simonw/clickable.md Secret

## clickable.md

      
    Raw
  

              clickable.md
            
          
    Fix JSON top alignment


Bug in https://tools.simonwillison.net/datasette-extras-explorer#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D4 - the JSON is aligned to the bottom of its area but should be alignedto the top
User context
Images:

~/Library/Application Support/CleanShot/media/media_ynX59Zplxs/CleanShot 2026-06-11 at 09.41.03@2x.png


21 previous messages

I’ll trace the local implementation for the Datasette extras explorer, then patch the layout CSS so the response body starts at the top of its panel. After that I’ll run whatever local verification the repo supports and, if there’s a local web target, check it in the browser.
Explored 1 list, ran 2 commands

Ran pwd

Explored 1 list

Listed files


Ran git status --short


I found this is a static tools repo, with datasette-extras-explorer.html as the likely whole app. I’m reading that file and the available scripts now so the change stays very small.
Explored 4 files

Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html
Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html
Read ./package.json
Read ./playwright.config.js


The culprit is likely CSS grid sizing: .response-body gives the JSON row 1fr, and the pre is sitting at the end of that row in some browsers. I’m going to make that content row size to its contents instead of absorbing the remaining panel height.
Explored 1 file, 1 search

Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html
Searched for response-body|json-output|meta-strip|notice-region|grid-template-rows|align in datasette-extras-explorer.html


I’m about to edit only the response layout CSS. The behavior and rendering code can stay as-is; this is a placement problem, not a data problem.
Edited 1 file

Wrote ./datasette-extras-explorer.html (+2 -1)


The CSS patch is in. I’m going to verify it in a real browser viewport now, because this kind of bug is exactly where computed layout beats eyeballing the stylesheet.
Explored 1 file

Read ~/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/browser/26.608.12217/skills/control-in-app-browser/SKILL.md


I’ve loaded the Browser workflow and am connecting it to a local copy of the page. The check I want is simple: after the request finishes, the top of the JSON <pre> should sit immediately below the metadata/notice area, not down at the bottom of the dark panel.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const { setupBrowserRuntime } = await import(\"/Users/simon/.codex/plugins/cache/openai-bundled/browser/26.608.12217/scripts/browser-client.mjs\");\nawait setupBrowserRuntime({ globals: globalThis });\nglobalThis.browser = await agent.browsers.get(\"iab\");\nnodeRepl.write(await browser.documentation());",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Connect browser"
}
## Additional Capabilities
### Browser Capabilities
- `visibility`: Use to show or hide the browser to the user, and to determine the browser's current visibility. Keep browser work in the background unless the user asks to see it or live viewing is useful. When the browser should be visible, call set(true).
  Read with `await (await browser.capabilities.get("visibility")).documentation()`.
- `viewport`: Controls an explicit browser viewport override for responsive or device-size testing. Use it when a task calls for specific dimensions or breakpoint validation; otherwise leave it unset so the browser uses its normal 1280x720 viewport. Reset temporary overrides before finishing unless the user asked to keep them.
  Read with `await (await browser.capabilities.get("viewport")).documentation()`.
### Tab Capabilities
- `pageAssets`: List assets already observed in the current page state and bundle selected assets into a temporary local artifact.
  Read with `await (await tab.capabilities.get("pageAssets")).documentation()`.

## Playwright
Playwright is a critical part of the JavaScript API available to you.

You only have access to a limited subset of the Playwright API, so only call functions that are explicitly defined.
You do have access to `tab.playwright.evaluate(...)`, but only in a read-only page scope.
Use locators for scoped interactions and targeted checks. For bulk DOM inspection, prefer one bounded read-only `evaluate(...)` that queries and projects the needed data. Avoid loops of locator property calls. In `evaluate(...)`, use basic DOM reads, limit returned elements, and do not assume globals or helpers such as `performance`, `NodeFilter`, `document.createTreeWalker`, or `FormData` exist.

When using Playwright, keep and reuse a recent `tab.playwright.domSnapshot()` when it is available and you need it for locator construction or retry decisions. Treat the latest relevant snapshot as the source of truth for locator construction and retry decisions.

### Snapshot Discipline
- Keep and reuse the latest relevant `domSnapshot()` until it proves stale or you need locator ground truth for UI that was not present in it.
- Take a fresh `domSnapshot()` after navigation when you need to orient yourself or construct locators on the new page.
- If a click times out, strict mode fails, or a selector parse error occurs, take a fresh `domSnapshot()` before forming the next locator.
- Construct locators only from what appears in the latest snapshot. Do not guess labels, accessible names, or selectors.
- Do not print full snapshot text repeatedly when a smaller excerpt, a `count()`, a specific attribute, or a direct locator check would answer the question with fewer tokens.
- Do not discover page content by iterating through many results, cards, links, or rows and reading their text or attributes one by one.
- Do not loop over a broad locator with `all()` and call `getAttribute(...)`, `textContent()`, or `innerText()` on each match. Each read crosses the browser boundary and becomes extremely expensive on large pages.
- `locator.getAttribute(...)` is a single-element read, not a batch read. If the locator matches multiple elements, expect a strict-mode error rather than an array of attributes.
- Use one broad observation to orient yourself: usually one fresh snapshot, or one screenshot if the visual structure is clearer than the DOM.
- After that orientation step, narrow to the relevant section or a small number of strong candidates.
- If the page is not getting narrower, do not scale up extraction across more elements. Change strategy instead.
- Do not use `locator(...).allTextContents()`, `locator("body").textContent()`, or `locator("body").innerText()` as exploratory search tools across a page or large container.
- Use broad text or attribute extraction only after you have already identified the exact container or element you need, and only when a smaller scoped check would not answer the question.
- When you need many links, media URLs, or result titles, prefer a single `domSnapshot()` and parse the relevant lines, use the site's own search/filter UI, or navigate directly to a focused results page. Only fall back to per-element reads for a small, already-scoped set of candidates.
- Do not use large body-text dumps, embedded app-state JSON such as `__NEXT_DATA__`, or repeated full-page extraction across multiple candidate pages as an exploratory search strategy.
- Use large text or embedded JSON extraction only after you have already identified the relevant page, or when a site-specific skill explicitly depends on it.

### Hard Constraints For Playwright In This Runtime
- Do not pass a regex as `name` to `getByRole(...)` in this environment. Use a plain string `name` only.
- Do not use `.first()`, `.last()`, or `.nth()` unless you have just called `count()` on the same locator and explicitly confirmed why that position is correct.
- Do not click, fill, or press on a locator until you have verified it resolves to exactly one element when uniqueness is not obvious.
- Do not retry the same failing locator without a fresh `domSnapshot()`.
- Do not use a guessed locator as an exploratory probe. If the latest snapshot does not clearly support the locator, do not spend timeout budget testing it.
- Do not assume browser-side Playwright supports the full upstream API surface. If a method is not explicitly known to exist, do not call it.
- Do not assume `locator(...).selectOption(...)` exists in this environment.

### Required Interaction Recipe
Before every click, fill, select-like action, or press:

1. Reuse the latest relevant `domSnapshot()` when it still contains the locator ground truth you need. Take a fresh one only when it does not.
2. Build the most stable locator from the latest snapshot.
3. If uniqueness is not obvious from the selector itself, call `count()` on that locator.
4. Proceed only if the locator resolves to exactly one element.
5. Perform the action.
6. After the action, collect another observation only when the next decision requires it. Prefer a targeted state check when it answers the question; take a fresh snapshot when you need new locator ground truth.

If `count()` is `0`:

- The selector is wrong, stale, hidden, or the UI state is not ready.
- Do not click anyway.
- Do not wait on that locator to see if it eventually works.
- Re-snapshot and rebuild the locator.

If `count()` is greater than `1`:

- The selector is ambiguous.
- Scope to the correct container or switch to a stronger attribute.
- Do not use `.first()` as a shortcut.

### Locator Strategy
Build locators from what the snapshot actually shows, not what looks visually obvious.

Prefer the most stable contract, in this order:

1. `data-testid`
2. Stable `data-*` attributes
3. Stable `href` (prefer exact or strong matches over broad substrings)
4. Scoped semantic role + accessible name using a string `name`
5. Scoped `getByText(...)`
6. Scoped CSS selectors via `locator(...)`
7. A scoped DOM-based click path or node-ID-based click when Playwright cannot produce a unique stable locator

Use the most specific locator that is still durable.

Treat a stable `href` as a strong hint, not proof of uniqueness. If multiple elements share the same `href`, scope to the correct card or container and confirm `count()` before clicking.

Treat generic labels like `Menu`, `Main Menu`, `Help`, `Close`, `Default`, `Color`, `Size`, single-letter size labels such as `S`, `M`, `L`, `XL`, `Sort by`, `Search`, and `Add to cart` as ambiguous by default. Scope them to the correct container before acting.

On search results, product grids, carousels, and modal-heavy pages, repeated `href`s and repeated generic labels are ambiguous by default. First identify the stable card or container, then scope the locator inside that container before clicking.

### Using `getByRole(..., { name })`
- `name` is the accessible name, which may differ from visible text.
- In the snapshot:
  - `link "X"` usually reflects the accessible name.
  - Nested text may be visible text only.
- Use `getByRole` only when the accessible name is clearly present and likely unique in the latest snapshot.

### Interaction Best Practices
- Scope before acting: find the right container or section first, then target the child element.
- If you call `count()` on a locator, store the result in a local variable and reuse it unless the DOM changes.
- Match the locator to the actual element type shown in the snapshot (link vs button vs menuitem vs generic text).
- Do not assume every click navigates. If opening a menu or filter, wait for the expected UI state, not page load.
- Prefer structured local signals such as selected control state, visible confirmation text, modal contents, a specific line item, or URL parameters over scraping broad result sections or dumping large parts of the page.
- Do not add explicit `timeoutMs` to routine `click`, `fill`, `check`, or `setChecked` calls unless you have a concrete reason the target is slow to become actionable.
- Reserve explicit timeout values for navigation, state transitions, or other known slow operations.
- If you already know the exact destination URL and no click-side effect matters, prefer `tab.goto(url)` over a brittle locator click.
- Do not reacquire `tab` inside each `node_repl` call. Reuse the existing `tab` binding to save tokens and preserve state. Only reacquire or reassign it when you intentionally switch tabs, after a kernel reset, or after a failed call that did not create the binding.
- Do not use fixed sleeps as a default waiting strategy. After an action, prefer a concrete state check or targeted wait. Take a fresh snapshot when you need new locator ground truth.
- If a fixed delay is truly unavoidable for a known transition, keep it short and follow it immediately with a specific verification step.

### Error Recovery
- A strict mode violation means your locator is ambiguous.
- Do not retry the same locator after a strict mode violation.
- After strict mode fails, immediately inspect a fresh snapshot and rebuild the locator using tighter scope, a disambiguating container, or a stable attribute.
- If a checkbox or radio exists but `check()` or `setChecked()` reports that it is hidden or did not change state, stop retrying the underlying input. Click its scoped visible associated `label[for]` or enclosing visible control once, then verify checked state.
- A selector parse error means the locator syntax is invalid in this runtime.
- Do not reuse the same locator form after a selector parse error.
- A timeout usually means the target is missing, hidden, stale, offscreen, not yet rendered, or the selector is too broad.
- Do not retry the same locator immediately after a timeout.
- After a timeout, take a fresh snapshot, confirm the target still exists, and then either refine the locator or fall back to a more stable attribute.
- If role or accessible-name targeting is unstable, fall back deliberately to a stable attribute (`data-*`, `href`, etc.), not brittle CSS structure.
- If two locator attempts fail on the same target, stop escalating complexity on role or text locators. Switch to the most stable visible attribute from the snapshot or use a scoped DOM-based click path.

### Fallback Guidance
- Prefer stable `href` values copied from the snapshot over guessed URL patterns.
- Prefer scoped attribute selectors over global text selectors.
- Use `getByText(...)` only when role-based or attribute-based locators are not reliable, and scope it to a container whenever possible.
- Prefer attributes copied directly from the latest snapshot over inferred semantics, fragile CSS chains, or positional selectors.
- Do not invent likely selectors. If the snapshot does not clearly expose a unique target, fetch a fresh snapshot and reassess before acting.


## API Reference
Use this as the supported `agent.browsers.*` surface.

```ts
// Installed by setupBrowserRuntime({ globals: globalThis }).
const browser = await agent.browsers.get("iab");
interface Agent {
  browsers: Browsers; // API for finding and selecting browsers.
  documentation: Documentation; // API for reading packaged browser-use documentation by name.
}

interface Browsers {
  get(id: string): Promise<Browser>; // Get a browser by id or client type.
  list(): Promise<Array<BrowserInfo>>; // List available browsers.
}

interface Browser {
  browserId: string; // Browser id selected by `agent.browsers.get()`.
  capabilities: BrowserCapabilityCollection; // Browser-scoped optional capabilities advertised by the connected backend; discover IDs with `await browser.capabilities.list()`, then call `await (await browser.capabilities.get(id)).documentation()` for method details.
  tabs: Tabs; // API for interacting with browser tabs.
  user: BrowserUser; // Readonly context about tabs in the user's browser windows.
  documentation(): Promise<string>; // Read browser guidance and the core API reference.
  nameSession(name: string): Promise<void>; // Name the current browser automation session.
}

interface BrowserUser {

  openTabs(): Promise<Array<BrowserUserTabInfo>>; // List open top-level tabs across the user's browser windows ordered by `lastOpened` descending.
}

interface Tabs {

  get(id: string): Promise<Tab>; // Get a tab by id.
  list(): Promise<Array<TabInfo>>; // List open tabs in the browser.
  new(): Promise<Tab>; // Create and return a new tab in the browser.
  selected(): Promise<undefined | Tab>; // Return the currently selected tab, if any.
}

interface Tab {
  capabilities: TabCapabilityCollection; // Tab-scoped optional capabilities advertised by the connected backend; discover IDs with `await tab.capabilities.list()`, then call `await (await tab.capabilities.get(id)).documentation()` for method details.
  clipboard: TabClipboardAPI; // API for interacting with clipboard content in this tab.

  cua: CUAAPI; // API for interacting with the tab via the cua api
  dev: TabDevAPI; // API for developer-oriented tab inspection.
  dom_cua: DomCUAAPI; // API for interacting with the tab via the dom based cua api
  id: string; // A tab's unique identifier
  playwright: PlaywrightAPI; // API for interacting with the tab via the playwright api
  back(): Promise<void>; // Navigate this tab back in history.
  close(): Promise<void>; // Close this tab.
  forward(): Promise<void>; // Navigate this tab forward in history.
  goto(url: string): Promise<void>; // Open a URL in this tab.
  reload(): Promise<void>; // Reload this tab.
  screenshot(options: ScreenshotOptions): Promise<Uint8Array>; // Capture a screenshot of this tab.
  title(): Promise<undefined | string>; // Get the current title for this tab.
  url(): Promise<undefined | string>; // Get the current URL for this tab.
}

interface CUAAPI {
  click(options: ClickOptions): Promise<void>; // Click at a coordinate in the current viewport.
  double_click(options: DoubleClickOptions): Promise<void>; // Double click at a coordinate in the current viewport.
  
  drag(options: DragOptions): Promise<void>; // Drag from a point to a point by the provided path.
  keypress(options: KeypressOptions): Promise<void>; // Press control characters at the current focused element (focus it first via click/dblclick).
  move(options: MoveOptions): Promise<void>; // Move the mouse to a point by the provided x and y coordinates.
  scroll(options: ScrollOptions): Promise<void>; // Scroll by a delta from a specific viewport coordinate.
  type(options: TypeOptions): Promise<void>; // Type text at the current focus.
}

interface DomCUAAPI {
  click(options: DomClickOptions): Promise<void>; // Click a DOM node by its id from the visible DOM snapshot.
  double_click(options: DomClickOptions): Promise<void>; // Double-click a DOM node by its id.
  
  get_visible_dom(): Promise<unknown>; // Return a filtered DOM with node ids for interactable elements.
  keypress(options: DomKeypressOptions): Promise<void>; // Press control characters at the currently focused element (focus it first via click/dblclick).
  scroll(options: DomScrollOptions): Promise<void>; // Scroll either the page or a specific node (if node_id provided) by deltas.
  type(options: DomTypeOptions): Promise<void>; // Type text into the currently focused element (focus via click first).
}

interface PlaywrightAPI {
  domSnapshot(): Promise<string>; // Return a snapshot of the current DOM as a string, including expanded iframe body content when available.

  evaluate<TResult, TArg>(pageFunction: PlaywrightEvaluateFunction<TArg, TResult>, arg?: TArg, options?: PlaywrightEvaluateOptions): Promise<TResult>; // Evaluate JavaScript in a read-only page scope.
  expectNavigation<T>(action: () => Promise<T>, options: { timeoutMs?: number; url?: string; waitUntil?: LoadState }): Promise<T>; // Expect a navigation triggered by an action.
  frameLocator(frameSelector: string): PlaywrightFrameLocator; // Create a frame-scoped locator builder.
  getByLabel(text: TextMatcher, options: { exact?: boolean }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by label text within the page.
  getByPlaceholder(text: TextMatcher, options: { exact?: boolean }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by placeholder text within the page.
  getByRole(role: string, options: { exact?: boolean; name?: TextMatcher }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by ARIA role within the page.
  getByTestId(testId: string): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by test id within the page.
  getByText(text: TextMatcher, options: { exact?: boolean }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by text within the page.
  locator(selector: string): PlaywrightLocator; // Create a locator scoped to this tab.
  waitForEvent(event: "download", options?: WaitForEventOptions): Promise<PlaywrightDownload>; // Wait for the next event on the page.

  waitForLoadState(options: PageWaitForLoadStateOptions): Promise<void>; // Wait for the page to reach a specific load state.
  waitForTimeout(timeoutMs: number): Promise<void>; // Wait for a fixed duration.
  waitForURL(url: string, options: PageWaitForURLOptions): Promise<void>; // Wait for the page URL to match the provided value.
}

interface PlaywrightFrameLocator {
  frameLocator(frameSelector: string): PlaywrightFrameLocator; // Create a locator scoped to a nested frame.
  getByLabel(text: TextMatcher, options: { exact?: boolean }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by label within this frame.
  getByPlaceholder(text: TextMatcher, options: { exact?: boolean }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by placeholder within this frame.
  getByRole(role: string, options: { exact?: boolean; name?: TextMatcher }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by ARIA role within this frame.
  getByTestId(testId: string): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by test id within this frame.
  getByText(text: TextMatcher, options: { exact?: boolean }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by text within this frame.
  locator(selector: string): PlaywrightLocator; // Create a locator scoped to this frame.
}

interface PlaywrightLocator {
  all(): Promise<Array<PlaywrightLocator>>; // Resolve to a list of locators for each matched element.
  allTextContents(options: { timeoutMs?: number }): Promise<Array<string>>; // Return `textContent` for *all* elements matched by this locator.
  and(locator: PlaywrightLocator): PlaywrightLocator; // Return a locator matching elements that satisfy both this locator and `locator`.
  check(options: LocatorCheckOptions): Promise<void>; // Check a checkbox or switch-like control.
  click(options: LocatorClickOptions): Promise<void>; // Click the element matched by this locator.
  count(): Promise<number>; // Number of elements matching this locator.
  dblclick(options: LocatorClickOptions): Promise<void>; // Double-click the element matched by this locator.

  fill(value: string, options: { timeoutMs?: number }): Promise<void>; // Replace the element's value with the provided text.
  filter(options: LocatorFilterOptions): PlaywrightLocator; // Narrow this locator by additional constraints.
  first(): PlaywrightLocator; // Return a locator pointing at the first matched element.
  getAttribute(name: string, options: { timeoutMs?: number }): Promise<null | string>; // Return an attribute value from the first matched element.
  getByLabel(text: TextMatcher, options: { exact?: boolean }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by label text, scoped to this locator.
  getByPlaceholder(text: TextMatcher, options: { exact?: boolean }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by placeholder text, scoped to this locator.
  getByRole(role: string, options: { exact?: boolean; name?: TextMatcher }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by ARIA role, scoped to this locator.
  getByTestId(testId: string): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by test id, scoped to this locator.
  getByText(text: TextMatcher, options: { exact?: boolean }): PlaywrightLocator; // Find elements by text content, scoped to this locator.
  innerText(options: { timeoutMs?: number }): Promise<string>; // Return the rendered (visible) text of the first matched element.
  isEnabled(): Promise<boolean>; // Whether the first matched element is currently enabled.
  isVisible(): Promise<boolean>; // Whether the first matched element is currently visible.
  last(): PlaywrightLocator; // Return a locator pointing at the last matched element.
  locator(selector: string, options: LocatorLocatorOptions): PlaywrightLocator; // Create a descendant locator scoped to this locator.
  nth(index: number): PlaywrightLocator; // Return a locator pointing at the Nth matched element.
  or(locator: PlaywrightLocator): PlaywrightLocator; // Return a locator matching elements that satisfy either this locator or `locator`.
  press(value: string, options: { timeoutMs?: number }): Promise<void>; // Press a keyboard key while this locator is focused.
  selectOption(value: SelectOptionInput | Array<SelectOptionInput>, options: { timeoutMs?: number }): Promise<void>; // Select one or more options on a native `<select>` element.
  setChecked(checked: boolean, options: LocatorCheckOptions): Promise<void>; // Set a checkbox or switch-like control to a checked/unchecked state.
  textContent(options: { timeoutMs?: number }): Promise<null | string>; // Return the raw textContent of the first matched element (or null if missing).
  type(value: string, options: { timeoutMs?: number }): Promise<void>; // Type text into the element without clearing existing content.
  uncheck(options: LocatorCheckOptions): Promise<void>; // Uncheck a checkbox or switch-like control.
  waitFor(options: LocatorWaitForOptions): Promise<void>; // Wait for the element to reach a specific state.
}

interface PlaywrightDownload {

}

interface TabClipboardAPI {
  read(): Promise<Array<TabClipboardItem>>; // Read clipboard items, including text and binary payloads.
  readText(): Promise<string>; // Read plain text from the browser clipboard.
  write(items: Array<TabClipboardItem>): Promise<void>; // Write clipboard items.
  writeText(text: string): Promise<void>; // Write plain text to the browser clipboard.
}

interface TabDevAPI {
  logs(options: TabDevLogsOptions): Promise<Array<TabDevLogEntry>>; // Read console log messages captured for this tab.
}

interface Documentation {
  get(name: string): Promise<string>; // Read packaged documentation by its extensionless relative path.
}

interface BrowserInfo {
  capabilities: ClientCapabilities;
  id: string;
  metadata?: Record<string, string>;
  name: string;
  type: ClientType;
}

type BrowserCapabilityCollection = {
  get(id: string): Promise<unknown>;
  list(): Promise<Array<{ id: string; description: string }>>;
};

interface BrowserUserTabInfo {
  id: string; // Opaque identifier for this browser tab.
  lastOpened?: string; // ISO 8601 timestamp for the last time the tab was opened or focused.
  tabGroup?: string; // User-visible tab group name when the tab belongs to one.
  title?: string; // User-visible tab title.
  url?: string; // Current tab URL.
}

interface TabsContentOptions {

  timeoutMs?: number; // Maximum time to wait for each page load, in milliseconds.
  urls: Array<string>; // URLs to load in temporary background tabs.
}

interface TabsContentResult {

  title: null | string; // The resolved page title when available.
  url: string; // The resolved page URL when available, otherwise the requested URL.
}

interface FinalizeTabsOptions {
  keep?: Array<FinalizeTabsKeep>; // Explicit tab dispositions to preserve after cleanup.
}

interface TabInfo {
  id: string; // Metadata describing an open tab.
  title?: string;
  url?: string;
}

type TabCapabilityCollection = {
  get(id: string): Promise<unknown>;
  list(): Promise<Array<{ id: string; description: string }>>;
};

type ScreenshotOptions = {
  clip?: ClipRect; // Crop to a specific rectangle instead of the full viewport.
  fullPage?: boolean; // Capture the full page instead of the viewport.
};

type ClickOptions = {
  button?: number; // Mouse button (1-left, 2-middle/wheel, 3-right, 4-back, 5-forward).
  keypress?: Array<string>; // Modifier keys held during the click.
  x: number;
  y: number;
};

type DoubleClickOptions = {
  keypress?: Array<string>; // Modifier keys held during the double click.
  x: number;
  y: number;
};

type DragOptions = {
  keys?: Array<string>; // Optional modifier keys held during the drag.
  path: Array<{ x: number; y: number }>; // Drag path as a list of points.
};

type KeypressOptions = {
  keys: Array<string>; // Key combination to press.
};

type MoveOptions = {
  keys?: Array<string>; // Optional modifier keys held while moving.
  x: number;
  y: number;
};

type ScrollOptions = {
  keypress?: Array<string>; // Modifier keys held during scroll.
  scrollX: number;
  scrollY: number;
  x: number;
  y: number;
};

type TypeOptions = {
  text: string;
};

type DomClickOptions = {
  node_id: string; // Node id from `get_visible_dom()`.
};

type DomKeypressOptions = {
  keys: Array<string>; // Key combination to press.
};

type DomScrollOptions = {
  node_id?: string; // Optional node id to scroll within.
  x: number; // Horizontal scroll delta.
  y: number; // Vertical scroll delta.
};

type DomTypeOptions = {
  text: string; // Text to type into the currently focused element.
};

type ElementInfoOptions = {
  includeNonInteractable?: boolean; // When true, include non-interactable elements in addition to interactable targets.
  x: number;
  y: number;
};

type ElementInfo = {
  ariaName?: string | null; // Accessible name if available.
  boundingBox?: ElementInfoRect | null; // Element bounds in screenshot coordinates.
  nodeId?: number | null; // Backend node id that can be passed to DOM-inspection APIs when available.
  preview: string; // Compact human-readable node preview.
  role?: string | null; // Computed ARIA role if available.
  selector: ElementInfoSelector; // Suggested selector data for this element.
  tagName: string; // Lowercased HTML tag name.
  testId?: string | null; // Configured test id attribute if present.
  visibleText?: string | null; // Rendered visible text, selected option text, or visible form value when available.
};

type ElementScreenshotOptions = {
  includeNonInteractable?: boolean; // When true, highlight non-interactable elements in addition to interactable targets.
  x: number;
  y: number;
};

type PlaywrightEvaluateFunction<TArg, TResult> = string | (arg: TArg) => TResult | Promise<TResult>;

type PlaywrightEvaluateOptions = {
  timeoutMs?: number; // Maximum time to spend setting up the read-only DOM scope and running the script.
};

type LoadState = "load" | "domcontentloaded" | "networkidle";

type TextMatcher = string | RegExp;

type WaitForEventOptions = {
  timeoutMs?: number;
};

type PageWaitForLoadStateOptions = {
  state?: LoadState;
  timeoutMs?: number;
};

type PageWaitForURLOptions = {
  timeoutMs?: number;
  waitUntil?: WaitUntil;
};

type LocatorCheckOptions = {
  force?: boolean;
  timeoutMs?: number;
};

type LocatorClickOptions = {
  button?: MouseButton;
  force?: boolean;
  modifiers?: Array<KeyboardModifier>;
  timeoutMs?: number;
};

type LocatorFilterOptions = {
  has?: PlaywrightLocator;
  hasNot?: PlaywrightLocator;
  hasNotText?: TextMatcher;
  hasText?: TextMatcher;
  visible?: boolean;
};

type LocatorLocatorOptions = {
  has?: PlaywrightLocator;
  hasNot?: PlaywrightLocator;
  hasNotText?: TextMatcher;
  hasText?: TextMatcher;
};

type SelectOptionInput = string | SelectOptionDescriptor;

type LocatorWaitForOptions = {
  state: WaitForState;
  timeoutMs?: number;
};

type TabClipboardItem = {
  entries: Array<TabClipboardEntry>;
  presentationStyle?: "unspecified" | "inline" | "attachment";
};

interface TabDevLogsOptions {
  filter?: string; // Optional substring filter applied to the rendered log message.
  levels?: Array<"debug" | "info" | "log" | "warn" | "error" | "warning">; // Optional levels to include.
  limit?: number; // Maximum number of logs to return.
}

interface TabDevLogEntry {
  level: "debug" | "info" | "log" | "warn" | "error"; // Console log level.
  message: string; // Rendered log message text.
  timestamp: string; // ISO 8601 timestamp for when the runtime captured the log.
  url?: string; // Source URL reported by the browser runtime, when available.
}

interface ClientCapabilities {
  browser?: Array<CapabilityInfo>;
  tab?: Array<CapabilityInfo>;
}

type ClientType = "iab" | "extension" | "cdp";

type TabsContentType = "html" | "text" | "domSnapshot";

interface FinalizeTabsKeep {
  status: FinalizeTabStatus; // Where the kept tab belongs after cleanup.
  tab: string | Tab | TabInfo; // Tab object to keep open after browser cleanup.
}

type ClipRect = {
  height: number;
  width: number;
  x: number;
  y: number;
};

type ElementInfoRect = {
  height: number;
  width: number;
  x: number;
  y: number;
};

type ElementInfoSelector = {
  candidates: Array<string>; // Ranked selector candidates for the element.
  frameSelectors?: Array<string>; // Frame selectors to enter before using the element selector.
  primary?: string | null; // The preferred selector for the element when available.
};

type WaitUntil = LoadState | "commit";

type MouseButton = "left" | "right" | "middle";

type KeyboardModifier = "Alt" | "Control" | "ControlOrMeta" | "Meta" | "Shift";

type SelectOptionDescriptor = {
  index?: number;
  label?: string;
  value?: string;
};

type WaitForState = "attached" | "detached" | "visible" | "hidden";

type TabClipboardEntry = {
  base64?: string;
  mimeType: string;
  text?: string;
};

interface CapabilityInfo {
  description: string;
  id: string;
}

type FinalizeTabStatus = "handoff" | "deliverable";
```

The local page is static, so I can load it directly from disk with the same hash state from the reported URL. I’m checking element geometry rather than just taking a screenshot, because the top/bottom alignment is measurable.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "var tab = await browser.tabs.new();\nawait browser.nameSession(\"Datasette extras explorer layout check\");\nawait tab.goto(\"file:///Users/simon/Dropbox/dev/tools/datasette-extras-explorer.html#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D4\");\nawait tab.playwright.waitForLoadState({ state: \"domcontentloaded\", timeoutMs: 10000 });\nawait tab.playwright.locator(\"#json-output .json-line\").waitFor({ state: \"attached\", timeoutMs: 20000 });\nconst layoutCheck = await tab.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const body = document.querySelector(\".response-body\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const meta = document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const notice = document.querySelector(\"#notice-region\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const pre = document.querySelector(\"#json-output\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const firstLine = document.querySelector(\"#json-output .json-line\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const style = getComputedStyle(document.querySelector(\".response-body\"));\n  return {\n    metaText: document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").textContent,\n    firstLineText: document.querySelector(\"#json-output .json-line\").textContent,\n    bodyTop: body.top,\n    metaBottom: meta.bottom,\n    noticeBottom: notice.bottom,\n    preTop: pre.top,\n    firstLineTop: firstLine.top,\n    gapFromMetaToPre: pre.top - meta.bottom,\n    gapFromNoticeToPre: pre.top - notice.bottom,\n    gridTemplateRows: style.gridTemplateRows,\n    alignContent: style.alignContent\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(layoutCheck, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Verify response layout"
}
Browser Use rejected this action due to browser security policy. Reason: Browser Use cannot visit the requested page because its URL is blocked by the Browser Use URL policy. The agent must not attempt to achieve the same outcome via workaround, indirect execution, raw CDP or browser commands, alternate browser surfaces, or policy circumvention. Proceed only with a materially safer alternative that does not require this blocked browser action; if none exists, stop and request user input.

The browser blocks file:// navigation, which is sensible enough. I’m switching to a tiny localhost server for the same static file, then I’ll shut it down after the check.
Ran 1 command

Ran uv run python -m http.server 8765 --bind 127.0.0.1


The local server is up. I’m loading the exact page state from the report on 127.0.0.1:8765 and waiting for the JSON render to complete.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "var tab2 = await browser.tabs.new();\nawait tab2.goto(\"http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D4\");\nawait tab2.playwright.waitForLoadState({ state: \"domcontentloaded\", timeoutMs: 10000 });\nawait tab2.playwright.locator(\"#json-output .json-line\").waitFor({ state: \"attached\", timeoutMs: 20000 });\nconst layoutCheck2 = await tab2.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const body = document.querySelector(\".response-body\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const meta = document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const notice = document.querySelector(\"#notice-region\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const pre = document.querySelector(\"#json-output\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const firstLine = document.querySelector(\"#json-output .json-line\").getBoundingClientRect();\n  const style = getComputedStyle(document.querySelector(\".response-body\"));\n  return {\n    url: location.href,\n    metaText: document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").textContent,\n    firstLineText: document.querySelector(\"#json-output .json-line\").textContent,\n    bodyTop: Math.round(body.top),\n    metaBottom: Math.round(meta.bottom),\n    noticeBottom: Math.round(notice.bottom),\n    preTop: Math.round(pre.top),\n    firstLineTop: Math.round(firstLine.top),\n    gapFromMetaToPre: Math.round(pre.top - meta.bottom),\n    gapFromNoticeToPre: Math.round(pre.top - notice.bottom),\n    bodyHeight: Math.round(body.height),\n    preHeight: Math.round(pre.height),\n    gridTemplateRows: style.gridTemplateRows,\n    alignContent: style.alignContent\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(layoutCheck2, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Check localhost layout"
}
{
  "alignContent": "start",
  "bodyHeight": 1906,
  "bodyTop": 206,
  "firstLineText": "{",
  "firstLineTop": 260,
  "gapFromMetaToPre": 0,
  "gapFromNoticeToPre": 0,
  "gridTemplateRows": "40.0312px 0px 1286.7px",
  "metaBottom": 246,
  "metaText": "200 - 7.4 KB - 263ms",
  "noticeBottom": 246,
  "preHeight": 1287,
  "preTop": 246,
  "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D4"
}

The browser check now reports the first JSON line at the top of the response content, with zero gap below the metadata strip. I’m doing a quick diff/status pass and then I’ll stop the temporary server.
Ran 2 commands

Ran git diff -- datasette-extras-explorer.html
Ran git status --short


The diff is exactly the two-line CSS change I expected. I’m shutting down the verification server now so there’s no lingering process from this turn.


Fixed in datasette-extras-explorer.html. The response grid now sizes the meta, notice, and JSON rows to their content and aligns them to the top, so the empty notice region no longer pushes the JSON to the bottom.
Verified in the browser against the reported URL state on localhost: the JSON <pre> starts immediately below the metadata strip with zero gap. Temporary verification server has been stopped.

Make it so that clicking on any _url field in the JSON that starts with / works to navigate to that thing - consider https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results as an example
Also add a Copy JSON option for copying JSON to clipboard

58 previous messages

I’ll extend the JSON renderer itself here: it already tokenizes line-by-line, so _url fields can become real clickable links at render time, and Copy JSON can reuse the currently displayed payload. I’m going to read the rest of the file first so the new behavior fits the existing hash/request flow.
Explored 1 file, ran 2 commands
Explored 2 files

Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html
Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html


Ran git diff -- datasette-extras-explorer.html


Ran git status --short


The current renderer escapes then regex-highlights tokens as HTML strings. For _url navigation I’m going to add one focused parsing step for string tokens, so only valid JSON string values on keys ending _url become links, and only when the value begins with /.
Explored 1 file, 1 search

Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html
Searched for flashCopyLabel|fallbackCopy|setNotice|readHashState|updateHashFromDom|jumpToExtra|fragmentIdForExtra|mergeNotices in datasette-extras-explorer.html


ditch the Raw checkbox it does nothing useful
I’m checking the example payload so the click behavior matches the actual Datasette fields, especially whether these relative URLs point to JSON endpoints or HTML-ish resource URLs that need normalizing.
Explored 1 search, ran 1 command

Ran curl -L 'https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results' | head -c 12000

Explored 1 search

Searched for _url in datasette-extras-explorer.html


Got it, I’ll fold that in too: remove the Raw control entirely, keep the response view as the useful stripped JSON, and make Copy JSON copy exactly that rendered JSON. The _url links can then operate inside the explorer instead of bouncing you out of the tool.
I’m about to patch the toolbar and renderer. The key bits are: remove the Raw checkbox, add a Copy JSON button, store the currently rendered JSON text, and intercept clicks on path-relative _url values so they load back through the explorer.
Edited 1 file

Wrote ./datasette-extras-explorer.html (+124 -54)


The main patch is in. I’m doing a syntax pass and a couple of targeted greps now, because small static apps can still hide broken variable names after a UI rename.
Explored 3 files, 1 search

Searched for raw|rawToggle|copyButton|copyUrlButton|copyJsonButton|currentJsonText|json-link|navigateToJsonUrl|renderJson|highlightJsonLine|getRelativeUrlFieldLink in datasette-extras-explorer.html
Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html
Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html
Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html


The rename pass looks clean: no leftover Raw UI or old copyButton references. I’m going to run a real browser check next, including clicking the example relative toggle_url link and making sure Copy JSON is enabled.
Ran 1 command

Ran uv run python -m http.server 8765 --bind 127.0.0.1


The local server is up for verification. I’m loading the example with the selected extras encoded in the app hash, which mirrors how this tool shares state.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "var tab3 = await browser.tabs.new();\nconst exampleHash = \"#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results\";\nawait tab3.goto(`http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html${exampleHash}`);\nawait tab3.playwright.waitForLoadState({ state: \"domcontentloaded\", timeoutMs: 10000 });\nawait tab3.playwright.locator(\"#json-output .json-line\").waitFor({ state: \"attached\", timeoutMs: 20000 });\nconst beforeClick = await tab3.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const links = [...document.querySelectorAll(\"#json-output a[data-json-url]\")];\n  const toolbarText = document.querySelector(\".response-toolbar\").textContent.replace(/\\s+/g, \" \").trim();\n  return {\n    toolbarText,\n    hasRaw: Boolean(document.querySelector(\"#raw-toggle\")),\n    copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector(\"#copy-json-button\").disabled,\n    copyUrlDisabled: document.querySelector(\"#copy-url-button\").disabled,\n    linkCount: links.length,\n    firstLinkText: links[0]?.textContent,\n    firstLinkHref: links[0]?.getAttribute(\"href\"),\n    firstLinkData: links[0]?.dataset.jsonUrl,\n    firstJsonLine: document.querySelector(\"#json-output .json-line\")?.textContent,\n    metaText: document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").textContent\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(beforeClick, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Verify toolbar and links"
}
{
  "copyJsonDisabled": false,
  "copyUrlDisabled": false,
  "firstJsonLine": "{",
  "firstLinkData": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
  "firstLinkHref": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
  "firstLinkText": "\"/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results\"",
  "hasRaw": false,
  "linkCount": 1,
  "metaText": "200 - 9.9 KB - 246ms",
  "toolbarText": "GET /fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results Copy JSON Copy URL"
}

The example now has one clickable relative _url value, the Raw checkbox is gone, and Copy JSON is enabled. I’m clicking that relative link and checking that the explorer updates its endpoint/request instead of leaving the app.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const jsonUrlLink = tab3.playwright.locator(\"#json-output a[data-json-url]\");\nconst jsonUrlLinkCount = await jsonUrlLink.count();\nif (jsonUrlLinkCount !== 1) {\n  throw new Error(`Expected one JSON URL link, found ${jsonUrlLinkCount}`);\n}\nawait jsonUrlLink.click({});\nawait tab3.playwright.locator(\"#json-output .json-line\").waitFor({ state: \"attached\", timeoutMs: 20000 });\nconst afterClick = await tab3.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const checked = [...document.querySelectorAll('#extras-list input[type=\"checkbox\"][data-extra-name]:checked')]\n    .map((input) => input.dataset.extraName)\n    .sort();\n  return {\n    pageUrl: location.href,\n    endpoint: document.querySelector(\"#endpoint-input\").value,\n    requestText: document.querySelector(\"#request-url\").textContent,\n    metaText: document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").textContent,\n    checked,\n    stayedInExplorer: location.href.startsWith(\"http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html\"),\n    copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector(\"#copy-json-button\").disabled,\n    bodyStartsWith: document.querySelector(\"#json-output\").textContent.slice(0, 80)\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(afterClick, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Click JSON URL link"
}
{
  "bodyStartsWith": "{  \"ok\": true,  \"next\": \"1\",  \"count\": 15,  \"expandable_columns\": [    [      { ",
  "checked": [
    "count",
    "count_sql",
    "expandable_columns",
    "facet_results"
  ],
  "copyJsonDisabled": false,
  "endpoint": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state",
  "metaText": "200 - 9.9 KB - 246ms",
  "pageUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
  "requestText": "/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
  "stayedInExplorer": true
}

The link was rendered, but my first click check did not change the endpoint, so I’m inspecting console errors and the click target path now. There’s likely a tiny event-target edge case hiding here.
Called 2 tools
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const logsAfterClick = await tab3.dev.logs({ levels: [\"error\"], limit: 10 });\nconst clickDebug = await tab3.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const link = document.querySelector(\"#json-output a[data-json-url]\");\n  return {\n    linkExists: Boolean(link),\n    href: link?.href,\n    dataset: link?.dataset.jsonUrl,\n    targetTag: link?.querySelector(\".token-string\")?.tagName,\n    closestWorks: Boolean(link?.querySelector(\".token-string\")?.closest(\"a[data-json-url]\"))\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify({ logsAfterClick, clickDebug }, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Inspect click issue"
}
{
  "logsAfterClick": [],
  "clickDebug": {
    "closestWorks": true,
    "dataset": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "href": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "linkExists": true,
    "targetTag": "SPAN"
  }
}

MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const dispatchResult = await tab3.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const before = document.querySelector(\"#endpoint-input\").value;\n  const link = document.querySelector(\"#json-output a[data-json-url]\");\n  link.click();\n  return {\n    before,\n    after: document.querySelector(\"#endpoint-input\").value,\n    hash: location.hash\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(dispatchResult, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Test DOM click handler"
}
TypeError: link.click is not a function
    at __playwrightEvaluate (<anonymous>:2622:8)
    at <anonymous>:2629:14
    at runUserScript (<anonymous>:2630:10)
    at <anonymous>:2634:10
    at <anonymous>:2635:3


The browser API’s read-only inspection wrapper is a little unusual, so I’m switching the verification from synthetic DOM clicks back to user-like checks and browser logs. I also spotted one robustness improvement to make the click handler tolerate non-element event targets.
Edited 1 file

Wrote ./datasette-extras-explorer.html (+4 -0)


I added that small target guard. Now I’m reloading a fresh localhost copy so the browser is running the patched script, then I’ll repeat the link-click check.
Called 2 tools
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "var tab4 = await browser.tabs.new();\nconst exampleHash2 = \"#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results\";\nawait tab4.goto(`http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html${exampleHash2}`);\nawait tab4.playwright.waitForLoadState({ state: \"domcontentloaded\", timeoutMs: 10000 });\nawait tab4.playwright.locator(\"#json-output a[data-json-url]\").waitFor({ state: \"visible\", timeoutMs: 20000 });\nconst linkStateBefore = await tab4.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const link = document.querySelector(\"#json-output a[data-json-url]\");\n  return {\n    endpoint: document.querySelector(\"#endpoint-input\").value,\n    requestText: document.querySelector(\"#request-url\").textContent,\n    href: link?.getAttribute(\"href\"),\n    data: link?.dataset.jsonUrl,\n    rect: (() => {\n      const r = link?.getBoundingClientRect();\n      return r ? { x: Math.round(r.x), y: Math.round(r.y), width: Math.round(r.width), height: Math.round(r.height) } : null;\n    })()\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(linkStateBefore, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Reload patched page"
}
{
  "data": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
  "endpoint": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state",
  "href": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
  "rect": {
    "height": 37,
    "width": 654,
    "x": 39,
    "y": 2742
  },
  "requestText": "/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results"
}

MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const relativeJsonUrl = tab4.playwright.locator(\"#json-output a[data-json-url]\");\nconst relativeJsonUrlCount = await relativeJsonUrl.count();\nif (relativeJsonUrlCount !== 1) {\n  throw new Error(`Expected one JSON URL link, found ${relativeJsonUrlCount}`);\n}\nawait relativeJsonUrl.click({});\nawait tab4.playwright.waitForTimeout(800);\nconst clickCheck = await tab4.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const checked = [...document.querySelectorAll('#extras-list input[type=\"checkbox\"][data-extra-name]:checked')]\n    .map((input) => input.dataset.extraName)\n    .sort();\n  return {\n    pageUrl: location.href,\n    endpoint: document.querySelector(\"#endpoint-input\").value,\n    requestText: document.querySelector(\"#request-url\").textContent,\n    checked,\n    stayedInExplorer: location.href.startsWith(\"http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html\"),\n    metaText: document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").textContent,\n    copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector(\"#copy-json-button\").disabled\n  };\n});\nconst clickLogs = await tab4.dev.logs({ levels: [\"error\"], limit: 10 });\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify({ clickCheck, clickLogs }, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Verify JSON link click"
}
{
  "clickCheck": {
    "checked": [
      "count",
      "count_sql",
      "expandable_columns",
      "facet_results"
    ],
    "copyJsonDisabled": false,
    "endpoint": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state",
    "metaText": "200 - 9.9 KB - 136ms",
    "pageUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "requestText": "/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "stayedInExplorer": true
  },
  "clickLogs": []
}


The Browser locator click isn’t changing state even though the link is present and there are no console errors, likely because the link is deep inside the response scroll pane. I’m going to verify the click with project-local Playwright too, while still using the in-app browser for the rendered-state checks.
I’m using the repo’s installed Playwright for the actual pointer interaction now. This gives us a normal Chromium click path and will tell me whether I need to adjust the app code or just the Browser verification approach.
Ran 1 command

Ran ``node <<'NODE'
const { chromium } = require('@playwright/test');

(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
const page = await browser.newPage({ viewport: { width: 1280, height: 720 } });
const errors = [];
page.on('pageerror', (error) => errors.push(error.message));
page.on('console', (message) => {
if (message.type() === 'error') {
errors.push(message.text());
}
});
const hash = '#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results';
await page.goto(http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html${hash});
await page.locator('#json-output a[data-json-url]').waitFor({ state: 'visible', timeout: 20000 });
const before = await page.evaluate(() => ({
rawExists: Boolean(document.querySelector('#raw-toggle')),
copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector('#copy-json-button').disabled,
linkCount: document.querySelectorAll('#json-output a[data-json-url]').length,
endpoint: document.querySelector('#endpoint-input').value,
requestText: document.querySelector('#request-url').textContent,
href: document.querySelector('#json-output a[data-json-url]').href
}));
await page.locator('#json-output a[data-json-url]').click();
await page.waitForFunction(() => !document.querySelector('#endpoint-input').value.includes('_facet=state'), null, { timeout: 5000 });
await page.locator('#json-output .json-line').first().waitFor({ state: 'attached', timeout: 20000 });
const after = await page.evaluate(() => ({
pageUrl: location.href,
endpoint: document.querySelector('#endpoint-input').value,
requestText: document.querySelector('#request-url').textContent,
checked: [...document.querySelectorAll('#extras-list input[type="checkbox"][data-extra-name]:checked')].map((input) => input.dataset.extraName).sort(),
stayedInExplorer: location.href.startsWith('http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html'),
copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector('#copy-json-button').disabled
}));
console.log(JSON.stringify({ before, after, errors }, null, 2));
await browser.close();
})();
NODE``

The project Playwright install is missing its browser binary, so I’m not going to download anything just for this. I’ll use the in-app browser’s coordinate controls instead, scrolling the response pane like a person would and clicking the now-visible link.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const paneStateBeforeScroll = await tab4.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const body = document.querySelector(\".response-body\");\n  const link = document.querySelector(\"#json-output a[data-json-url]\");\n  const bodyRect = body.getBoundingClientRect();\n  const linkRect = link.getBoundingClientRect();\n  return {\n    bodyRect: { x: Math.round(bodyRect.x), y: Math.round(bodyRect.y), width: Math.round(bodyRect.width), height: Math.round(bodyRect.height) },\n    linkRect: { x: Math.round(linkRect.x), y: Math.round(linkRect.y), width: Math.round(linkRect.width), height: Math.round(linkRect.height) },\n    scrollTop: body.scrollTop,\n    scrollHeight: body.scrollHeight,\n    clientHeight: body.clientHeight\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(paneStateBeforeScroll, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Measure response scroll pane"
}
{
  "bodyRect": {
    "height": 1647,
    "width": 735,
    "x": 25,
    "y": -3
  },
  "clientHeight": 1647,
  "linkRect": {
    "height": 37,
    "width": 654,
    "x": 39,
    "y": 480
  },
  "scrollHeight": 1647,
  "scrollTop": 0
}

The link is actually visible in the current browser viewport, so the locator miss is odd. I’m clicking its screen coordinates directly now, which is closer to a real pointer click.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "await tab4.cua.click({ x: 360, y: 498 });\nawait tab4.playwright.waitForTimeout(800);\nconst coordinateClickCheck = await tab4.playwright.evaluate(() => ({\n  pageUrl: location.href,\n  endpoint: document.querySelector(\"#endpoint-input\").value,\n  requestText: document.querySelector(\"#request-url\").textContent,\n  checked: [...document.querySelectorAll('#extras-list input[type=\"checkbox\"][data-extra-name]:checked')]\n    .map((input) => input.dataset.extraName)\n    .sort(),\n  metaText: document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").textContent\n}));\nconst coordinateClickLogs = await tab4.dev.logs({ levels: [\"error\"], limit: 10 });\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify({ coordinateClickCheck, coordinateClickLogs }, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Coordinate-click JSON link"
}
{
  "coordinateClickCheck": {
    "checked": [
      "count",
      "count_sql",
      "expandable_columns",
      "facet_results"
    ],
    "endpoint": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state",
    "metaText": "200 - 9.9 KB - 136ms",
    "pageUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "requestText": "/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results"
  },
  "coordinateClickLogs": []
}

The coordinate click also didn’t change state, so I’m going to inspect the rendered pixels/DOM position once more. This is looking less like a data-flow bug and more like the link text not receiving pointer events where expected.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const imgBytes = await tab4.screenshot({ fullPage: false });\nawait nodeRepl.emitImage({ bytes: imgBytes, mimeType: \"image/png\" });",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Capture verification screenshot"
}
Image output: image/png
I can see the URL is link-styled, but the click is selecting text rather than navigating. I’m going to tighten the markup so the line-level click handler can detect link clicks even when the browser reports the clicked node strangely, and also make the links feel clearly clickable.
I am seeing "toggle_url": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures for some of these, so I guess anything where _url then starts with https:// or http:// should be clickable too
The fix is to put the destination on the whole rendered JSON line as well as the string token, and resolve text-node click targets through their parent element. That should make the interaction reliable even with wrapped/preformatted JSON text.
Edited 1 file

Wrote ./datasette-extras-explorer.html (+23 -5)


Yep, that makes sense. I’ll broaden the same _url detection to include http:// and https:// values too, and keep routing them through the explorer so clicking them updates the tool state.
Edited 1 file

Wrote ./datasette-extras-explorer.html (+9 -3)


The detection now includes absolute HTTP(S) URLs. I’m reloading the localhost page to verify there are multiple clickable _url lines and that clicking one updates the explorer hash/request.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "var tab5 = await browser.tabs.new();\nconst exampleHash3 = \"#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results\";\nawait tab5.goto(`http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html${exampleHash3}`);\nawait tab5.playwright.waitForLoadState({ state: \"domcontentloaded\", timeoutMs: 10000 });\nawait tab5.playwright.locator(\"#json-output .json-url-line\").waitFor({ state: \"visible\", timeoutMs: 20000 });\nconst clickableState = await tab5.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const lines = [...document.querySelectorAll(\"#json-output .json-url-line\")];\n  return {\n    rawExists: Boolean(document.querySelector(\"#raw-toggle\")),\n    copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector(\"#copy-json-button\").disabled,\n    copyUrlDisabled: document.querySelector(\"#copy-url-button\").disabled,\n    lineCount: lines.length,\n    linkCount: document.querySelectorAll(\"#json-output a[data-json-url]\").length,\n    urls: lines.map((line) => line.dataset.jsonUrl).slice(0, 6),\n    texts: lines.map((line) => line.textContent.trim()).slice(0, 3)\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(clickableState, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Verify clickable URL detection"
}
{
  "copyJsonDisabled": false,
  "copyUrlDisabled": false,
  "lineCount": 4,
  "linkCount": 4,
  "rawExists": false,
  "texts": [
    "\"toggle_url\": \"/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results\",",
    "\"toggle_url\": \"https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=CA\",",
    "\"toggle_url\": \"https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=MI\","
  ],
  "urls": [
    "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=CA",
    "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=MI",
    "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=MC"
  ]
}

The page now has four clickable _url lines: the relative one plus the absolute facet value URLs. I’m clicking the state=CA absolute URL to make sure those route through the explorer too.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const caUrlLine = tab5.playwright.locator('#json-output .json-url-line[data-json-url*=\"state=CA\"]');\nconst caUrlLineCount = await caUrlLine.count();\nif (caUrlLineCount !== 1) {\n  throw new Error(`Expected one CA URL line, found ${caUrlLineCount}`);\n}\nawait caUrlLine.click({});\nawait tab5.playwright.waitForTimeout(1000);\nconst caClickCheck = await tab5.playwright.evaluate(() => ({\n  pageUrl: location.href,\n  endpoint: document.querySelector(\"#endpoint-input\").value,\n  requestText: document.querySelector(\"#request-url\").textContent,\n  checked: [...document.querySelectorAll('#extras-list input[type=\"checkbox\"][data-extra-name]:checked')]\n    .map((input) => input.dataset.extraName)\n    .sort(),\n  metaText: document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").textContent,\n  copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector(\"#copy-json-button\").disabled,\n  stayedInExplorer: location.href.startsWith(\"http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html\")\n}));\nconst caClickLogs = await tab5.dev.logs({ levels: [\"error\"], limit: 10 });\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify({ caClickCheck, caClickLogs }, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Click absolute JSON URL"
}
{
  "caClickCheck": {
    "checked": [
      "count",
      "count_sql",
      "expandable_columns",
      "facet_results"
    ],
    "copyJsonDisabled": false,
    "endpoint": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&state=CA",
    "metaText": "200 - 9.8 KB - 130ms",
    "pageUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate%26state%3DCA&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "requestText": "/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&state=CA&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "stayedInExplorer": true
  },
  "caClickLogs": []
}

The absolute link click worked and stayed inside the explorer. I’m also checking the original relative-path case once with the new line-level click handling, because that was the part that needed the extra robustness.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "var tab6 = await browser.tabs.new();\nconst exampleHash4 = \"#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results\";\nawait tab6.goto(`http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html${exampleHash4}`);\nawait tab6.playwright.waitForLoadState({ state: \"domcontentloaded\", timeoutMs: 10000 });\nconst relativeSelector = '#json-output .json-url-line[data-json-url=\"https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results\"]';\nconst relativeLine = tab6.playwright.locator(relativeSelector);\nconst relativeLineCount = await relativeLine.count();\nif (relativeLineCount !== 1) {\n  throw new Error(`Expected one relative URL line, found ${relativeLineCount}`);\n}\nawait relativeLine.click({});\nawait tab6.playwright.waitForTimeout(1000);\nconst relativeClickCheck = await tab6.playwright.evaluate(() => ({\n  pageUrl: location.href,\n  endpoint: document.querySelector(\"#endpoint-input\").value,\n  requestText: document.querySelector(\"#request-url\").textContent,\n  checked: [...document.querySelectorAll('#extras-list input[type=\"checkbox\"][data-extra-name]:checked')]\n    .map((input) => input.dataset.extraName)\n    .sort(),\n  metaText: document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").textContent,\n  copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector(\"#copy-json-button\").disabled,\n  stayedInExplorer: location.href.startsWith(\"http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html\")\n}));\nconst relativeClickLogs = await tab6.dev.logs({ levels: [\"error\"], limit: 10 });\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify({ relativeClickCheck, relativeClickLogs }, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Click relative JSON URL"
}
Expected one relative URL line, found 0

That exact CSS selector was too fussy for the encoded URL, so I’m inspecting the line data and then I’ll target it by the rendered relative text instead.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const relativeLinesDebug = await tab6.playwright.evaluate(() => [...document.querySelectorAll('#json-output .json-url-line')].map((line) => ({\n  data: line.dataset.jsonUrl,\n  text: line.textContent.trim()\n})));\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(relativeLinesDebug, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Inspect relative URL data"
}
[
  {
    "data": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "text": "\"toggle_url\": \"/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results\","
  },
  {
    "data": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=CA",
    "text": "\"toggle_url\": \"https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=CA\","
  },
  {
    "data": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=MI",
    "text": "\"toggle_url\": \"https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=MI\","
  },
  {
    "data": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=MC",
    "text": "\"toggle_url\": \"https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=MC\","
  }
]

The data is exactly right; the selector syntax was the only problem. I’m using a text-scoped locator for the relative rendered value now.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const relativeTextLine = tab6.playwright.locator('#json-output .json-url-line').filter({ hasText: '\"/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1' });\nconst relativeTextLineCount = await relativeTextLine.count();\nif (relativeTextLineCount !== 1) {\n  throw new Error(`Expected one relative URL text line, found ${relativeTextLineCount}`);\n}\nawait relativeTextLine.click({});\nawait tab6.playwright.waitForTimeout(1000);\nconst relativeTextClickCheck = await tab6.playwright.evaluate(() => ({\n  pageUrl: location.href,\n  endpoint: document.querySelector(\"#endpoint-input\").value,\n  requestText: document.querySelector(\"#request-url\").textContent,\n  checked: [...document.querySelectorAll('#extras-list input[type=\"checkbox\"][data-extra-name]:checked')]\n    .map((input) => input.dataset.extraName)\n    .sort(),\n  metaText: document.querySelector(\"#meta-strip\").textContent,\n  copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector(\"#copy-json-button\").disabled,\n  stayedInExplorer: location.href.startsWith(\"http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html\")\n}));\nconst relativeTextClickLogs = await tab6.dev.logs({ levels: [\"error\"], limit: 10 });\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify({ relativeTextClickCheck, relativeTextClickLogs }, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Click relative text URL line"
}
{
  "relativeTextClickCheck": {
    "checked": [
      "count",
      "count_sql",
      "expandable_columns",
      "facet_results"
    ],
    "copyJsonDisabled": false,
    "endpoint": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1",
    "metaText": "200 - 8.6 KB - 139ms",
    "pageUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "requestText": "/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "stayedInExplorer": true
  },
  "relativeTextClickLogs": []
}

The relative link now updates the endpoint correctly too. I’m doing one clipboard check for Copy JSON so I can make sure it copies the rendered payload, not the request URL.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const copyJsonButtonLocator = tab6.playwright.locator('#copy-json-button');\nconst copyJsonButtonCount = await copyJsonButtonLocator.count();\nif (copyJsonButtonCount !== 1) {\n  throw new Error(`Expected one Copy JSON button, found ${copyJsonButtonCount}`);\n}\nawait copyJsonButtonLocator.click({});\nawait tab6.playwright.waitForTimeout(200);\nconst clipboardText = await tab6.clipboard.readText();\nconst copyJsonCheck = await tab6.playwright.evaluate((clipboardText) => ({\n  buttonText: document.querySelector('#copy-json-button').textContent,\n  clipboardStartsWithJson: clipboardText.trim().startsWith('{'),\n  clipboardIncludesCountSql: clipboardText.includes('\"count_sql\"'),\n  clipboardIncludesTopLevelExtras: clipboardText.includes('\"extras\"'),\n  clipboardLength: clipboardText.length,\n  outputLength: document.querySelector('#json-output').textContent.length\n}), clipboardText);\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(copyJsonCheck, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Verify Copy JSON"
}
{
  "buttonText": "Copied",
  "clipboardIncludesCountSql": false,
  "clipboardIncludesTopLevelExtras": false,
  "clipboardLength": 0,
  "clipboardStartsWithJson": false,
  "outputLength": 659
}

The Copy JSON button reports success, but the Browser plugin’s clipboard read is returning an empty automation clipboard. I’m checking from inside the page context too; clipboard APIs can be split between the browser page and automation layer.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "const pageClipboardCheck = await tab6.playwright.evaluate(async () => {\n  try {\n    const text = await navigator.clipboard.readText();\n    return {\n      ok: true,\n      length: text.length,\n      startsWithJson: text.trim().startsWith('{'),\n      includesCount: text.includes('\"count\"')\n    };\n  } catch (error) {\n    return {\n      ok: false,\n      error: error.message\n    };\n  }\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(pageClipboardCheck, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Read page clipboard"
}
{
  "error": "Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'clipboard')",
  "ok": false
}

The page-context clipboard API is unavailable in this browser session, so the copy path is using the fallback. The button feedback works; the fallback writes from the stored rendered JSON text. I’m doing final diff/status checks now, then I’ll stop the local server.
Explored 1 search, ran 2 commands


Ran git diff -- datasette-extras-explorer.html


Ran git status --short


Explored 1 search

Searched for raw-toggle|Raw|copy-json-button|json-url-line|getNavigableUrlFieldLink|isNavigableJsonUrl|copyTextToClipboard|currentJsonText in datasette-extras-explorer.html


The final diff is scoped to this one file. I’m stopping the localhost server now so there’s no background process left running.
One last whitespace check, then I’ll wrap up with exactly what changed and what I verified.
Ran 2 commands

Ran git diff --check
Ran git status --short


Implemented in datasette-extras-explorer.html.
What changed:

Removed the Raw checkbox entirely.
Added Copy JSON, which copies the currently rendered JSON text.
Made _url JSON fields clickable when their value starts with /, http://, or https://.
Clicked _url values route back through the explorer, updating the endpoint/hash/extras instead of leaving the app.

Verified in the in-app browser on the example URL:

Relative /fixtures/... toggle_url click updates the explorer request.
Absolute https://latest.datasette.io/...&state=CA click updates the explorer request.
Raw control is gone, Copy JSON is enabled, and git diff --check passes.

One note: this browser session’s clipboard API would not let me read back clipboard contents, but the Copy JSON button reached the fallback copy path and showed the copied feedback.

also check there are no XSS holes

24 previous messages

I’ll treat this as a small security audit of the JSON rendering path, not just a glance. I’m going to look for every place untrusted endpoint data becomes HTML or URL attributes, then I’ll patch anything that feels even slightly sharp.
Explored 1 file, 1 search, ran 1 command
Explored 2 files, 1 search

Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html
Searched for innerHTML|insertAdjacent|outerHTML|href=|data-json-url|textContent|replaceChildren|dataset|location|URL\(|clipboard|execCommand in datasette-extras-explorer.html
Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html


Ran git diff -- datasette-extras-explorer.html


The main sharp edge is that the JSON viewer was using innerHTML for highlighted output. It was escaping correctly, but for this kind of untrusted remote JSON I’d rather remove the class of risk entirely, so I’m converting that renderer to build DOM nodes with textContent and dataset instead.
Edited 1 file

Wrote ./datasette-extras-explorer.html (+78 -53)


That removes the untrusted JSON innerHTML path. I’m checking the edited block for syntax and then I’ll run an XSS fixture against it in the browser.
Explored 1 file, 1 search, ran 1 command
Explored 1 file, 1 search

Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html
Searched for innerHTML|escapeHtml|escapeAttribute|appendHighlightedJsonLine|appendJsonToken|appendTokenSpan|data-json-url|href =|textContent in datasette-extras-explorer.html


Ran git diff --check

Explored 1 file

Read ./datasette-extras-explorer.html


The renderer now has no untrusted innerHTML; only two remaining innerHTML calls are static canned empty messages. I’m adding one more belt-and-suspenders check so generated links are only ever final http: or https: URLs after URL resolution.
Edited 1 file

Wrote ./datasette-extras-explorer.html (+12 -2)


I’m going to run a syntax check on the embedded script, then serve a deliberately hostile JSON response locally and verify it renders as text without creating script/image/iframe/event-handler nodes.
Explored 1 search, ran 2 commands


Ran git diff --check


Ran node <<'NODE' const fs = require('fs'); const html = fs.readFileSync('datasette-extras-explorer.html', 'utf8'); const script = html.match(/<script>([\s\S]*)<\/script>/)?.[1]; if (!script) throw new Error('No inline script found'); new Function(script); console.log('embedded script parses'); NODE


Explored 1 search

Searched for innerHTML|outerHTML|insertAdjacentHTML|document\.write|eval\(|new Function|setTimeout\(|setInterval\(|href =|dataset\.jsonUrl|textContent|replaceChildren in datasette-extras-explorer.html


For the hostile fixture I’m including HTML tags, event-handler-looking strings, javascript:/protocol-relative _url values, and quoted absolute URLs. The check is that all of those stay inert text, with only resolved http(s) URLs receiving link markup.
Ran 1 command

Ran `uv run python - <<'PY'
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, ThreadingHTTPServer
from pathlib import Path
import json

ROOT = Path('/Users/simon/Dropbox/dev/tools')
PAYLOAD = {
'ok': True,
'extras': [
{
'name': '',
'description': '',
'selected': False,
}
],
'<script>window.__xss_key=1</script>': 'key should render as text',
'html': '',
'svg': '',
'quote_url': 'https://example.com/" onclick="window.__xss_attr=1',
'js_url': 'javascript:window.__xss_js_url=1',
'protocol_relative_url': '//evil.example/x',
'relative_url': '/malicious.json?x="><img src=x onerror=window.__xss_relative=1>',
}
class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
def do_GET(self):
if self.path.startswith('/malicious.json'):
body = json.dumps(PAYLOAD, indent=2).encode('utf-8')
self.send_response(200)
self.send_header('Content-Type', 'application/json')
self.send_header('Content-Length', str(len(body)))
self.end_headers()
self.wfile.write(body)
return
if self.path.startswith('/datasette-extras-explorer.html'):
body = (ROOT / 'datasette-extras-explorer.html').read_bytes()
self.send_response(200)
self.send_header('Content-Type', 'text/html; charset=utf-8')
self.send_header('Content-Length', str(len(body)))
self.end_headers()
self.wfile.write(body)
return
self.send_response(404)
self.end_headers()
def log_message(self, format, *args):
    print('%s - - %s' % (self.address_string(), format % args), flush=True)

server = ThreadingHTTPServer(('127.0.0.1', 8765), Handler)
print('Serving XSS fixture on http://127.0.0.1:8765/', flush=True)
server.serve_forever()
PY`

The hostile local fixture is running. I’m loading it through the actual app now and inspecting the resulting DOM, not just the source code.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "var tab7 = await browser.tabs.new();\nawait tab7.goto('http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html#url=http%3A%2F%2F127.0.0.1%3A8765%2Fmalicious.json');\nawait tab7.playwright.waitForLoadState({ state: 'domcontentloaded', timeoutMs: 10000 });\nawait tab7.playwright.locator('#json-output .json-line').waitFor({ state: 'attached', timeoutMs: 10000 });\nconst xssCheck = await tab7.playwright.evaluate(() => {\n  const output = document.querySelector('#json-output');\n  const extrasList = document.querySelector('#extras-list');\n  const links = [...output.querySelectorAll('[data-json-url]')].map((node) => ({\n    tag: node.tagName,\n    text: node.textContent,\n    href: node.getAttribute('href'),\n    data: node.dataset.jsonUrl,\n  }));\n  return {\n    xssFlags: {\n      extra: window.__xss_extra || 0,\n      description: window.__xss_description || 0,\n      key: window.__xss_key || 0,\n      html: window.__xss_html || 0,\n      svg: window.__xss_svg || 0,\n      attr: window.__xss_attr || 0,\n      jsUrl: window.__xss_js_url || 0,\n      relative: window.__xss_relative || 0,\n    },\n    dangerousNodesInOutput: output.querySelectorAll('script,img,svg,iframe,object,embed,link,meta').length,\n    dangerousNodesInExtras: extrasList.querySelectorAll('script,img,svg,iframe,object,embed,link,meta').length,\n    inlineHandlersInOutput: [...output.querySelectorAll('*')].filter((node) => [...node.attributes].some((attr) => attr.name.startsWith('on'))).map((node) => node.outerHTML),\n    inlineHandlersInExtras: [...extrasList.querySelectorAll('*')].filter((node) => [...node.attributes].some((attr) => attr.name.startsWith('on'))).map((node) => node.outerHTML),\n    renderedTextIncludesPayload: output.textContent.includes('</span><img src=x onerror=\"window.__xss_html=1\">'),\n    extraTextIncludesPayload: extrasList.textContent.includes('<img src=x onerror=\"window.__xss_extra=1\">'),\n    links,\n    jsUrlLinked: Boolean([...output.querySelectorAll('[data-json-url]')].find((node) => node.textContent.includes('javascript:'))),\n    protocolRelativeLinked: Boolean([...output.querySelectorAll('[data-json-url]')].find((node) => node.textContent.includes('//evil.example'))),\n    metaText: document.querySelector('#meta-strip').textContent,\n  };\n});\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify(xssCheck, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Run XSS fixture"
}
{
  "dangerousNodesInExtras": 0,
  "dangerousNodesInOutput": 0,
  "extraTextIncludesPayload": true,
  "inlineHandlersInExtras": [],
  "inlineHandlersInOutput": [],
  "jsUrlLinked": false,
  "links": [
    {
      "data": "https://example.com/%22%20onclick=%22window.__xss_attr=1",
      "href": null,
      "tag": "SPAN",
      "text": "  \"quote_url\": \"https://example.com/\\\" onclick=\\\"window.__xss_attr=1\","
    },
    {
      "data": "https://example.com/%22%20onclick=%22window.__xss_attr=1",
      "href": "https://example.com/%22%20onclick=%22window.__xss_attr=1",
      "tag": "A",
      "text": "\"https://example.com/\\\" onclick=\\\"window.__xss_attr=1\""
    },
    {
      "data": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/malicious.json?x=%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=x%20onerror=window.__xss_relative=1%3E",
      "href": null,
      "tag": "SPAN",
      "text": "  \"relative_url\": \"/malicious.json?x=\\\"><img src=x onerror=window.__xss_relative=1>\""
    },
    {
      "data": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/malicious.json?x=%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=x%20onerror=window.__xss_relative=1%3E",
      "href": "http://127.0.0.1:8765/malicious.json?x=%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=x%20onerror=window.__xss_relative=1%3E",
      "tag": "A",
      "text": "\"/malicious.json?x=\\\"><img src=x onerror=window.__xss_relative=1>\""
    }
  ],
  "metaText": "200 - 647 B - 2ms",
  "protocolRelativeLinked": false,
  "renderedTextIncludesPayload": false,
  "xssFlags": {
    "attr": 0,
    "description": 0,
    "extra": 0,
    "html": 0,
    "jsUrl": 0,
    "key": 0,
    "relative": 0,
    "svg": 0
  }
}

The hostile fixture came back clean: no script/image/svg nodes were created, no inline event handlers appeared, and all test flags stayed unset. I’m doing a quick regression check on the real Datasette URL links after the renderer rewrite.
MCP tool call
node_repl.js
{
  "code": "var tab8 = await browser.tabs.new();\nconst realHash = '#url=https%3A%2F%2Flatest.datasette.io%2Ffixtures%2Ffacetable.json%3F_size%3D1%26_facet%3Dstate&extras=count%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results';\nawait tab8.goto(`http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html${realHash}`);\nawait tab8.playwright.waitForLoadState({ state: 'domcontentloaded', timeoutMs: 10000 });\nawait tab8.playwright.locator('#json-output .json-url-line').waitFor({ state: 'visible', timeoutMs: 20000 });\nconst realBefore = await tab8.playwright.evaluate(() => ({\n  rawExists: Boolean(document.querySelector('#raw-toggle')),\n  copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector('#copy-json-button').disabled,\n  urlLineCount: document.querySelectorAll('#json-output .json-url-line').length,\n  anchorCount: document.querySelectorAll('#json-output a[data-json-url]').length,\n  firstLines: [...document.querySelectorAll('#json-output .json-url-line')].map((line) => line.textContent.trim()).slice(0, 4),\n  dangerousNodes: document.querySelector('#json-output').querySelectorAll('script,img,svg,iframe,object,embed').length,\n}));\nconst caLine = tab8.playwright.locator('#json-output .json-url-line').filter({ hasText: 'state=CA' });\nconst caLineCount = await caLine.count();\nif (caLineCount !== 1) {\n  throw new Error(`Expected one CA line, found ${caLineCount}`);\n}\nawait caLine.click({});\nawait tab8.playwright.waitForTimeout(1000);\nconst realAfter = await tab8.playwright.evaluate(() => ({\n  endpoint: document.querySelector('#endpoint-input').value,\n  requestText: document.querySelector('#request-url').textContent,\n  stayedInExplorer: location.href.startsWith('http://127.0.0.1:8765/datasette-extras-explorer.html'),\n  copyJsonDisabled: document.querySelector('#copy-json-button').disabled,\n  metaText: document.querySelector('#meta-strip').textContent,\n}));\nconst logs = await tab8.dev.logs({ levels: ['error'], limit: 10 });\nnodeRepl.write(JSON.stringify({ realBefore, realAfter, logs }, null, 2));",
  "timeout_ms": 30000,
  "title": "Regression-check Datasette links"
}
{
  "realBefore": {
    "anchorCount": 4,
    "copyJsonDisabled": false,
    "dangerousNodes": 0,
    "firstLines": [
      "\"toggle_url\": \"/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results\",",
      "\"toggle_url\": \"https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=CA\",",
      "\"toggle_url\": \"https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=MI\",",
      "\"toggle_url\": \"https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results&state=MC\","
    ],
    "rawExists": false,
    "urlLineCount": 4
  },
  "realAfter": {
    "copyJsonDisabled": false,
    "endpoint": "https://latest.datasette.io/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&state=CA",
    "metaText": "200 - 9.8 KB - 125ms",
    "requestText": "/fixtures/facetable.json?_size=1&_facet=state&state=CA&_extra=extras%2Ccount%2Ccount_sql%2Cexpandable_columns%2Cfacet_results",
    "stayedInExplorer": true
  },
  "logs": []
}

The real Datasette regression check passed too: four URL links rendered, the state=CA click stayed inside the explorer, and there were no console errors. I’m stopping the local test server and taking one final diff/status pass.
Ran 3 commands

Ran git diff -- datasette-extras-explorer.html
Ran git diff --check
Ran git status --short


One more small hardening pass: there’s a selector built from an extra name. Modern CSS.escape() covers it, but it’s cleaner to avoid selector interpolation for untrusted names entirely, so I’m replacing that lookup with an exact dataset comparison.
Edited 1 file

Wrote ./datasette-extras-explorer.html (+4 -7)


That removes the last untrusted selector interpolation I saw. I’m doing the final parse/whitespace/security grep now.
Ran 4 commands

Ran git diff --check
Ran rg -n "innerHTML|outerHTML|insertAdjacentHTML|document\.write|eval\(|new Function|querySelector\(`|data-extra-name=\"\$|href =|dataset\.jsonUrl|textContent|replaceChildren" datasette-extras-explorer.html
Ran git status --short
Ran node <<'NODE' const fs = require('fs'); const html = fs.readFileSync('datasette-extras-explorer.html', 'utf8'); const script = html.match(/<script>([\s\S]*)<\/script>/)?.[1]; if (!script) throw new Error('No inline script found'); new Function(script); console.log('embedded script parses'); NODE


The parser and whitespace checks pass. My last grep had a shell-quoting stumble, so I’m rerunning that scan with safer quoting.
Explored 1 search

Searched for innerHTML|outerHTML|insertAdjacentHTML|document\.write|eval\(|new Function|querySelector\(`|data-extra-name="\$|href =|dataset\.jsonUrl|textContent|replaceChildren in datasette-extras-explorer.html


I did the XSS pass and hardened datasette-extras-explorer.html.
Key changes:

Replaced the untrusted JSON innerHTML rendering path with DOM construction using textContent, createTextNode(), createElement(), and replaceChildren().
_url links are only created after resolving to final http: or https: URLs, so javascript: and protocol-relative //... values stay inert text.
Removed selector interpolation for untrusted extra names and switched to exact dataset comparison.
The only remaining innerHTML uses are static canned empty-state strings.

I also ran a hostile local JSON fixture with <script>, <img onerror>, <svg onload>, quoted URL-attribute payloads, javascript: URLs, and protocol-relative URLs. Browser inspection showed zero dangerous nodes, zero inline handlers, and all test XSS flags stayed unset.
Regression checks passed too: the Datasette _url links still render/click correctly, the Raw checkbox is gone, Copy JSON remains enabled, the embedded script parses, and git diff --check passes.
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