opencli-autofix
jackwener/opencli
Automatically diagnose and fix broken OpenCLI adapters when commands fail.
What is opencli-autofix?
OpenCLI AutoFix guides you through collecting trace artifacts, analyzing failures, patching adapters, and retrying when OpenCLI commands break due to website changes. Use this skill when an opencli command fails with repairable errors like selector mismatches, API schema changes, or timeouts.
- Collects trace artifacts with failure context (DOM snapshots, network logs, console events)
- Classifies root causes (SELECTOR, EMPTY_RESULT, API_ERROR, TIMEOUT, PAGE_CHANGED)
- Explores live website state via opencli browser to discover current DOM and API structure
- Patches adapter source files with targeted fixes (selectors, endpoints, wait conditions)
- Retries patched adapters and verifies fixes before filing upstream issues
How to install opencli-autofix
npx skills add https://github.com/jackwener/opencli --skill opencli-autofix- opencli installed and configured
- opencli doctor must pass (extension + daemon connectivity verified)
- Write access to adapter source files (repo or ~/.opencli/clis/)
How to use opencli-autofix
- 1.Run the failing opencli command with --trace retain-on-failure flag to collect trace artifacts
- 2.Read the trace summary.md file to identify error code and adapter source path
- 3.Analyze the failure by comparing adapter expectations with actual page/API state
- 4.Use opencli browser to inspect the live website and discover current DOM or API structure
- 5.Edit the adapter source file at the path from trace summary with targeted fixes
- 6.Retry the opencli command to verify the fix works
- 7.Repeat up to 3 repair rounds if needed; stop and report if unresolved
Use cases
- Website redesigned and adapter selectors no longer match the DOM
- API endpoint moved or response schema changed, breaking data extraction
- Page load behavior changed, causing adapter timeouts or empty results
- Authentication state or rate limiting causes intermittent failures that need diagnosis
- Adapter logic has runtime errors that need targeted code fixes
- AI agents running OpenCLI commands that fail
- Developers maintaining OpenCLI adapters for multiple websites
- Users who want automated repair instead of manual bug reports
opencli-autofix FAQ
SELECTOR (DOM changed), EMPTY_RESULT (API response changed), API_ERROR (endpoint moved), TIMEOUT (page loads differently), COMMAND_EXEC (runtime errors), PAGE_CHANGED (structure mismatch). Do NOT attempt repairs for AUTH_REQUIRED or BROWSER_CONNECT errors.
Stop immediately if you see AUTH_REQUIRED (exit 77) or BROWSER_CONNECT (exit 69) errors. Also skip repairs if the empty result is due to platform anti-scrape heuristics, soft 404s, or legitimate "no matches" responses rather than adapter bugs.
Only the adapter source file at adapterSourcePath from the trace summary front matter. Never modify src/, extension/, tests/, package.json, or tsconfig.json.
Maximum 3 repair rounds per failure. If diagnose → fix → retry doesn't resolve it after 3 rounds, stop and report what was tried.
Use opencli browser open <url> to inspect live pages, opencli browser state to view DOM snapshots, and opencli browser network to intercept API calls and discover new endpoints or response structures.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from jackwener/opencli.
name: opencli-autofix description: Automatically fix broken OpenCLI adapters when commands fail. Load this skill when an opencli command fails — it guides you through collecting a trace artifact, patching the adapter, retrying, and filing an upstream GitHub issue after a verified fix. Works with any AI agent. allowed-tools: Bash(opencli:), Bash(gh:), Read, Edit, Write
OpenCLI AutoFix — Automatic Adapter Self-Repair
When an opencli command fails because a website changed its DOM, API, or response schema, automatically diagnose, fix the adapter, and retry — don't just report the error.
Safety Boundaries
Before starting any repair, check these hard stops:
AUTH_REQUIRED(exit code 77) — STOP. Do not modify code. Tell the user to log into the site in Chrome.BROWSER_CONNECT(exit code 69) — STOP. Do not modify code. Tell the user to runopencli doctor.- CAPTCHA / rate limiting — STOP. Not an adapter issue.
Scope constraint:
- Only modify the file at
adapterSourcePathin the tracesummary.mdfront matter — this is the authoritative adapter location (may beclis/<site>/in repo or~/.opencli/clis/<site>/for npm installs) - Never modify
src/,extension/,tests/,package.json, ortsconfig.json
Retry budget: Max 3 repair rounds per failure. If 3 rounds of diagnose → fix → retry don't resolve it, stop and report what was tried.
Prerequisites
opencli doctor # Verify extension + daemon connectivity
When to Use This Skill
Use when opencli <site> <command> fails with repairable errors:
- SELECTOR — element not found (DOM changed)
- EMPTY_RESULT — no data returned (API response changed)
- API_ERROR / NETWORK — endpoint moved or broke
- PAGE_CHANGED — page structure no longer matches
- COMMAND_EXEC — runtime error in adapter logic
- TIMEOUT — page loads differently, adapter waits for wrong thing
Before Entering Repair: "Empty" ≠ "Broken"
EMPTY_RESULT — and sometimes a structurally-valid SELECTOR that returns nothing — is often not an adapter bug. Platforms actively degrade results under anti-scrape heuristics, and a "not found" response from the site doesn't mean the content is actually missing. Rule this out before committing to a repair round:
- Retry with an alternative query or entry point. If
opencli xiaohongshu search "X"returns 0 butopencli xiaohongshu search "X 攻略"returns 20, the adapter is fine — the platform was shaping results for the first query. - Spot-check in a normal Chrome tab. If the data is visible in the user's own browser but the adapter comes back empty, the issue is usually authentication state, rate limiting, or a soft block — not a code bug. The fix is
opencli doctor/ re-login, not editing source. - Look for soft 404s. Sites like xiaohongshu / weibo / douyin return HTTP 200 with an empty payload instead of a real 404 when an item is hidden or deleted. The snapshot will look structurally correct. A retry 2-3 seconds later often distinguishes "temporarily hidden" from "actually gone".
- "0 results" from a search is an answer. If the adapter successfully reached the search endpoint, got an HTTP 200, and the platform returned
results: [], that is a valid answer — report it to the user as "no matches for this query" rather than patching the adapter.
Only proceed to Step 1 if the empty/selector-missing result is reproducible across retries and alternative entry points. Otherwise you're patching a working adapter to chase noise, and the patched version will break the next working path.
Step 1: Collect Trace Context
Run the failing command with failure-retained trace enabled:
opencli <site> <command> [args...] --trace retain-on-failure 2>trace-error.yaml
On failure, stderr contains the normal error envelope plus a small trace block:
ok: false
error:
code: SELECTOR
message: "Could not find element: .old-selector"
trace:
schemaVersion: 1
opencliVersion: "..."
traceId: "..."
dir: "/path/to/.opencli/profiles/default/traces/..."
summaryPath: "/path/to/.opencli/profiles/default/traces/.../summary.md"
receiptPath: "/path/to/.opencli/profiles/default/traces/.../receipt.json"
Read summaryPath first. It is the LLM-oriented entry point and includes front matter:
---
schemaVersion: 1
opencliVersion: "..."
traceId: "..."
status: failure
site: "example"
command: "example/search"
adapterSourcePath: "/path/to/clis/example/search.js"
errorCode: "SELECTOR"
errorMessage: "Could not find element: .old-selector"
---
The artifact directory contains:
summary.md # start here
receipt.json # machine-readable trace receipt
trace.jsonl # full redacted timeline
network.jsonl # redacted network events
console.jsonl # redacted console events
state/ # final snapshots when available
screenshots/ # final screenshots when available
If you redirected stderr to a file, read that file and copy trace.summaryPath.
Do not ask the user to rerun with legacy diagnostic env vars. Trace is the repair evidence path.
Step 2: Analyze the Failure
Read the trace summary and the adapter source. Classify the root cause:
| Error Code | Likely Cause | Repair Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| SELECTOR | DOM restructured, class/id renamed | Explore current DOM → find new selector |
| EMPTY_RESULT | API response schema changed, or data moved | Check network → find new response path |
| API_ERROR | Endpoint URL changed, new params required | Discover new API via network intercept |
| AUTH_REQUIRED | Login flow changed, cookies expired | STOP — tell user to log in, do not modify code |
| TIMEOUT | Page loads differently, spinner/lazy-load | Add/update wait conditions |
| PAGE_CHANGED | Major redesign | May need full adapter rewrite |
Key questions to answer:
- What is the adapter trying to do? (Read the file at
adapterSourcePath) - What did the page look like when it failed? (Read
summary.md, thenstate/if needed) - What network requests happened? (Read
Failed Networkinsummary.md, thennetwork.jsonlif needed) - What's the gap between what the adapter expects and what the page provides?
Step 3: Explore the Current Website
Use opencli browser to inspect the live website. Never use the broken adapter — it will just fail again.
DOM changed (SELECTOR errors)
# Open the page and inspect current DOM
opencli browser open https://example.com/target-page && opencli browser state
# Look for elements that match the adapter's intent
# Compare the snapshot with what the adapter expects
API changed (API_ERROR, EMPTY_RESULT)
# Open page with network interceptor, then trigger the action manually
opencli browser open https://example.com/target-page && opencli browser state
# Interact to trigger API calls
opencli browser click <N> && opencli browser network
# Narrow to the request you care about by the fields its body should have
opencli browser network --filter author,text,likes
# Inspect specific API response (key is the `key` field from the default JSON output)
opencli browser network --detail <key>
Step 4: Patch the Adapter
Read the adapter source file at adapterSourcePath from the trace summary front matter and make targeted fixes. This path is authoritative — it may be in the repo (clis/) or user-local (~/.opencli/clis/).
Use the Read tool on the exact path from summary.md front matter.
Common Fixes
Selector update:
// Before: page.evaluate('document.querySelector(".old-class")...')
// After: page.evaluate('document.querySelector(".new-class")...')
API endpoint change:
// Before: const resp = await page.evaluate(`fetch('/api/v1/old-endpoint')...`)
// After: const resp = await page.evaluate(`fetch('/api/v2/new-endpoint')...`)
Response schema change:
// Before: const items = data.results
// After: const items = data.data.items // API now nests under "data"
Wait condition update:
// Before: await page.wait({ selector: '.loading-spinner', hidden: true })
// After: await page.wait({ selector: '[data-loaded="true"]' })
Rules for Patching
- Make minimal changes — fix only what's broken, don't refactor
- Keep the same output structure —
columnsand return format must stay compatible - Prefer API over DOM scraping — if you discover a JSON API during exploration, switch to it
- Use
@jackwener/opencli/*imports only — never add third-party package imports - Test after patching — run the command again to verify
- Never relax
verify/<cmd>.jsonfixtures to silence a failure. A failingpatterns/notEmpty/mustNotContain/mustBeTruthyrule means the adapter's output is broken. Tighten the adapter so it produces correct values; do not loosen the fixture to accept the broken values. The one legitimate reason to edit a fixture during repair is when the site itself changed shape (e.g. URL format migration) — in that case update the fixture and note the change in~/.opencli/sites/<site>/notes.md. Otherwise editing the fixture is covering up a silent correctness regression.
Step 5: Verify the Fix
# Run the command normally
opencli <site> <command> [args...]
If it still fails, go back to Step 1 and collect a fresh trace. You have a budget of 3 repair rounds (trace → fix → retry). If the same error persists after a fix, try a different approach. After 3 rounds, stop and report what was tried.
Step 6: File an Upstream Issue
If the retry passes, the local adapter has drifted from upstream. File a GitHub issue so the fix flows back to jackwener/OpenCLI.
Do NOT file for:
AUTH_REQUIRED,BROWSER_CONNECT,ARGUMENT,CONFIG— environment/usage issues, not adapter bugs- CAPTCHA or rate limiting — not fixable upstream
- Failures you couldn't actually fix (3 rounds exhausted)
Only file after a verified local fix — the retry must pass first.
Procedure:
- Prepare the issue content from the trace summary you already have:
- Title:
[autofix] <site>/<command>: <error_code>(e.g.[autofix] zhihu/hot: SELECTOR) - Body (use this template):
- Title:
## Summary
OpenCLI autofix repaired this adapter locally, and the retry passed.
## Adapter
- Site: `<site>`
- Command: `<command>`
- OpenCLI version: `<version from opencli --version>`
## Original failure
- Error code: `<error_code>`
~~~
<error_message>
~~~
## Local fix summary
~~~
<1-2 sentence description of what you changed and why>
~~~
_Issue filed by OpenCLI autofix after a verified local repair._
-
Ask the user before filing. Show them the draft title and body. Only proceed if they confirm.
-
If the user approves and
gh auth statussucceeds:
gh issue create --repo jackwener/OpenCLI \
--title "[autofix] <site>/<command>: <error_code>" \
--body "<the body above>"
If gh is not installed or not authenticated, tell the user and skip — do not error out.
When to Stop
Hard stops (do not modify code):
- AUTH_REQUIRED / BROWSER_CONNECT — environment issue, not adapter bug
- Site requires CAPTCHA — can't automate this
- Rate limited / IP blocked — not an adapter issue
Soft stops (report after attempting):
- 3 repair rounds exhausted — stop, report what was tried and what failed
- Feature completely removed — the data no longer exists
- Major redesign — needs full adapter rewrite via
opencli-adapter-authorskill
In all stop cases, clearly communicate the situation to the user rather than making futile patches.
Example Repair Session
1. User runs: opencli zhihu hot
→ Fails: SELECTOR "Could not find element: .HotList-item"
2. AI runs: opencli zhihu hot --trace retain-on-failure 2>trace-error.yaml
→ Gets trace summary with final state and failed action evidence
3. AI reads summary/state: page loaded but uses ".HotItem" instead of ".HotList-item"
4. AI explores: opencli browser open https://www.zhihu.com/hot && opencli browser state
→ Confirms new class name ".HotItem" with child ".HotItem-content"
5. AI patches: Edit adapter at `adapterSourcePath` — replace ".HotList-item" with ".HotItem"
6. AI verifies: opencli zhihu hot
→ Success: returns hot topics
7. AI prepares upstream issue draft, shows it to the user
8. User approves → AI runs: gh issue create --repo jackwener/OpenCLI --title "[autofix] zhihu/hot: SELECTOR" --body "..."
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opencli-oneshot
Use when quickly generating a single OpenCLI command from a specific URL and goal description. 4-step process — open page, capture API, write TS adapter, test. For full site exploration, use opencli-explorer instead.