OpenCLI Repair — AI-Driven Adapter Self-Repair

When an adapter breaks because a website changed its DOM, API, or auth flow, use this skill to diagnose the failure and patch the adapter.

Prerequisites

opencli doctor # Verify extension + daemon connectivity

When to Use This Skill

Use when opencli <site> <command> fails with errors like:

• 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

Step 1: Collect Diagnostic Context

Run the failing command with diagnostic mode enabled:

OPENCLI_DIAGNOSTIC=1 opencli <site> <command> [args...] 2>diagnostic.json

This outputs a RepairContext JSON between OPENCLI_DIAGNOSTIC markers in stderr:

{ "error": { "code": "SELECTOR", "message": "Could not find element: .old-selector", "hint": "The page UI may have changed." }, "adapter": { "site": "example", "command": "example/search", "sourcePath": "/path/to/clis/example/search.ts", "source": "// full adapter source code" }, "page": { "url": "https://example.com/search", "snapshot": "// DOM snapshot with [N] indices", "networkRequests": [], "consoleErrors": [] }, "timestamp": "2025-01-01T00:00:00.000Z" }

Parse it:

Extract JSON between markers from stderr output

cat diagnostic.json | sed -n '/OPENCLI_DIAGNOSTIC/{n;p;}'

Step 2: Analyze the Failure

Read the diagnostic context 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 Walk login flow with operate

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 source field)

• What did the page look like when it failed? (Read the snapshot field)

• What network requests happened? (Read networkRequests )

• What's the gap between what the adapter expects and what the page provides?

Step 3: Explore the Current Website

Use opencli operate 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 operate open https://example.com/target-page && opencli operate 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 operate open https://example.com/target-page && opencli operate state

Interact to trigger API calls

opencli operate click <N> && opencli operate network

Inspect specific API response

opencli operate network --detail <index>

Auth changed (AUTH_REQUIRED)

Check current auth state

opencli operate open https://example.com && opencli operate state

If login page: inspect the login form

opencli operate state # Look for login form fields

Step 4: Patch the Adapter

Read the adapter source file and make targeted fixes:

Read the adapter

cat <sourcePath from diagnostic>

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.waitForSelector('.loading-spinner', { hidden: true }) // After: await page.waitForSelector('[data-loaded="true"]')

Rules for Patching

• Make minimal changes — fix only what's broken, don't refactor

• Keep the same output structure — columns and 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

Step 5: Verify the Fix

Run the command normally (without diagnostic mode)

opencli <site> <command> [args...]

If it still fails, go back to Step 3 and explore further. If the website has fundamentally changed (major redesign, removed feature), report that the adapter needs a full rewrite.

When to Give Up

Not all failures are repairable with a quick patch:

• Site requires CAPTCHA — can't automate this

• Feature completely removed — the data no longer exists

• Major redesign — needs full adapter rewrite via opencli-explorer skill

• Rate limited / IP blocked — not an adapter issue

In these 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_DIAGNOSTIC=1 opencli zhihu hot 2>diag.json → Gets RepairContext with DOM snapshot showing page loaded

3. AI reads diagnostic: snapshot shows the page loaded but uses ".HotItem" instead of ".HotList-item"

4. AI explores: opencli operate open https://www.zhihu.com/hot && opencli operate state → Confirms new class name ".HotItem" with child ".HotItem-content"

5. AI patches: Edit clis/zhihu/hot.ts — replace ".HotList-item" with ".HotItem"

6. AI verifies: opencli zhihu hot → Success: returns hot topics