Hilda Puppeteer

Automate Chrome and Chromium with Puppeteer for scraping, testing, screenshots, and browser workflows.

Setup

On first use, read setup.md for integration guidelines.

When to Use

User needs browser automation: web scraping, E2E testing, PDF generation, screenshots, or any headless Chrome task. Agent handles page navigation, element interaction, waiting strategies, and data extraction.

Architecture

Scripts and outputs in ~/puppeteer/. See memory-template.md for structure.

text

~/puppeteer/
├── memory.md       # Status + preferences
├── scripts/        # Reusable automation scripts
└── output/         # Screenshots, PDFs, scraped data

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Setup process	setup.md
Memory template	memory-template.md
Selectors guide	selectors.md
Waiting patterns	waiting.md

Core Rules

1. Always Wait Before Acting

Never click or type immediately after navigation. Always wait for the element:

javascript

await page.waitForSelector('#button');
await page.click('#button');

Clicking without waiting causes "element not found" errors 90% of the time.

2. Use Specific Selectors

Prefer stable selectors in this order:

1. [data-testid="submit"] — test attributes (most stable)
2. #unique-id — IDs
3. form button[type="submit"] — semantic combinations
4. .class-name — classes (least stable, changes often)

Avoid: div > div > div > button — breaks on any DOM change.

3. Handle Navigation Explicitly

After clicks that navigate, wait for navigation:

javascript

await Promise.all([
  page.waitForNavigation(),
  page.click('a.next-page')
]);

Without this, the script continues before the new page loads.

4. Set Realistic Viewport

Always set viewport for consistent rendering:

javascript

await page.setViewport({ width: 1280, height: 800 });

Default viewport is 800x600 — many sites render differently or show mobile views.

5. Handle Popups and Dialogs

Dismiss dialogs before they block interaction:

javascript

page.on('dialog', async dialog => {
  await dialog.dismiss(); // or dialog.accept()
});

Unhandled dialogs freeze the script.

6. Close Browser on Errors

Always wrap in try/finally:

javascript

const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
try {
  // ... automation code
} finally {
  await browser.close();
}

Leaked browser processes consume memory and ports.

7. Respect Rate Limits

Add delays between requests to avoid blocks:

javascript

await page.waitForTimeout(1000 + Math.random() * 2000);

Hammering sites triggers CAPTCHAs and IP bans.

Common Traps

• page.click() on invisible element → fails silently, use waitForSelector with visible: true
• Screenshots of elements off-screen → blank image, scroll into view first
• page.evaluate() returns undefined → cannot return DOM nodes, only serializable data
• Headless blocked by site → use headless: 'new' or set user agent
• Form submit reloads page → page.waitForNavigation() or data is lost
• Shadow DOM elements invisible to selectors → use page.evaluateHandle() to pierce shadow roots
• Cookies not persisting → launch with userDataDir for session persistence

Security & Privacy

Data that stays local:

• All scraped data in ~/puppeteer/output/
• Browser profile in specified userDataDir

This skill does NOT:

• Send scraped data anywhere
• Store credentials (you provide them per-script)
• Access files outside ~/puppeteer/

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• playwright — Cross-browser automation alternative
• chrome — Chrome DevTools and debugging
• web — General web development

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star puppeteer
• Stay updated: clawhub sync