social-media-video-upload

# Social Media Video Upload — Hybrid Pattern Foundational reference for uploading files to web apps through Chrome when Playwright's `browser_file_upload` doesn't work (returns `Protocol error (DOM.setFileInputFiles): Not allowed`). ## The Core Problem - `browser_file_upload` fails on LinkedIn, X, and many sites: `Not allowed` - Playwright intercepts `fileChooserOpened` CDP events, which prevents the native macOS file dialog from appearing - On **X specifically**: you must **close the Playwright tab** (`browser_close`) before the macOS-use click triggers the file dialog — otherwise Playwright's CDP listener swallows the event ## The Solution: Hybrid Playwright + macOS-use Use Playwright for all standard web interactions (navigate, type, click web buttons). Switch to macOS-use when you need to trigger and interact with native file dialogs. ### Step-by-Step Pattern 1. **Use Playwright** for navigation, typing text, clicking web UI buttons 2. **When you hit a file upload button:** - On X: call `browser_close` first to release CDP file chooser interception - On LinkedIn: no need to close — just switch to macOS-use 3. **Find Chrome PID:** ```bash pgrep -x "Google Chrome" ``` 4. **Click the upload button via macOS-use** (`click_and_traverse`) — this triggers the native file dialog 5. **Confirm dialog opened:** grep the traversal output for `AXSheet` role 6. **Navigate the file dialog:** - Press `Cmd+Shift+G` to open "Go to folder" text field - Type the full absolute file path - Press `Return` to navigate 7. **Click "Open" button:** - The Open/Cancel buttons are always near the bottom of the AXSheet - Typically at `y > 1500` (around y ~1565) - Grep traversal for `"Open"` and find the AXButton 8. **Verify upload** — wait for upload progress indicator to complete 9. **Continue posting** via macOS-use (click Post, Next, etc.) ## Traversal Tips - **Never read full traversal JSON** — files are huge. Use grep or python to search. - Check for `AXSheet` role to confirm file dialog is open - The "Where:" popup shows the current directory in the file dialog - File dialog Open/Cancel buttons are typically at y ~1565 - After clicking Open, wait a moment for the file to be selected/uploaded ## Platform-Specific Notes | Platform | Close Playwright? | Upload Button | Post-Upload | |----------|-------------------|---------------|-------------| | LinkedIn | No | "Add media" in composer | Click "Next" (video edit), then "Post" | | X | **Yes** (`browser_close`) | Media icon (image/video) | Wait for "Uploaded (100%)", click "Post" | ## Common Gotchas - **Playwright steals file dialogs**: The CDP `fileChooserOpened` event listener prevents native dialogs. On X, the only fix is closing the Playwright connection. - **Cmd+Shift+G timing**: Sometimes the "Go to folder" sheet takes a moment to appear. If typing the path doesn't work, wait and retry. - **File path must be absolute**: Always use full paths like `/path/to/your/video.mp4` - **AXSheet detection**: After clicking an upload button, grep for `AXSheet` in the traversal to confirm the dialog appeared. If it didn't, the CDP interception may have swallowed it.