BrowserUseAgentMaxStepsExceededError
browser_use.agent.errors.BrowserUseAgentMaxStepsExceededError
Stack trace
browser_use.agent.errors.BrowserUseAgentMaxStepsExceededError: Maximum number of steps (10) exceeded in Browser Use agent execution
File "/app/browser_use/agent/runner.py", line 87, in run
raise BrowserUseAgentMaxStepsExceededError(f"Maximum number of steps ({max_steps}) exceeded")
File "/app/browser_use/agent/runner.py", line 45, in step
if self.current_step > self.max_steps:
Why it happens
The Browser Use agent has a built-in limit on the number of steps it can perform to prevent infinite loops or excessive resource use. When the agent's logic requires more steps than this configured maximum, it raises this error to halt execution.
Detection
Monitor the agent's step count during execution and log warnings when approaching the max_steps threshold to catch potential overruns before the error is raised.
Causes & fixes
The agent's max_steps parameter is set too low for the complexity of the task.
Increase the max_steps parameter in the agent configuration to allow more steps for complex browsing tasks.
The agent's logic contains a loop or repeated actions causing it to exceed step limits.
Review and optimize the agent's step logic to avoid unnecessary loops or repeated steps.
Unexpected page content or navigation causes the agent to take more steps than anticipated.
Add better error handling and conditional checks in the agent to handle unexpected page states and reduce redundant steps.
Code: broken vs fixed
from browser_use.agent import BrowserUseAgent
agent = BrowserUseAgent(max_steps=5) # Too low max_steps
result = agent.run() # This line raises BrowserUseAgentMaxStepsExceededError
print(result)import os
from browser_use.agent import BrowserUseAgent
# Increased max_steps to allow more steps
agent = BrowserUseAgent(max_steps=20)
result = agent.run()
print(result) # Fixed: no max steps exceeded errorWorkaround
Catch BrowserUseAgentMaxStepsExceededError in a try/except block, log the partial results, and optionally retry with a higher max_steps value.
Prevention
Design your browsing tasks to complete within reasonable step counts and configure max_steps based on task complexity; implement monitoring to detect step count growth early.