = movableWindows.filter(w => w.id !== target.id).reduce((sum, w) => sum + (w.tabs?.length || 0), 0);
       updateJobProgress(__job, { phase: "merging windows", current: 0, total: totalTabs });
-      for (const w of all) {
+      for (const w of movableWindows) {
-        if (w.id === current.id) continue;
+        if (w.id === target.id) continue;
         const ids = w.tabs.map(t => t.id);
         const throttle = await getLargeOperationThrottle(ids.length, gentleMode);
         moved = await processInBatches(ids, throttle,
-          batch => chrome.tabs.move(batch, { windowId: current.id, index: -1 }),
+          batch => chrome.tabs.move(batch, { windowId: target.id, index: -1 }),
           { job: __job, phase: "merging windows", total: totalTabs, baseCurrent: moved });
       }
-      return { moved };
+      return { moved, skippedAudibleWindows: all.length - movableWindows.length };
     });
   }
 

pyproject.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "browser-cli"
-version = "0.12.1"
+version = "0.12.2"
 description = "Control your real running browser from the terminal or Python SDK"
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
 dependencies = [

tests/test_cli.py

@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ def test_clients_rename_uses_global_browser_target_when_set():
     result = CliRunner().invoke(main, ["--browser", "old-id", "clients", "rename", "work"])
 
   assert result.exit_code == 0
-  send_command.assert_called_once_with("clients.rename_profile", {"alias": "work"}, profile=None)
+  send_command.assert_called_once_with("clients.rename_profile", {"alias": "work"}, profile="old-id")
   assert "Restart the browser" not in result.output
 
 def test_clients_rename_rejects_duplicate_alias(tmp_path):
@@ -63,6 +63,16 @@ def test_clients_rename_rejects_duplicate_alias(tmp_path):
   assert "Browser alias 'work' already exists" in result.output
   send_command.assert_not_called()
 
+def test_clients_rename_duplicate_check_uses_global_browser_target(tmp_path):
+  registry_path = tmp_path / "registry.json"
+  registry_path.write_text('{"work": "/tmp/work.sock"}', encoding="utf-8")
+
+  with patch("browser_cli.commands.clients.REGISTRY_PATH", registry_path), patch("browser_cli.commands.clients.send_command") as send_command:
+    result = CliRunner().invoke(main, ["--browser", "work", "clients", "rename", "work"])
+
+  assert result.exit_code == 0
+  send_command.assert_called_once_with("clients.rename_profile", {"alias": "work"}, profile="work")
+
 def test_clients_rename_allows_same_alias_for_same_target(tmp_path):
   registry_path = tmp_path / "registry.json"
   registry_path.write_text('{"work": "/tmp/work.sock"}', encoding="utf-8")

tests/test_client.py

@@ -132,6 +132,44 @@ def test_send_command_auto_routes_single_remote_target(monkeypatch):
     assert sent["_route"] == "work"
     assert "token" not in sent
 
+def test_send_command_uses_env_profile_for_local_transport(monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.delenv("BROWSER_CLI_REMOTE", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setenv("BROWSER_CLI_PROFILE", "work")
+    seen = {}
+
+    def fake_send_local(profile, payload, resolve_socket):
+        seen["profile"] = profile
+        seen["payload"] = json.loads(payload)
+        return json.dumps({"success": True, "data": "ok"}).encode("utf-8")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr("browser_cli.client.targets.is_active_local_profile", lambda profile: True)
+    monkeypatch.setattr("browser_cli.client.core.local_transport.send_local_sync", fake_send_local)
+
+    assert send_command("tabs.list") == "ok"
+    assert seen["profile"] == "work"
+    assert seen["payload"]["command"] == "tabs.list"
+
+async def _async_local_profile_result(monkeypatch):
+    seen = {}
+
+    async def fake_send_local(profile, payload, resolve_socket):
+        seen["profile"] = profile
+        return json.dumps({"success": True, "data": "ok"}).encode("utf-8")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr("browser_cli.client.targets.is_active_local_profile", lambda profile: True)
+    monkeypatch.setattr("browser_cli.client.core.local_transport.send_local_async", fake_send_local)
+    result = await send_command_async("tabs.list")
+    return result, seen
+
+def test_send_command_async_uses_env_profile_for_local_transport(monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.delenv("BROWSER_CLI_REMOTE", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setenv("BROWSER_CLI_PROFILE", "work")
+
+    result, seen = asyncio.run(_async_local_profile_result(monkeypatch))
+
+    assert result == "ok"
+    assert seen["profile"] == "work"
+
 def test_send_command_prefers_active_local_profile_over_saved_remote_alias(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     monkeypatch.delenv("BROWSER_CLI_REMOTE", raising=False)
     monkeypatch.delenv("BROWSER_CLI_PROFILE", raising=False)

tests/test_extension_error_page_handling.py

@@ -111,6 +111,15 @@ def test_large_extension_operations_yield_between_batches():
     assert "perf.set_profile" in perf
     assert "__background" in connection
 
+def test_tab_activation_and_merge_do_not_steal_audible_video_window():
+    tabs = (ROOT / "extension" / "src" / "commands" / "tabs.ts").read_text()
+
+    assert "await chrome.windows.update(tab.windowId, { focused: true });" not in tabs
+    assert "windowHasAudibleTabs" in tabs
+    assert "!this.windowHasAudibleTabs(w)" in tabs
+    assert "skippedAudibleWindows" in tabs
+    assert "const target = movableWindows.find(w => w.focused) || movableWindows[0];" in tabs
+
 def test_session_autosave_is_debounced_and_non_overlapping():
     # The autosave lifecycle moved out of session.ts into a dedicated
     # AutoSaveManager (autosave.ts) during the structure refactor; the shared

uv.lock

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "browser-cli"
-version = "0.12.1"
+version = "0.12.2"
 source = { editable = "." }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "click" },