actionbook-scraper
Original:🇺🇸 English
Translated
Generate and verify web scraper scripts using Actionbook's verified selectors. Auto-validates generated scripts and fixes errors.
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Sourceactionbook/actionbook
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NPX Install
npx skill4agent add actionbook/actionbook actionbook-scraperTags
Translated version includes tags in frontmatterSKILL.md Content
View Translation Comparison →Actionbook Scraper Skill
⚠️ CRITICAL: Two-Part Verification
Every generated script MUST pass BOTH checks:
| Check | What to Verify | Failure Example |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Script Runs | No errors, no timeouts | |
| Part 2: Data Correct | Content matches expected | Extracted "Click to expand" instead of name |
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Generate Script │
│ ↓ │
│ 2. Execute Script │
│ ↓ │
│ 3. Check Part 1: Script runs without errors? │
│ ↓ │
│ 4. Check Part 2: Data content is correct? │
│ - Not empty │
│ - Not placeholder text ("Loading...") │
│ - Not UI text ("Click to expand") │
│ - Fields mapped correctly │
│ ↓ │
│ ┌───┴───┐ │
│ BOTH Pass Either Fails │
│ │ │ │
│ │ ↓ │
│ │ Is it Actionbook data issue? │
│ │ │ │
│ │ ┌───┴───┐ │
│ │ Yes No │
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ ↓ ↓ │
│ │ Log to Fix script │
│ │ .actionbook-issues.log │
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ └───┬───┘ │
│ │ ↓ │
│ │ Retry (max 3x) │
│ ↓ │
│ Output Script │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Default Output Format
/actionbook-scraper:generate <url>DEFAULT = agent-browser script (bash commands)
bash
agent-browser open "https://example.com"
agent-browser scroll down 2000
agent-browser get text ".selector"
agent-browser closeWith --standalone Flag
/actionbook-scraper:generate <url> --standaloneOutput = Playwright JavaScript code
Verification Requirements
Two-Part Verification
Every generated script must pass BOTH checks:
| Check | What to Verify | Failure Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Script Runs | No errors, no timeouts | Fix syntax/selector errors |
| 2. Data Correct | Content matches expected fields | Fix extraction logic |
Part 1: Script Execution Check
- No runtime errors
- No timeout errors
- Browser closes properly
Part 2: Data Content Check (CRITICAL)
Verify extracted data matches the expected structure:
Expected: Company name, description, website, year founded
Actual: "Click to expand", "Loading...", empty strings
→ FAIL: Data content incorrect, need to fix extraction logicData validation rules:
| Rule | Example Failure | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Fields not empty | | Check selector targets correct element |
| No placeholder text | | Add wait for dynamic content |
| No UI text | | Extract after expanding, not button text |
| Correct data type | | Wrong selector, fix field mapping |
| Reasonable count | Expected ~100, got 3 | Add scroll/pagination handling |
For agent-browser Scripts
- Execute the generated commands
- Check script runs without errors
- Check data content is correct:
- Fields match expected structure
- Values are actual data, not UI text
- Count is reasonable
- If failed:
- Analyze what's wrong (script error vs data error)
- Fix selector, wait logic, or extraction
- Re-execute
- If success:
- Output the verified script
- Show data preview with field validation
For Playwright Scripts (--standalone)
- Write script to temp file
- Run with
node script.js - Check script runs without errors
- Check output data is correct:
- JSON structure matches expected fields
- Values contain actual data
- Count matches expected range
- If failed:
- Analyze error type
- Fix script
- Re-run
- If success:
- Output the verified script
Architecture Overview
/generate <url> → OUTPUT: agent-browser bash commands
/generate <url> --standalone → OUTPUT: Playwright .js file┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ /generate <url> │
│ │
│ 1. Search Actionbook → get selectors │
│ 2. Generate OUTPUT: │
│ │
│ WITHOUT --standalone │ WITH --standalone │
│ ───────────────────── │ ────────────────── │
│ agent-browser commands │ Playwright .js code │
│ │ │
│ ```bash │ ```javascript │
│ agent-browser open ... │ const { chromium } = ... │
│ agent-browser get ... │ await page.goto(...) │
│ agent-browser close │ ``` │
│ ``` │ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Tool Priority
| Operation | Primary Tool | Fallback | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find selectors for URL | | None | Search by domain/keywords |
| Get full selector details | | None | Use action_id from search |
| List available sources | | | Browse all indexed sites |
| Generate agent-browser script | Agent (sonnet) | - | Default mode for /generate |
| Generate Playwright script | Agent (sonnet) | - | Use --standalone flag |
| Structure analysis | Agent (haiku) | - | Parse Actionbook response |
| Request new website | | Manual | Submit to actionbook.dev (ONLY command that executes agent-browser) |
Workflow Rules
CRITICAL: Generate → Verify → Fix
Every generated script MUST be verified by executing it.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Generate script with Actionbook selectors |
| 2 | Execute script to verify it works |
| 3 | If failed: analyze error, fix script, go to step 2 |
| 4 | If success: output verified script + data preview |
Verification Process
For agent-browser scripts:
bash
# Execute each command
agent-browser open "https://example.com"
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser get text ".selector"
# Check if data is returned
# If error → fix and retry
agent-browser closeFor Playwright scripts (--standalone):
bash
# Write to temp file and execute
node /tmp/scraper.js
# Check if output file has data
# If error → fix and retryCritical Rules
- ALWAYS verify generated scripts - Execute and check BOTH parts
- Part 1: Script must run - No errors, no timeouts
- Part 2: Data must be correct - Not empty, not UI text, fields mapped correctly
- Fix errors automatically - Don't output broken scripts or wrong data
- Use Actionbook MCP tools first - Never guess selectors
- Include scroll handling for lazy-loaded pages
- Include expand/collapse logic for card-based layouts
- Always close browser - Include
agent-browser close - Retry up to 3 times - If still failing, report the specific issue
Common Data Errors to Catch
| Error | Example | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Extracted button text | | Extract content after expanding |
| Extracted placeholder | | Add wait for dynamic content |
| Empty fields | | Fix selector |
| Wrong field mapping | | Fix selector for each field |
| Too few items | Expected 100, got 3 | Add scroll/pagination |
Record Actionbook Data Issues
If Actionbook selectors are wrong or outdated, record to local file:
.actionbook-issues.logWhen to record:
- Selector doesn't exist on page
- Selector returns wrong element
- Page structure has changed
- Missing selectors for key elements
Log format:
[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM] URL: {url}
Action ID: {action_id}
Issue Type: {selector_error | outdated | missing}
Details: {description}
Selector: {selector}
Expected: {what it should select}
Actual: {what it actually selects or error}
---Selector Priority
When Actionbook provides multiple selectors, prefer in this order:
- - Most stable, designed for automation
data-testid - - Accessibility-based, semantic
aria-label - - Class-based selectors
css - - Last resort, most fragile
xpath
Commands
| Command | Description | Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze page structure and show available selectors | structure-analyzer |
| Generate agent-browser scraper script | code-generator |
| Generate Playwright/Puppeteer script | code-generator |
| List websites with Actionbook data | - |
| Request new website to be indexed (uses agent-browser) | website-requester |
Data Flow
Analyze Command
1. User: /actionbook-scraper:analyze https://example.com/page
2. Extract domain from URL → "example.com"
3. search_actions("example page") → [action_ids]
4. For best match: get_action_by_id(action_id) → full selector data
5. Structure-analyzer agent formats and presents findingsGenerate Command (Default: agent-browser script)
User: /actionbook-scraper:generate https://example.com/page
Step 1: Search Actionbook
search_actions("example.com page") → action_ids
Step 2: Get selectors
get_action_by_id(best_match) → selectors
Step 3: Generate agent-browser script
```bash
agent-browser open "https://example.com/page"
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser scroll down 2000
agent-browser get text ".item-container"
agent-browser closeStep 4: VERIFY script (REQUIRED)
Execute the commands and check if data is extracted
If failed → analyze error → fix script → retry (max 3x)
Step 5: Return verified script + data preview
**Example Output:**
````markdown
## Verified Scraper (agent-browser)
**Status**: ✅ Verified (extracted 50 items)
Run these commands to scrape:
```bash
agent-browser open "https://example.com/page"
agent-browser wait --load networkidle
agent-browser scroll down 2000
agent-browser get text ".item-container"
agent-browser closeData Preview
json
[
{"name": "Item 1", "description": "..."},
{"name": "Item 2", "description": "..."},
// ... showing first 3 items
]
### Generate Command (--standalone: Playwright script)
```
User: /actionbook-scraper:generate https://example.com/page --standalone
Step 1: Search Actionbook for selectors
Step 2: Get full selector data
Step 3: Generate Playwright/Puppeteer script
Step 4: VERIFY script (REQUIRED)
Write to temp file → node /tmp/scraper.js → check output
If failed → analyze error → fix script → retry (max 3x)
Step 5: Return verified script + data preview
```
**Example Output:**
````markdown
## Verified Scraper (Playwright)
**Status**: ✅ Verified (extracted 50 items)
```javascript
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
// ... generated code with Actionbook selectors
```
Usage:
```bash
npm install playwright
node scraper.js
```
### Data Preview
```json
[
{"name": "Item 1", "description": "..."},
// ... first 3 items
]
```Request Website Command
1. User: /actionbook-scraper:request-website https://newsite.com/page
2. Launch website-requester agent (uses agent-browser)
3. Agent workflow:
a. agent-browser open "https://actionbook.dev/request-website"
b. agent-browser snapshot -i (discover form selectors)
c. agent-browser type <url-field> "https://newsite.com/page"
d. agent-browser type <email-field> (optional)
e. agent-browser type <usecase-field> (optional)
f. agent-browser click <submit-button>
g. agent-browser snapshot -i (verify submission)
h. agent-browser close
4. Output: Confirmation of submissionSelector Data Structure
Actionbook returns selector data in this format:
json
{
"url": "https://example.com/page",
"title": "Page Title",
"content": "## Selector Reference\n\n| Element | CSS | XPath | Type |\n..."
}Common Selector Patterns
Card-based layouts:
Container: .card-list, .grid-container
Card item: .card, .list-item
Card name: .card__title, .card-name
Card description: .card__description
Expand button: .card__expand, button.expandDetail extraction (dt/dd pattern):
javascript
// Common pattern for key-value pairs
const items = container.querySelectorAll('.info-item');
items.forEach(item => {
const label = item.querySelector('dt').textContent;
const value = item.querySelector('dd').textContent;
});Table layouts:
Table: table, .data-table
Header: thead th, .table-header
Row: tbody tr, .table-row
Cell: td, .table-cellPage Type Detection
| Indicator | Page Type | Template |
|---|---|---|
| Scroll to load more | Dynamic/Infinite | playwright-js (with scroll) |
| Click to expand | Card-based | playwright-js (with click) |
| Pagination links | Paginated | playwright-js (with pagination) |
| Static content | Static | puppeteer or playwright |
| SPA framework detected | SPA | playwright-js (network idle) |
Output Formats
Analysis Output
markdown
## Page Analysis: {url}
### Matched Action
- **Action ID**: {action_id}
- **Confidence**: HIGH | MEDIUM | LOW
### Available Selectors
| Element | Selector | Type | Methods |
|---------|----------|------|---------|
| {name} | {selector} | {type} | {methods} |
### Page Structure
- **Type**: {static|dynamic|spa}
- **Data Pattern**: {cards|table|list}
- **Lazy Loading**: {yes|no}
- **Expand/Collapse**: {yes|no}
### Recommendations
- Suggested template: {template}
- Special handling needed: {notes}Generated Code Output
markdown
## Generated Scraper
**Target URL**: {url}
**Template**: {template}
**Expected Output**: {description}
### Dependencies
```bash
npm install playwrightCode
javascript
{generated_code}Usage
bash
node scraper.jsOutput
Results saved to
{output_file}
## Templates Reference
| Template | Flag | Output | Run With |
|----------|------|--------|----------|
| **agent-browser** | (default) | CLI commands | `agent-browser` CLI |
| playwright-js | --standalone | .js file | `node scraper.js` |
| playwright-python | --standalone --template playwright-python | .py file | `python scraper.py` |
| puppeteer | --standalone --template puppeteer | .js file | `node scraper.js` |
## Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| No actions found | URL not indexed | Use `/actionbook-scraper:request-website` to request indexing |
| Selectors not working | Page updated | Report to Actionbook, try alternative selectors |
| Timeout | Slow page load | Increase timeout, add retry logic |
| Empty data | Dynamic content | Add scroll/wait handling |
| Form submission failed | Network/page issue | Retry or submit manually at actionbook.dev |
## agent-browser Usage
For the `request-website` command, the plugin uses **agent-browser CLI** to automate form submission.
### agent-browser Commands
```bash
# Open a URL
agent-browser open "https://actionbook.dev/request-website"
# Get page snapshot (discover selectors)
agent-browser snapshot -i
# Type into form field
agent-browser type "input[name='url']" "https://example.com"
# Click button
agent-browser click "button[type='submit']"
# Close browser (ALWAYS do this)
agent-browser closeSelector Discovery
If form selectors are unknown, use snapshot to discover them:
bash
agent-browser open "https://actionbook.dev/request-website"
agent-browser snapshot -i # Returns page structure with selectorsAlways Close Browser
Critical: Always run at the end of any agent-browser session, even if errors occur.
agent-browser closeRate Limiting
- Actionbook MCP: No rate limit for local usage
- Target websites: Respect robots.txt and add delays between requests
- Recommended: 1-2 second delay between page requests
Examples
Example 1: Generate agent-browser Script (Default)
/actionbook-scraper:generate https://firstround.com/companies
Output: agent-browser commands
```bash
agent-browser open "https://firstround.com/companies"
agent-browser scroll down 2000
agent-browser get text ".company-list-card-small"
agent-browser closeUser runs these commands to scrape.
### Example 2: Generate Playwright Script/actionbook-scraper:generate https://firstround.com/companies --standalone
Output: Playwright JavaScript code
javascript
const { chromium } = require('playwright');
// ... full scriptUser runs:
node scraper.js
### Example 3: Analyze Page Structure/actionbook-scraper:analyze https://example.com/products
Output: Analysis showing:
- Available selectors
- Page structure
- Recommended approach
### Example 4: Request New Website/actionbook-scraper:request-website https://newsite.com/data
Action: Submits form to actionbook.dev (this command DOES execute agent-browser)
## Best Practices
1. **Always analyze before generating** - Understand the page structure first
2. **Check list-sources** - Verify the site is indexed before attempting
3. **Review generated code** - Verify selectors match expected elements
4. **Add appropriate delays** - Be respectful to target servers
5. **Handle edge cases** - Empty states, loading states, errors
6. **Test incrementally** - Run on small subset before full scrape