Use before any web browsing task — navigating sites, filling forms, clicking buttons, or extracting data. Routes to site-specific skills; universal protocol as fallback.

Web Browsing — Master Router

Invoke this skill before any browser task. It routes you to a site-specific skill when one is installed, and provides universal fallback navigation for everything else.

Step 1: Check for a Site-Specific Skill

Before opening a browser, check whether a skill exists for the target domain:

Domain	Skill	Covers
`caniuse.com`	`caniuse`	Browser compat data — programmatic path via GitHub raw, shadow DOM gotchas
`pub.dev`	`pub-dev`	Dart/Flutter packages — REST API, search, score, advisories
`developer.mozilla.org`	`mdn-web-docs`	MDN search API, article navigation, reference lookup
`crates.io`	`crates-io`	Rust crates — REST API, search, versions, dependencies
`pypi.org`	`pypi`	Python packages — JSON API, search, release data
`news.ycombinator.com`	`hacker-news`	HN feed, comments, search via Algolia API

If the target domain is in this table: Invoke the matching skill immediately. Do not open a browser until you have read it.

If the target domain is not in this table: Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Universal Navigation Protocol

For sites without a specific skill, follow this protocol to navigate efficiently with minimum screenshots.

Reconnaissance (1 screenshot max)

1. Navigate to the URL
2. Take ONE screenshot
3. Use read_page with filter="interactive" to get all clickable/input elements
4. From this single pass, identify:
   - Navigation structure (top bar, sidebar, hamburger)
   - Search capability
   - Auth state (login buttons vs user avatar)
   - Blocking overlays (cookie banners, modals, paywalls)

Clear Obstacles First

Handle these BEFORE your actual task — they block everything:

Obstacle	Action
Cookie banner	Click "Reject All" or most privacy-preserving option
Login wall	Stop — tell the user; never guess credentials
Newsletter popup	Find X/close button; if none, press Escape
CAPTCHA	Stop — tell the user; do not attempt to solve
"Accept terms" modal	Stop — ask user permission before accepting
Paywall	Stop — tell the user the content is paywalled

Navigate to Target

Use this priority order (fastest to slowest):

Direct URL — Construct and navigate directly if possible. Zero wasted clicks.
Search — Type query into site's search field, submit, scan results.
Navigation menu — Use read_page or find tool to locate nav links.
Scroll and scan — Last resort. Scroll methodically, screenshot to orient.

Element Finding (fastest to slowest)

Tier	Method	Use When
1	`find` tool with natural language	Buttons, links, labeled elements
2	`read_page filter="interactive"`	Full page inventory, forms with many fields
3	`javascript_tool` with CSS selector	Known selectors, dynamic/hidden elements
4	Screenshot + analyze coordinates	Last resort — element unreachable programmatically

Anti-patterns:

Taking a screenshot to find a button you could find by label
Clicking by coordinate when you have a ref_id
Taking multiple screenshots to "make sure" (read_page confirming an element is enough)

Timing and Waiting

Situation	Wait	Duration
After link click (navigation)	`wait`	1–2s
After form submit	`wait`	2–3s
After AJAX / dynamic content	`wait`	1–2s
SPA / dashboard initial load	`wait`	3–5s
Between form field fills	none	—
After tab/accordion on same page	none	—

Detect page load without guessing: Use read_page — if it returns content, the page is ready. Check document.readyState === 'complete' via javascript_tool for heavy SPAs.

Data Extraction

Data type	Method
Article / documentation text	`get_page_text` — order of magnitude faster than screenshots
Tables and lists	`javascript_tool` → query table/list elements
Visual layout or positioning	Screenshot → analyze
Paginated data	Extract page → find "Next" → loop

Error Recovery

Retry once — Click didn't register? Try again. Page didn't load? Wait 2s, check again.
Alternative path — Button not clickable? Try keyboard shortcut. Navigation broken? Try direct URL.
Tell the user — Auth required, CAPTCHA blocking, site down, element truly missing.

Never silently fail or loop. Three attempts max, then escalate to the user.

Common Site Patterns

SPA (React/Vue/Angular): URL changes may not trigger real page loads. Wait for dynamic content, not just document.readyState. Use read_network_requests to detect when API calls finish.

Dashboard/Admin: Left sidebar navigation, breadcrumbs for orientation, settings under gear icon or bottom of sidebar.

E-Commerce: Products at /product/, /p/, or /dp/. Cart at /cart. Search via ?q= or ?search= parameter. Account at /account.

API-backed sites: Try site.com/api/ or check for OpenAPI spec at /openapi.json, /swagger.json, /api/docs. Programmatic API calls are always faster than browser navigation when available.

Performance Rules

One screenshot to orient, then use programmatic tools.
Construct URLs directly when possible — avoids clicking through menus.
Batch form inputs — read all fields once, fill all in sequence, no screenshots between.
Use get_page_text before screenshots for text extraction.
Use find before read_page before screenshots — escalate from fast to slow.
Never wait "just in case" — check if the page is ready, don't assume it isn't.
Tell the user what's happening if something is slow or broken.

web-browsing