OpenClaw Browser Relay Reliability

Harden OpenClaw browser extension relay behavior by eliminating blank-target tab churn, fixing download behavior forwarding, and standardizing download paths.

Use this skill when extension-relay browser sessions show flaky target creation, missing download behavior, or inconsistent download locations.

What this improves

• Reuse active target for blank Target.createTarget requests to avoid throwaway tabs.
• Forward Browser.setDownloadBehavior as Page.setDownloadBehavior through the extension bridge.
• Standardize default download output to ~/Downloads/OpenClaw.
• Align temp download path builder with shared default download directory.

Proof points

• assets/chrome-extension/background.js
• src/browser/extension-relay.ts
• src/browser/paths.ts
• src/browser/pw-tools-core.downloads.ts

Verify quickly

1. Start extension-relay flow and trigger a blank target create request; confirm no extra tab churn.
2. Trigger a browser download in relay mode; confirm the behavior applies and file saves under ~/Downloads/OpenClaw.
3. Repeat in a second session to confirm stable path and no random temp download roots.

When to run

• After extension relay changes.
• When debugging failed or missing downloads in relay mode.
• During browser automation reliability hardening.