Unicli Operate

When to Use

Prefer unicli browser for new work:

unicli browser open <url>
unicli browser state
unicli browser click <ref>
unicli browser type <ref> <text>
unicli browser find --css <selector>
unicli browser extract
unicli browser tabs
unicli browser frames

unicli operate ... still works, but it is now the compatibility path over the same implementation.

Core Workflow

1. open -> navigate to URL
2. state -> inspect DOM, get [ref] numbers for interactive elements
3. interact -> click, type, select, keys using ref numbers
4. verify -> state again or get value <ref> to confirm
5. extract -> eval for structured data

Always state before interacting. Never guess ref numbers.

All Operate Subcommands

# Navigation
unicli operate open <url>             # Navigate to URL
unicli operate back                   # Go back in history
unicli operate scroll [direction]     # down, up, bottom, top
unicli operate close                  # Close automation window

# Inspection
unicli operate state                  # DOM tree with [ref] indices
unicli operate screenshot [path]      # Save visual capture

# Get data
unicli operate get title|url          # Page title or URL
unicli operate get text <ref>         # Element text by ref
unicli operate get value <ref>        # Input value (verify after type)
unicli operate get html [selector]    # Page or scoped HTML
unicli operate get attributes <ref>   # Element attributes

# Interaction
unicli operate click <ref>            # Click element
unicli operate type <ref> <text>      # Type into element
unicli operate select <ref> <option>  # Select dropdown
unicli operate keys <key>             # Press key (Enter, Escape, Control+a)
unicli operate upload <ref> <path>    # Upload file
unicli operate hover <ref>            # Hover over element

# Wait
unicli operate wait time <ms>         # Fixed delay
unicli operate wait selector <sel>    # Until element appears
unicli operate wait text <str>        # Until text appears

# Advanced
unicli operate eval <js>              # Execute JS in page
unicli operate network [pattern]      # Captured network requests
unicli operate observe <query>        # Natural language observation

Patterns

# Browse + extract
unicli operate open "https://news.ycombinator.com" && unicli operate state
unicli operate eval "JSON.stringify([...document.querySelectorAll('.titleline a')].slice(0,5).map(a=>({title:a.textContent,url:a.href})))"

# Fill form (chain to reduce round trips)
unicli operate type 3 "user@example.com" && unicli operate type 5 "pass" && unicli operate click 7

# API discovery
unicli operate open "https://example.com/feed" && unicli operate wait time 3000
unicli operate network                # See captured JSON APIs

Rules

1. Always state first -- never guess refs
2. eval is read-only -- never eval "el.click()", use click <ref>
3. Verify inputs with get value <ref> after type
4. Re-inspect after navigation -- run state after open or link clicks
5. Prefer API over DOM -- if network reveals JSON APIs, use YAML adapters

Troubleshooting