Automatically fix broken OpenCLI adapters when commands fail. Load this skill when an opencli command fails — it guides you through diagnosing the failure vi...
---
name: opencli-autofix
description: Automatically fix broken OpenCLI adapters when commands fail. Load this skill when an opencli command fails — it guides you through diagnosing the failure via OPENCLI_DIAGNOSTIC, 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 `RepairContext.adapter.sourcePath`** — 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 Diagnostic Context
Run the failing command with diagnostic mode enabled:
```bash
OPENCLI_DIAGNOSTIC=1 opencli <site> <command> [args...] 2>diagnostic.json
```
This outputs a `RepairContext` JSON between `___OPENCLI_DIAGNOSTIC___` markers in stderr:
```json
{
"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.js",
"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:**
```bash
# 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 | **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 `source` field)
2. What did the page look like when it failed? (Read the `snapshot` field)
3. What network requests happened? (Read `networkRequests`)
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 the path from `RepairContext.adapter.sourcePath` and make targeted fixes. This path is authoritative — it may be in the repo (`clis/`) or user-local (`~/.opencli/clis/`).
```bash
# Read the adapter (use the exact path from diagnostic)
cat <RepairContext.adapter.sourcePath>
```
### 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 (without diagnostic mode)
opencli <site> <command> [args...]
```
If it still fails, go back to Step 1 and collect fresh diagnostics. You have a budget of **3 repair rounds** (diagnose → 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 RepairContext 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_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 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 RepairContext.adapter.sourcePath — 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 "..."
```
don't have the plugin yet? install it then click "run inline in claude" again.