Browser Automation Skill#

Profile#

• Use profile: openclaw for all automated browsing
• Browser is managed by OpenClaw gateway

Core Patterns#

Navigation#

• Use browser navigate with direct URLs when possible (faster than clicking through menus)
• Always sleep 4-6 after navigation — SPAs load content asynchronously
• If page seems blank, try screenshot first — content may be rendered but not in DOM snapshot

Element Interaction#

• Use snapshot to get element refs, then act with refs
• For iframe content: use frame parameter in snapshot
• If compact snapshot misses content, try full snapshot or screenshot
• GHL and complex SPAs often render in iframes — check both main page and iframe

Screenshots vs Snapshots#

• Snapshot — DOM tree, good for finding clickable refs
• Screenshot — Visual image, good for understanding what's actually on screen
• When snapshot shows empty/minimal content but screenshot shows a full page → content is in iframe or shadow DOM

Login Flows#

1. Navigate to login page
2. Snapshot to find form fields
3. Click + type credentials
4. Handle 2FA (check email, enter code)
5. Wait for redirect (sleep 4-6 seconds)
6. Verify logged in via screenshot

Common Issues#

• Popups/modals blocking → Press Escape
• Lazy-loaded content → Wait longer, refresh, or navigate directly via URL
• iframe content → Use frame parameter or evaluate JS to find iframe
• evaluate function errors → No const, let, or arrow functions. Use var and function(){} syntax.
• ref required errors → Must use ref from snapshot, can't use text selectors

SPA-Specific Tips#

• SPAs don't fully reload on navigation — URL changes but DOM updates incrementally
• Some content only appears after JavaScript execution
• If clicking a link doesn't work, try navigating directly to the URL
• F5 refresh can help when SPA state gets stuck