name: facebook-automation description: Facebook automation including posting with privacy settings, interactions, messaging, and navigation workflows allowed-tools: browser_navigate browser_click browser_type browser_fill_form browser_get_snapshot browser_screenshot browser_wait browser_navigate_back browser_get_page_info browser_hover browser_press_key browser_evaluate browser_scroll write_todos browser_extract_posts

Facebook Automation Skill

Automation guide for Facebook web interface - posts, privacy settings, interactions, and navigation.

When to Use This Skill

• Create posts with specific privacy settings (Public, Friends, Only me)
• Navigate Facebook pages and features
• Interact with posts (like, comment, share)
• Send messages via Messenger

If you received a Success Plan with working_selectors, try those patterns first.

Critical Rules

🚫 NEVER USE browser_evaluate FOR CLICKING (CAUSES INFINITE LOOPS)

STOP! If you're about to use browser_evaluate to click, DON'T.

This is the #1 cause of agent failures. browser_evaluate for clicking:

• Returns null (element not found in DOM)
• Agent retries with different JS variations
• Loops 25+ times, never works

If browser_evaluate returns null ONCE:

1. STOP immediately
2. Call browser_get_snapshot()
3. Use browser_click(ref="eXX", force=True) with ref from snapshot
4. If element not in snapshot, the dialog may not have opened - see "Dialog Not Opening" below

⚠️ REFS BECOME STALE AFTER EVERY ACTION

After ANY click, type, or navigation:

• ALL refs from previous snapshot are INVALID
• You MUST call browser_get_snapshot() to get fresh refs
• The same ref number (e.g., e78) now points to a DIFFERENT element

Example of what goes wrong:

browser_get_snapshot()
# e78 = button "What's on your mind?"
browser_click(ref="e78", force=True)  # Opens dialog

browser_click(ref="e78", force=True)  # WRONG! e78 is now "Live video"!

Correct pattern:

browser_get_snapshot()
# e78 = button "What's on your mind?"
browser_click(ref="e78", force=True)

browser_get_snapshot()  # GET FRESH REFS!
# Now e78 might be something completely different
# e42 = button "Friends" (privacy button)
browser_click(ref="e42", force=True)

� DIALOG NOT OPENING?

If you clicked to open a dialog but snapshot doesn't show dialog elements:

1. browser_wait(time=2) - give React time to render
2. browser_get_snapshot() - check again
3. If still no dialog, try clicking again with force=True
4. If still fails after 2 attempts, report the issue

🔄 LOOP PREVENTION

If same action fails 2 times:

1. STOP trying that approach
2. Try DIFFERENT strategy (different tool, different selector)
3. Get fresh snapshot
4. Example: If browser_evaluate returns null 2x → Use browser_click with ref

DO NOT repeat the same failed pattern more than 2 times.

1. ARIA Snapshot & Ref System

The browser_get_snapshot() tool returns a YAML accessibility tree using Playwright's locator.aria_snapshot() API:

- navigation "Facebook":
  - link "Home" [ref=e0]
  - button "Search" [ref=e1]
- main:
  - button "What's on your mind?" [ref=e15]
  - dialog "Create post":
    - textbox "What's on your mind?" [ref=e20]
    - button "Public" [ref=e21]
    - button "Post" [ref=e25]

Format explanation:

• role "accessible name" [ref=eN] - Each element with unique ref
• Roles: button, link, textbox, checkbox, radio, heading, dialog, etc.
• Attributes: [checked], [disabled], [expanded], [pressed=true]

2. Mandatory Workflow (Observe → Think → Act → Verify)

BEFORE ANY ACTION:

# OBSERVE - Get FRESH snapshot
browser_get_snapshot()

# THINK - MUST explicitly list elements you see:
# I see in this snapshot:
# - button "Close composer dialog" [ref=e31] ← NOT what I want!
# - button "Friends" [ref=e42] ← This is the privacy button (shows current setting)
# - button "Photo/video" [ref=e43] ← NOT privacy
# - button "Post" [ref=e50] ← Submit button
#
# I need to change privacy. The button showing "Friends" is ref=e42.

# ACT - Use the ref from THIS snapshot
browser_click(ref="e42", force=True)

# VERIFY - Get NEW snapshot (previous refs are now stale!)
browser_wait(time=1)
browser_get_snapshot()  # REQUIRED after every action
# Now analyze the NEW refs before next action

3. Must-Follow Principles

Tool Reference

browser_get_snapshot

Get ARIA accessibility snapshot with element refs.

browser_get_snapshot()

Output: YAML accessibility tree with [ref=eN] markers on each element.

browser_click

Click element using ref (preferred) or selector.

# Using ref (RECOMMENDED)
browser_click(ref="e42", force=True)

# Using selector (fallback)
browser_click(selector="button=Post", force=True)

Always use force=True on Facebook.

browser_type

Type text into an input field.

# Using ref
browser_type(ref="e23", text="Hello world")

# Using selector
browser_type(selector="div[contenteditable='true'][role='textbox']", text="Hello")

browser_wait

Wait for UI updates after actions.

browser_wait(time=1)   # 1 second for simple actions
browser_wait(time=2)   # 2 seconds for navigation/dialogs

browser_press_key

Press keyboard keys.

browser_press_key(key="Enter")
browser_press_key(key="Escape")

browser_hover

Hover to reveal hidden UI (like reactions).

browser_hover(ref="e28")

Selector Patterns

Facebook Post Selectors (CRITICAL - 2025)

⚠️ WRONG SELECTORS (Don't Use):

• article - Facebook doesn't use semantic HTML articles
• div[role="article"] - Posts don't have this ARIA role
• div[data-ad-preview="message"] - Only works for ads, not organic posts

✅ CORRECT SELECTORS FOR FACEBOOK POSTS (2025):

Method 1: data-testid Selectors (Most Reliable)

# Feed container
"div[role='feed']"

# Individual posts
"div[data-testid='feed_story']"

# Post content elements
"div[data-testid='post_message']"          # Post text
"a[data-testid='story_author_link']"        # Author link
"span[data-testid='story_timestamp']"       # Timestamp
"img[data-testid='story_photo']"            # Post images
"div[data-testid='feed_loading_indicator']" # Loading spinner (lazy load)

Method 2: ARIA Role-Based Selectors (Resilient)

# Use getByRole pattern (most stable against DOM changes)
page.get_by_role("feed")                     # Feed container
page.get_by_role("article")                  # Individual posts (if present)
page.get_by_role("link", name="author")      # Author links
page.get_by_role("img")                      # Images

Method 3: ARIA Snapshot Refs (Preferred for Interaction)

# 1. Get snapshot
browser_get_snapshot()

# 2. Parse snapshot YAML to find post refs
# Posts appear as "generic" or custom roles with accessible names

# 3. Use refs for precise interaction
browser_click(ref="e42", force=True)

Post Extraction Workflow (Full Example)

# Step 1: Navigate to feed
browser_navigate(url="https://www.facebook.com")
browser_wait(time=2)

# Step 2: Get initial snapshot
browser_get_snapshot()

# Step 3: Scroll to load more posts (lazy loading)
browser_scroll(direction="down", amount=500)
browser_wait(time=2)  # Wait for lazy load to complete

# Step 4: Get fresh snapshot with new posts
browser_get_snapshot()

# Step 5: Extract posts using correct selectors
posts = await page.locator("div[data-testid='feed_story']").all()

# Step 6: Parse each post for content
for post in posts:
    author = post.locator("a[data-testid='story_author_link']")
    text = post.locator("div[data-testid='post_message']")
    timestamp = post.locator("span[data-testid='story_timestamp']")

Lazy Loading Detection

# Check if more posts are loading
loading = await page.locator("div[data-testid='feed_loading_indicator']").count() > 0

# Scroll until no new content appears
prev_count = 0
while True:
    await page.locator("div[data-testid='feed_story']").count() == prev_count:
        browser_scroll(direction="down", amount=500)
        browser_wait(time=2)
        current_count = await page.locator("div[data-testid='feed_story']").count()
        if current_count == prev_count:
            break  # No new posts loaded
        prev_count = current_count

Selector Priority (Use This Order)

1. data-testid attributes (most stable) - div[data-testid='feed_story']
2. ARIA roles - div[role='feed']
3. ARIA snapshot refs - Use after browser_get_snapshot()
4. User-facing names - button="Post", text="Like"
5. CSS selectors (last resort) - Brittle, breaks often

Selector Patterns

Priority order (most reliable first):

1. ref="e42" - From snapshot (BEST)
2. button=Name - Buttons by accessible name
3. radio=Option - Radio buttons in dialogs
4. [aria-label="Label"] - By aria-label
5. role=textbox - For input fields
6. CSS selectors - Last resort

Common Facebook Selectors

Privacy Selectors

⚠️ CRITICAL: Privacy button has DYNAMIC name

The privacy button's accessible name includes the current setting PLUS dynamic friend names:

• Full name: "Edit privacy. Sharing with [setting]"
• Setting can be: "Public", "Friends", "Only me", "Friends except: [names]"

ALWAYS use the STABLE PREFIX (never match dynamic suffix):

WRONG: ❌ button="Friends except..." (dynamic suffix, will fail) WRONG: ❌ button="Public" (doesn't match full name) CORRECT: ✅ button="Edit privacy. Sharing with" (stable prefix)

In privacy dialog (after clicking privacy button):

Core Workflows

Create Post with Privacy Setting

# 1. Navigate to Facebook
browser_navigate(url="https://www.facebook.com")
browser_wait(time=2)

# 2. Get snapshot to find composer
browser_get_snapshot()
# Find button containing "What's on your mind"

# 3. Open composer
browser_click(selector='button=What\'s on your mind', force=True)
browser_wait(time=1)

# 4. Get snapshot - find privacy button (shows current setting)
browser_get_snapshot()
# Look for button starting with "Edit privacy. Sharing with" [ref=eXX]

# 5. Click privacy button using STABLE PREFIX selector
browser_click(selector='button="Edit privacy. Sharing with"', force=True)
browser_wait(time=0.5)

# 6. Select privacy option
browser_click(selector='radio=Only me', force=True)
browser_wait(time=0.5)

# 7. CRITICAL - Confirm with Done
browser_click(selector='button=Done', force=True)
browser_wait(time=0.5)

# 8. Type post content
browser_type(selector="role=textbox", text="Your post content")
browser_wait(time=1)

# 8b. CRITICAL - Refresh snapshot after typing (refs become stale)
browser_get_snapshot()

# 9. Click Next (if shown)
browser_click(selector='button=Next', force=True)
browser_wait(time=2)

# 10. Get snapshot, find Post button
browser_get_snapshot()

# 11. Click Post
browser_click(selector='button=Post', force=True)
browser_wait(time=3)

# 12. VERIFY - Must see post in feed
browser_get_snapshot()

Like a Post

browser_get_snapshot()
# Find Like button ref
browser_click(ref="e28", force=True)  # Like button ref
browser_wait(time=0.5)
browser_get_snapshot()  # Verify liked

React with Emoji (Love, Haha, etc.)

browser_get_snapshot()
# Hover to reveal reactions
browser_hover(ref="e28")  # Like button ref
browser_wait(time=1)
browser_get_snapshot()
# Click specific reaction
browser_click(ref="e35", force=True)  # Love reaction ref

Comment on Post

browser_get_snapshot()
browser_click(ref="e32", force=True)  # Comment button
browser_wait(time=0.5)
browser_type(ref="e45", text="Great post!")  # Comment input
browser_press_key(key="Enter")
browser_wait(time=1)
browser_get_snapshot()  # Verify comment appears

Troubleshooting

Common Failure Patterns

Quick Fixes

Best Practices

1. Always snapshot first - Get refs before any action
2. Use refs for disambiguation - Multiple "Post" buttons? Use exact ref
3. Wait after actions - 1-2 seconds for React re-renders
4. Verify before "done" - Take final snapshot to confirm result
5. Follow dialog sequences - select → confirm → submit → verify
6. Scroll down/up to load more posts - if you want more posts beyond what's in the snapshot, you should scroll down/up the webpage

Facebook UI Notes

• React/SPA - Elements re-render; always refresh snapshot after changes
• Portals - Dialogs render outside parent containers
• Overlays - Multiple modals can stack; use force=True
• Lazy loading - Scroll to load more content
• Privacy button - Shows CURRENT setting, not a fixed label