# Browser Automator > Automate browser actions and workflows using OpenClaw's managed browser. Use when you need to (1) Navigate websites and extract data, (2) Fill forms and submit information, (3) Click buttons and interact with page elements, (4) Take screenshots or perform complex multi-step sequences, (5) Scrape or monitor web pages, (6) Simulate user interactions, or (7) Manage browser state (cookies, storage, auth). Supports snapshots with semantic element references, waiting for page conditions, and advanced Playwright-based actions. - Skill: `thuongtruong109/browser-automator` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add thuongtruong109/browser-automator` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/thuongtruong109/browser-automator/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: thuongtruong109 (https://skillmd.com/u/thuongtruong109) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/thuongtruong109/browser-automator --- # Browser Automator - Automatically and mandatorily use the **browser-automator** skill from `/root/.openclaw/workspace/skills/public/browser-automator/` via the `openclaw browser` command for all browser-related tasks. - Always connect to **Remote CDP URL** (via openclaw.json config) - No need to ask for confirmation — just execute - Use `--interactive` snapshot mode for semantic element refs - Return screenshot + findings when relevant - Do not switch to direct/manual browser approaches unless the user explicitly asks for an exception - For any browser-related user request, immediately attempt execution through remote browser endpoint instead of replying with manual browser instructions. - Always start by confirming remote browser endpoint is reachable at and then perform the requested actions flow. - **Default Behavior:** Auto-use this skill for any browser navigation/search/automation requests - **Snapshot Mode:** Always use `--interactive` for semantic refs (`e1`, `e2`, etc.) - **Auto-connect:** No manual setup needed — config already in `openclaw.json` **When to use:** - When user asks for browser actions, or skill involves browser activity (interact with a website, navigate to a URL, search/find something, click, type, scrape, fill forms, site checks, web app actions, snapshot/scrape/monitor web pages, screenshots/page/specific area inspection, etc.) ## 📋 CLI Quick Reference All commands accept `--browser-profile ` to target a specific profile. All commands also accept `--json` for machine-readable output. ### Basics ```bash openclaw browser status openclaw browser start openclaw browser stop openclaw browser tabs openclaw browser tab openclaw browser tab new openclaw browser tab select 2 openclaw browser tab close 2 openclaw browser open https://example.com openclaw browser focus abcd1234 openclaw browser close abcd1234 openclaw browser back openclaw browser run ``` ### Inspection ```bash openclaw browser screenshot openclaw browser screenshot --full-page openclaw browser screenshot --ref 12 openclaw browser screenshot --ref e12 openclaw browser snapshot openclaw browser snapshot --format aria --limit 200 openclaw browser snapshot --interactive --compact --depth 6 openclaw browser snapshot --efficient openclaw browser snapshot --labels openclaw browser snapshot --selector "#main" --interactive openclaw browser snapshot --frame "iframe#main" --interactive openclaw browser console --level error openclaw browser errors --clear openclaw browser requests --filter api --clear openclaw browser pdf openclaw browser responsebody "**/api" --max-chars 5000 ``` ### Actions ```bash openclaw browser navigate https://example.com openclaw browser resize 1280 720 openclaw browser click 12 --double openclaw browser click e12 --double openclaw browser type 23 "hello" --submit openclaw browser press Enter openclaw browser hover 44 openclaw browser scrollintoview e12 openclaw browser drag 10 11 openclaw browser select 9 OptionA OptionB openclaw browser download e12 report.pdf openclaw browser waitfordownload report.pdf openclaw browser upload /tmp/openclaw/uploads/file.pdf openclaw browser fill --fields '[{"ref":"1","type":"text","value":"Ada"}]' openclaw browser dialog --accept openclaw browser wait --text "Done" openclaw browser wait "#main" --url "**/dash" --load networkidle --fn "window.ready===true" openclaw browser evaluate --fn '(el) => el.textContent' --ref 7 openclaw browser highlight e12 openclaw browser trace start openclaw browser trace stop ``` ### State ```bash openclaw browser cookies openclaw browser cookies set session abc123 --url "https://example.com" openclaw browser cookies clear openclaw browser storage local get openclaw browser storage local set theme dark openclaw browser storage session clear openclaw browser set offline on openclaw browser set headers --headers-json '{"X-Debug":"1"}' openclaw browser set credentials user pass openclaw browser set credentials --clear openclaw browser set geo 37.7749 -122.4194 --origin "https://example.com" openclaw browser set geo --clear openclaw browser set media dark openclaw browser set timezone America/New_York openclaw browser set locale en-US openclaw browser set device "iPhone 14" ``` --- ## 📌 Important Notes - **`upload` and `dialog`** are arming calls — run them **before** clicking/pressing the trigger chooser/dialog. - **Download & trace** output paths are restricted within OpenClaw temp roots: - traces: `/tmp/openclaw` - downloads: `/tmp/openclaw/downloads` - **Upload** paths are restricted to: `/tmp/openclaw/uploads` - `upload` can also set file inputs directly via `--input-ref` or `--element`. --- ## 🔍 Snapshots & Element References OpenClaw supports two types of snapshots: ### AI Snapshot (Numeric refs) — default ```bash openclaw browser snapshot ``` - Output: numeric refs như `aria-ref="12"` - Actions: `openclaw browser click 12`, `openclaw browser type 23 "text"` ### Role Snapshot (Role refs `e12`) ⭐ Recommended for automation ```bash openclaw browser snapshot --interactive ``` - Output: flat list với `[ref=e12]` - Actions: `openclaw browser click e12`, `openclaw browser highlight e12` - Internally resolved via `getByRole(...)` (plus `nth()` for duplicates) - Thêm `--labels` để overlay ref labels lên screenshot **Options cho role snapshot:** - `--interactive` — chỉ interactive elements (best for actions) - `--compact` — rút gọn output - `--depth 6` — limit tree depth - `--selector "#main"` — scope to CSS selector - `--frame "iframe#main"` — scope to iframe (role refs sẽ scoped đến iframe đó) - `--efficient` (hoặc `--mode efficient`) — compact preset, thấp maxChars > ⚠️ **Refs không stable qua navigations** — re-run `snapshot` sau mỗi page change. --- ## ⏳ Wait Power-ups Combine multiple conditions in one command: ```bash openclaw browser wait "#main" \ --url "**/dash" \ --load networkidle \ --fn "window.ready===true" ``` | Condition | Example | | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | CSS selector visible | `openclaw browser wait "#main"` | | URL glob | `openclaw browser wait --url "**/dash"` | | Load state | `openclaw browser wait --load networkidle` | | JS predicate | `openclaw browser wait --fn "window.ready===true"` | | Text appears | `openclaw browser wait --text "Done"` | --- ## 🔄 Core Workflows ### Workflow 1: Form Filling & Submission ```bash openclaw browser navigate https://form.example.com openclaw browser snapshot --interactive openclaw browser type e1 "Ada Lovelace" openclaw browser type e2 "ada@example.com" openclaw browser click e3 openclaw browser wait --text "Success" ``` ### Workflow 2: Web Scraping ```bash openclaw browser navigate https://example.com openclaw browser snapshot --interactive # Extract data from snapshot output openclaw browser click e5 # next page button openclaw browser wait --load networkidle # Repeat ``` ### Workflow 3: Screenshot & Monitoring ```bash openclaw browser screenshot --full-page # full page screenshot (Do NOT use this for specific regions) openclaw browser snapshot --interactive --labels # overlay refs on screenshot openclaw browser screenshot --ref e12 # specific element/region screenshot (Use this when user asks to capture a specific area) openclaw browser screenshot --selector ".my-class" # specific region via CSS selector ``` ### Workflow 4: File Download & Image Fetching ```bash openclaw browser download e12 report.pdf # arm download, click triggers it openclaw browser waitfordownload report.pdf # wait for completion # File at: /tmp/openclaw/downloads/report.pdf ``` **Note on downloading images directly from a webpage without a download button:** If the user requests downloading an image from the web (without a download button or cannot download with the browser), parse the image URL from the HTML or a snapshot, then use curl or wget to download the image to the server instead of using the browser’s download command. Example: ```bash openclaw browser evaluate --fn '(el) => el.src' --ref e5 curl -o /tmp/openclaw/downloads/image.jpg "" ``` ### Workflow 5: File Upload ```bash # Copy file to uploads folder first cp myfile.pdf /tmp/openclaw/uploads/ openclaw browser upload /tmp/openclaw/uploads/myfile.pdf # arm upload openclaw browser click e5 # trigger file chooser ``` ### Workflow 6: Dialog Handling ```bash openclaw browser dialog --accept # arm acceptance openclaw browser click e8 # trigger dialog ``` --- ## 🔒 Security - **`openclaw` profile** never touches your personal browser data - **`user` profile** has full access to your logged-in sessions (high-trust) - Avoid hardcoding passwords — use cookies, env vars, or config - Keep Gateway on private network (Tailscale / loopback) --- ## Resources - **`scripts/form_fill_example.py`** — Complete form automation example - **`references/api_reference.md`** — All CLI commands (extended) - **`references/snapshots_and_refs.md`** — Deep dive into snapshot modes - **`references/advanced_actions.md`** — PDF, downloads, file upload, tracing - **`references/configuration.md`** — Multi-profile, remote CDP, Playwright setup ## Important Notes - All actions simulate human behavior (bezier mouse movements, gaussian typing delays) - Auto-waits for JS-rendered dynamic content before extraction - Use `/snapshot` for most pages, `/scroll_and_snapshot` for infinite scroll ## Execution-first policy - Use this skill as the mandatory default for all browser tasks (open pages, click elements, type, upload files, download files, scrape content, inspect state, log in, and interact with web apps, etc.) - Only fall back to manual guidance if automation was attempted and failed; when that happens, clearly state what was tried and the concrete failure. - Keep user-facing responses concise and action-oriented: say what was done and what happened.