CloakBrowser 0.5.8 — False-negative visible actionability check on dropdown menu items

[thesob]

Bug Report: CloakBrowser 0.5.8 — False-negative visible actionability check on dropdown menu items

---

Environment

cloakbrowser (wrapper)	0.5.8 (regression) — confirmed working on 0.4.11
Browser binary	v146 (free tier)
Playwright	1.61.0
Python	3.12.13
OS	Linux 6.8.0-137-generic x86_64 (Docker container, glibc 2.41)
Launch mode	launch_persistent_context(..., headless=False, humanize=True, viewport={"width": 1920, "height": 1080})

Summary

After upgrading only the cloakbrowser wrapper from 0.4.11 → 0.5.8 (base image + pip package, no other code changes), a previously-reliable page.click("text=Hoy") call started failing 100% of the time with ElementNotVisibleError, even though the target element is demonstrably visible and rendered on screen at the exact moment of the check.

Steps to reproduce (site-specific, described since it's on a private/authenticated site)

Open an open, absolutely-positioned dropdown menu (.daterangepicker.dropdown-menu, display: block) containing a list of <li> options, e.g.:

<div class="daterangepicker dropdown-menu opensright" style="display: block; ...">
  <div class="ranges">
    <ul>
      <li class="active">Hoy</li>
      <li>Últimos 7 Días</li>
      <li>Mes Actual</li>
      ...
    </ul>
  </div>
  <div class="calendar left">...</div>
</div>

Call page.click("text=Hoy", timeout=10000) (via the humanized wrapper, humanize=True).
3. Observe ElementNotVisibleError: Element 'text=Hoy' failed visible check: element is not visible after the full timeout elapses.
4. Retry with force=True → this skips ensure_actionable() entirely but still calls scroll_to_element(), which now raises RuntimeError: Element not found while scrolling into view because get_box() returns None.

Expected behavior

The click should succeed (as it reliably did on 0.4.11), since the element:

• Is attached to the DOM
• Has non-zero size (visually rendered, orange-highlighted active state)
• Is within the viewport
• Is not covered by any other element

Actual behavior

_stealth_actionable() in cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py reports visible: false for the entire 10-second retry window (backoff loop [100, 250, 500, 1000]ms), even though:

• A debug screenshot taken by our own error handler at the exact moment of the ElementNotVisibleError shows the "Hoy" <li> fully rendered, highlighted, and in the same visual state as a manual browser inspection of the identical dropdown (screenshots available, see "Attachments" below).
• The manual (non-automated) inspection of the same page/dropdown, in a separate browser session, shows the element in an ordinary, clearly visible state (class="active", orange background) — no unusual CSS (opacity, transform, visibility: hidden, display: none) is present.

This strongly suggests a false negative in the in-world visibility computation added/changed in 0.5.x, rather than a real rendering issue.

Comparison across versions (from our production logs)

• Last run on 0.4.11: Clicking filter option 'Hoy'... → succeeded in < 1 second.
• First run on 0.5.8 (same code path, no other changes deployed yet): Clicking filter option 'Hoy'... → failed after ~30s (default click timeout) with the identical ElementNotVisibleError.
• Reproduced identically across 4 separate runs on 0.5.8 (different sessions, different persistent profile states), always at the same step.
• Reverting the wrapper + base image back to 0.4.11 (no other code changes) immediately restored the previous reliable behavior.

Suspected root cause / area to investigate

• cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py::_stealth_actionable() — the in-world (page._stealth_world) evaluation of build_actionable_js(selector) for the "visible" check.
• Possibly related to the 0.5.x changelog items "safer humanized pre-click checks" (0.5.7) and "safer humanized behavior after in-page navigation ... scroll refinements" (0.5.8) — a change here may have altered how visibility/geometry is computed for elements inside dropdowns that are:
  • Absolutely/fixed-positioned relative to a trigger element rather than in normal document flow,
  • Rendered via a toggled display: block (Bootstrap-style dropdown-menu) rather than being always in the DOM,
  • Possibly cached/stale in the isolated-world context (page._stealth_world) across an earlier navigation or DOM mutation in the same page session (we also removed an unrelated banner via page.evaluate() shortly before this click, in case that's a relevant trigger for isolated-world staleness — see stealth.invalidate() calls tied to framenavigated in __init__.py, which wouldn't fire here since there's no navigation, only a DOM mutation).

Suggested fix / workaround for the CloakBrowser team

1. Add a regression test with a Bootstrap-style toggled dropdown-menu (display: none ↔ display: block, no navigation involved) to the actionability test suite, asserting the in-world visible check agrees with Playwright's own locator.is_visible()/bounding_box() for such elements.
2. Consider falling back to Playwright's own is_visible()/bounding_box() as a cross-check when the in-world read reports not visible but the element has a non-null, non-zero bounding box — i.e., only trust "not visible" from the isolated world when geometry is also absent/zero, to avoid false negatives like this one.
3. If the isolated world (page._stealth_world) can go stale after in-page DOM mutations that aren't full navigations (e.g. page.evaluate() removing an unrelated banner elsewhere on the page), consider invalidating/re-syncing it on such mutations too, not just on framenavigated.

Suggested workaround for our own use (already applied)

Pinned back to cloakbrowser==0.4.11 / cloakhq/cloakbrowser:0.4.11 until this is fixed upstream.

Attachments

CloakBrowser 0.5.8 — false-negative 'visible' actionability check
====================================================================

Environment
-----------
cloakbrowser (wrapper):  0.5.8   (regression)
Known-good version:      0.4.11 (confirmed working, same code, same site)
Browser binary:          v146 (free tier)
Playwright:              1.61.0
Python:                  3.12.13
OS:                      Linux 6.8.0-137-generic x86_64 (Docker, glibc 2.41)
Launch options:          launch_persistent_context(
                             PROFILE_DIR,
                             headless=False,
                             humanize=True,
                             viewport={"width": 1920, "height": 1080},
                             accept_downloads=True,
                             args=['--start-maximized'],
                         )

Failing call
------------
page.click("text=Hoy", timeout=10000)

... where "Hoy" is a <li class="active">Hoy</li> inside an open
Bootstrap-style dropdown menu (.daterangepicker.dropdown-menu.opensright,
style="display: block; ..."), toggled open by an earlier click on its
trigger element (not a page navigation).

A screenshot taken via page.screenshot() at the exact moment of each
failure below shows the "Hoy" element fully rendered, orange-highlighted,
and unobstructed -- visually identical to a manual (non-automated)
inspection of the same dropdown in a separate, unrelated browser session.

====================================================================
Occurrence 1 -- job started 2026-08-20T21:02:24.358196Z
====================================================================
2026-08-20 21:02:xx [INFO] Clicking filter option 'Hoy'...
2026-08-20 21:02:xx [WARNING] Click failed on 'Hoy': Element 'text=Hoy'
    failed visible check: element is not visible, retrying force click
    after overlay check...
2026-08-20 21:03:04.397 [ERROR] Error during scraping: Element not found
    while scrolling into view

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/app/scraper.py", line 463, in run_scraper
    page.click("text=Hoy", timeout=10000)
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/__init__.py", line 1081, in _human_click
    ensure_actionable(page, selector, CHECKS_CLICK, timeout=_remaining_ms(), force=force)
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py", line 163, in ensure_actionable
    raise last_error
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py", line 169, in ensure_actionable
    if not _stealth_actionable(page, selector, checks):
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py", line 109, in _stealth_actionable
    raise ElementNotVisibleError(selector)
cloakbrowser.human.actionability.ElementNotVisibleError: Element 'text=Hoy' failed visible check: element is not visible

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/app/scraper.py", line 467, in run_scraper
    page.click("text=Hoy", force=True)
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/__init__.py", line 1084, in _human_click
    box, cx, cy, did_scroll = scroll_to_element(
                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/scroll.py", line 231, in scroll_to_element
    return human_scroll_into_view(
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/scroll.py", line 131, in human_scroll_into_view
    raise RuntimeError("Element not found while scrolling into view")
RuntimeError: Element not found while scrolling into view

2026-08-20 21:03:04.400 [INFO] Screenshot saved to: /app/downloads/error_20260820_210304.png
2026-08-20 21:03:04.397 [INFO] Scraper session ended. Total duration: 40.04 seconds
Job Failed Logic: {'status': 'error', 'message': 'Element not found while scrolling into view', ...,
'scrapedAt': '2026-08-20T21:02:24.358196Z'}

====================================================================
Occurrence 2 -- job started 2026-08-20T21:03:33.499457Z
====================================================================
2026-08-20 21:03:56.766 [INFO] Clicking filter option 'Hoy'...
2026-08-20 21:04:06.809 [WARNING] Click failed on 'Hoy': Element 'text=Hoy'
    failed visible check: element is not visible, retrying force click
    after overlay check...
2026-08-20 21:04:08.930 [ERROR] Error during scraping: Element not found
    while scrolling into view

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/app/scraper.py", line 463, in run_scraper
    page.click("text=Hoy", timeout=10000)
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/__init__.py", line 1081, in _human_click
    ensure_actionable(page, selector, CHECKS_CLICK, timeout=_remaining_ms(), force=force)
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py", line 163, in ensure_actionable
    raise last_error
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py", line 169, in ensure_actionable
    if not _stealth_actionable(page, selector, checks):
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py", line 109, in _stealth_actionable
    raise ElementNotVisibleError(selector)
cloakbrowser.human.actionability.ElementNotVisibleError: Element 'text=Hoy' failed visible check: element is not visible

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/app/scraper.py", line 467, in run_scraper
    page.click("text=Hoy", force=True)
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/__init__.py", line 1084, in _human_click
    box, cx, cy, did_scroll = scroll_to_element(
                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/scroll.py", line 231, in scroll_to_element
    return human_scroll_into_view(
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/scroll.py", line 131, in human_scroll_into_view
    raise RuntimeError("Element not found while scrolling into view")
RuntimeError: Element not found while scrolling into view

2026-08-20 21:04:09.112 [INFO] Screenshot saved to: /app/downloads/error_20260820_210408.png
2026-08-20 21:04:09.112 [INFO] Scraper session ended. Total duration: 35.61 seconds
Job Failed Logic: {'status': 'error', 'message': 'Element not found while scrolling into view', ...,
'scrapedAt': '2026-08-20T21:03:33.499457Z'}

====================================================================
Occurrence 3 -- job started 2026-08-20T21:04:47.601244Z
====================================================================
2026-08-20 21:05:08.880 [INFO] Clicking filter option 'Hoy'...
2026-08-20 21:05:18.918 [WARNING] Click failed on 'Hoy': Element 'text=Hoy'
    failed visible check: element is not visible, retrying force click
    after overlay check...
2026-08-20 21:05:21.014 [ERROR] Error during scraping: Element not found
    while scrolling into view

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/app/scraper.py", line 463, in run_scraper
    page.click("text=Hoy", timeout=10000)
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/__init__.py", line 1081, in _human_click
    ensure_actionable(page, selector, CHECKS_CLICK, timeout=_remaining_ms(), force=force)
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py", line 163, in ensure_actionable
    raise last_error
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py", line 169, in ensure_actionable
    if not _stealth_actionable(page, selector, checks):
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/actionability.py", line 109, in _stealth_actionable
    raise ElementNotVisibleError(selector)
cloakbrowser.human.actionability.ElementNotVisibleError: Element 'text=Hoy' failed visible check: element is not visible

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/app/scraper.py", line 467, in run_scraper
    page.click("text=Hoy", force=True)
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/__init__.py", line 1084, in _human_click
    box, cx, cy, did_scroll = scroll_to_element(
                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/scroll.py", line 231, in scroll_to_element
    return human_scroll_into_view(
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "/app/cloakbrowser/human/scroll.py", line 131, in human_scroll_into_view
    raise RuntimeError("Element not found while scrolling into view")
RuntimeError: Element not found while scrolling into view

2026-08-20 21:05:21.196 [INFO] Screenshot saved to: /app/downloads/error_20260820_210521.png
2026-08-20 21:05:21.196 [INFO] Scraper session ended. Total duration: 33.59 seconds
Job Failed Logic: {'status': 'error', 'message': 'Element not found while scrolling into view', ...,
'scrapedAt': '2026-08-20T21:04:47.601244Z'}

====================================================================
Screenshots taken at the moment of each failure (available on request,
files are on the reporter's machine, not attached to this text file):
====================================================================
- downloads/error_20260820_210304.png  (Occurrence 1)
- downloads/error_20260820_210408.png  (Occurrence 2)
- downloads/error_20260820_210521.png  (Occurrence 3)

All three show the "Hoy" <li> fully visible, orange-highlighted
(class="active"), inside the open .daterangepicker dropdown -- no
overlay, modal, or covering element on top of it.

====================================================================
Resolution
====================================================================
Reverting cloakbrowser (wrapper + cloakhq/cloakbrowser base image) from
0.5.8 back to 0.4.11, with no other code changes, immediately restored
the previous reliable behavior: the identical page.click("text=Hoy")
call succeeded in under a second on the next run.

[Cloak-HQ]

Thanks for the detailed report and reproduction. We confirmed the root cause: the target uses display: contents, so its rendered content is visible while the element itself has no geometry.

We’ve implemented this fix as part of a broader selector and actionability update across Python, JavaScript, and .NET. It includes unit and real-browser regression coverage and is currently undergoing final validation before merge.

The changes are available on the fix/humanized-selector-parity branch. If you can test your original flow against that branch, please let us know whether it resolves the issue.

We’ll keep this issue open through release and validation.