---
title: The Discover Page
subtitle: Run ad-hoc browser automations with natural language
slug: cloud/run-a-task
---

The **Discover** page is where you run one-off browser automations. Type what you want done in plain language, and Skyvern opens a browser and does it for you.

<img src="/images/cloud/discover-page-overview.png" alt="Discover page overview" />

---

## The prompt box

Type a natural language instruction describing what you want automated. Be specific about the goal and any data you want extracted.

**Examples:**
- "Go to amazon.com and find the price of the MacBook Air M4"
- "Fill out the contact form at example.com/contact with name John Doe and email john@example.com"
- "Get an insurance quote from geico.com for a 2020 Toyota Camry"

<img src="/images/cloud/prompt-box-filled.png" alt="Prompt box with a sample prompt" />

Click the **send button** or press **Enter** to start.

Below the prompt box, **quick-action buttons** offer pre-built examples like "Add a product to cart" or "Get an insurance quote." Click one to run it immediately or use it as a starting point.

---

## Choosing an engine

The dropdown next to the send button controls which engine runs the task.

| Engine | Best for |
|--------|----------|
| **Skyvern 2.0 with Code** | Complex, multi-step tasks. Generates reusable scripts. **(Default)** |
| **Skyvern 2.0** | Complex tasks without script generation |
| **Skyvern 1.0** | Simple, single-objective tasks. Faster and cheaper. |

<Tip>
Start with the default. Switch to Skyvern 1.0 when you have a straightforward, single-page task and want faster execution.
</Tip>

---

## Advanced settings

Click the **gear icon** next to the prompt box to expand the settings panel.

<img src="/images/cloud/advanced-settings-panel.png" alt="Advanced settings panel" />

| Setting | What it does |
|---------|-------------|
| **Proxy Location** | Route the browser through a residential proxy in a specific country. Default is `RESIDENTIAL` (US). Set to `NONE` to disable. Available: US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, India, Japan, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Netherlands, Philippines, Turkey. |
| **Webhook URL** | URL that receives a POST request when the task finishes. The payload includes status, extracted data, screenshots, and recording URL. |
| **Browser Session ID** | Run inside an existing persistent browser session (`pbs_xxx`). Preserves cookies and login state across multiple tasks. |
| **CDP Address** | Connect to your own browser via Chrome DevTools Protocol (e.g., `http://127.0.0.1:9222`). For local development. |
| **2FA Identifier** | Links your TOTP credentials to this task. Skyvern uses it to retrieve the correct code when a 2FA prompt appears. |
| **Extra HTTP Headers** | Custom headers sent with every browser request, as JSON (e.g., `{"Authorization": "Bearer token"}`). |
| **Publish Workflow** | Save a reusable workflow alongside the task run. Re-run the same automation later from the Workflows page. |
| **Max Steps Override** | Cap the number of AI reasoning steps. Each step = one screenshot-analyze-act cycle. Useful for controlling cost during development. |
| **Max Screenshot Scrolls** | Number of scrolls for post-action screenshots. Increase for pages with lazy-loaded content. `0` = viewport only. |

---

## Data extraction schema

The **Data Schema** field in advanced settings lets you define the structure of extracted output as [JSON Schema](https://json-schema.org/).

Without a schema, the AI returns data in whatever format it chooses. With a schema, output conforms to your structure, making it predictable for downstream use.

<img src="/images/cloud/data-schema-field.png" alt="Data schema field with JSON" />

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "product_name": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "The name of the product"
    },
    "price": {
      "type": "number",
      "description": "The price in USD"
    },
    "in_stock": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "Whether the product is in stock"
    }
  }
}
```

Use the `description` field on each property to guide the AI on what to extract.

<Accordion title="Example: Extracting a list of items">
```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "quotes": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "premium_amount": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Total premium in USD (e.g., '$321.57')"
          },
          "coverage_type": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Type of coverage (e.g., 'Full Coverage')"
          },
          "deductible": {
            "type": "string",
            "description": "Deductible amount"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```
</Accordion>

---

## Workflow templates

Below the prompt box, the Discover page shows a gallery of **workflow templates**: pre-built automations for common use cases.

<img src="/images/cloud/workflow-templates.png" alt="Workflow template gallery" />

Click any template to launch it with pre-filled configuration, or use it as a starting point and customize.

---

## What happens next

1. Your prompt is sent to Skyvern
2. A cloud browser opens and navigates to the target URL (or finds one from your prompt)
3. The AI analyzes the page, plans actions, and executes them step by step
4. You're taken to the [live execution view](/cloud/monitor-a-run) where you can watch it happen in real time
5. When complete, results appear on the run detail page under **Runs**
