opencli-autofix

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.

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---
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 run `opencli doctor`.
- **CAPTCHA / rate limiting** — **STOP.** Not an adapter issue.

**Scope constraint:**
- **Only modify the file at `adapterSourcePath` in the trace `summary.md` front matter** — this is the authoritative adapter location (may be `clis/<site>/` in repo or `~/.opencli/clis/<site>/` for npm installs)
- **Never modify** `src/`, `extension/`, `tests/`, `package.json`, or `tsconfig.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

```bash
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 but `opencli 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:

```bash
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:

```yaml
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:

```yaml
---
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:

```text
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:**
1. What is the adapter trying to do? (Read the file at `adapterSourcePath`)
2. What did the page look like when it failed? (Read `summary.md`, then `state/` if needed)
3. What network requests happened? (Read `Failed Network` in `summary.md`, then `network.jsonl` if needed)
4. 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)

```bash
# 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)

```bash
# 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:**
```typescript
// Before: page.evaluate('document.querySelector(".old-class")...')
// After:  page.evaluate('document.querySelector(".new-class")...')
```

**API endpoint change:**
```typescript
// 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:**
```typescript
// Before: const items = data.results
// After:  const items = data.data.items  // API now nests under "data"
```

**Wait condition update:**
```typescript
// Before: await page.wait({ selector: '.loading-spinner', hidden: true })
// After:  await page.wait({ selector: '[data-loaded="true"]' })
```

### Rules for Patching

1. **Make minimal changes** — fix only what's broken, don't refactor
2. **Keep the same output structure** — `columns` and return format must stay compatible
3. **Prefer API over DOM scraping** — if you discover a JSON API during exploration, switch to it
4. **Use `@jackwener/opencli/*` imports only** — never add third-party package imports
5. **Test after patching** — run the command again to verify
6. **Never relax `verify/<cmd>.json` fixtures to silence a failure.** A failing `patterns` / `notEmpty` / `mustNotContain` / `mustBeTruthy` rule 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

```bash
# 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:**

1. 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):

```markdown
## 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._
```

2. **Ask the user before filing.** Show them the draft title and body. Only proceed if they confirm.

3. If the user approves and `gh auth status` succeeds:

```bash
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-author` skill

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 "..."
```

Source

Creator's repository · jackwener/opencli

View on GitHub

Security

Verified — safe to install
Passed all 3 independent security checks
What this skill can do
Reads your filesConnects to the internetRuns code on your machine
Checked by 3 independent security firms
Does it try to trick the AI?NoMed risk · Gen Agent Trust Hub
Does it sneak in hidden code?NoNo alerts · Socket
Does it have known bugs?NoMed risk · Snyk