A cost-optimized web automation framework that escalates from simple fetches to premium cloud browsers only when necessary.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install browser-ladder
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install browser-ladder using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Browser Ladder?
Browser Ladder is a tiered architectural approach to web scraping and browser automation designed for Openclaw Skills. It addresses the common challenge of balancing cost and capability by providing a four-stage escalation path. Instead of immediately utilizing expensive cloud-based browser services, the skill attempts to retrieve data using the least resource-intensive method first.
By following this ladder, developers can handle everything from simple static HTML pages to complex, bot-protected enterprise sites. This skill integrates local Docker-based Playwright environments with elite cloud providers like BrowserCat and Browserless.io, ensuring that you only pay for premium features like CAPTCHA solving and bot detection bypass when lower tiers fail to deliver the required content.
Browser Ladder Use Cases
- Fetching data from static websites and public APIs with zero overhead.
- Rendering Single Page Applications (SPAs) built with modern frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular.
- Executing browser-based tasks in environments where local Docker hosting is unavailable.
- Bypassing advanced anti-bot protections and Cloudflare challenges on protected domains.
- Automating complex user interactions, including OAuth logins and MFA-protected sessions.
How Browser Ladder Works
- The skill analyzes the target URL to determine if it requires a full browser environment or a simple HTTP fetch.
- Rung 1 (web_fetch) is triggered for static content to ensure maximum speed and zero cost.
- If JavaScript execution is detected as a requirement, the system escalates to Rung 2, launching a local Playwright instance within a Docker container.
- If local resources are insufficient or the environment lacks Docker, the workflow moves to Rung 3 (BrowserCat) for cloud-based rendering.
- For targets with sophisticated bot detection, the system finally escalates to Rung 4 (Browserless.io) to leverage specialized CAPTCHA-solving infrastructure.
Browser Ladder Setup
To initialize the Browser Ladder within your Openclaw Skills setup, execute the provided configuration script:
./skills/browser-ladder/scripts/setup.sh
For manual configuration of the cloud escalation tiers, add the following variables to your environment file:
# Required for Rung 3 (Cloud Free Tier)
BROWSERCAT_API_KEY=your_api_key
# Required for Rung 4 (Premium Bot Bypass)
BROWSERLESS_TOKEN=your_access_token
Browser Ladder Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill manages operations across four distinct rungs, each defined by its technical requirements and cost profile:
| Rung | Service | Technology | Key Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | web_fetch | HTTP Request | None (Built-in) |
| L2 | Local Docker | Playwright | Docker Engine |
| L3 | BrowserCat | Cloud Playwright | BROWSERCAT_API_KEY |
| L4 | Browserless | Cloud CDP | BROWSERLESS_TOKEN |
All metadata and environment configurations are stored in the standard Openclaw Skills directory structure for easy portability.
Browser Ladder Advanced Features
- Intelligent Decision Flow: Automatically selects the most cost-effective rung based on the target site complexity.
- Dockerized Execution: Fully encapsulated local browser environments to prevent host system pollution.
- Bot Detection Resilience: Integrated support for premium proxies and CAPTCHA solvers at the highest tiers.
- Session Batching: Optimize costs by running multiple requests within a single browser session.
- Cloud Fallback logic: Automatically switches to cloud-hosted browsers if local Docker resources are exhausted.
SKILL.md
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