Google Mariner Setup Guide: Get Started in 15 Minutes

Google Mariner is the best research agent available in 2026. This guide walks through installation, configuration, and your first research workflow.

Step 1: Subscribe to Google One AI Premium

Mariner is included with Google One AI Premium ($19.99/month), which also includes Gemini Advanced and 2TB storage. Subscribe at one.google.com.

Step 2: Install the Chrome extension

Mariner is a Chrome extension. Install it from the Chrome Web Store. Firefox support is available experimentally — see our Firefox support news post for details.

Step 3: Configure permissions

Mariner needs permission to access your browser sessions. Review and approve:

• Access to current browser tabs
• Ability to open new tabs
• Access to logged-in sessions (this is what lets Mariner use your subscriptions)

Step 4: Run your first research workflow

Try a simple research task:

1. Open the Mariner extension
2. Enter your research question: "Find recent news about [company] and summarize key developments"
3. Watch Mariner open tabs, gather sources, and synthesize
4. Review the output with citations

Step 5: Configure safety

• Domain whitelist: Limit which domains Mariner can access
• Tab limits: Set maximum parallel tabs (default is 50)
• Session access: Review periodically which sessions Mariner can use

Recommended first workflows

• Competitive intelligence: Monitor competitor websites weekly
• Literature review: Research academic topics with citations
• Market research: Synthesize industry trends from multiple sources
• Source verification: Cross-check claims against authoritative sources

Next steps

See our full Mariner review for capabilities, and our Perplexity vs Mariner comparison for when to use each.