jackwener/OpenCLI · error · CommandExecutionError

Gmail requires native browser input

Error message

Gmail ${operation} requires native browser input

What it means

submitSearch requires native OS-level keyboard input: if page.nativeType is not a function it throws this CommandExecutionError. Gmail's search box ignores synthetic DOM value injection, so the library only types through the driver's native input path and refuses anything less reliable.

Solutions

1. Use the library's browser page wrapper that implements nativeType
2. Add/upgrade the driver bridge so page.nativeType delegates to the underlying native keyboard API (e.g. page.keyboard.type)
3. Check typeof page.nativeType === 'function' before invoking Gmail search operations
4. Align versions of the browser helper and this library

Example fix

// before: raw puppeteer page without nativeType
const page = await browser.newPage();
await queryThreads(page, 'in:unread');
// after: adapt the driver's native keyboard into the expected API
page.nativeType = (text) => page.keyboard.type(text);
await queryThreads(page, 'in:unread');

if (typeof page?.nativeType !== 'function') {
  throw new Error('use the library page wrapper with nativeType support');
}

function supportsNativeType(page) {
  return typeof page?.nativeType === 'function';
}

try {
  await queryThreads(page, 'in:inbox');
} catch (e) {
  if (/requires native browser input/.test(e.message)) {
    console.error('Swap in the library\'s instrumented page wrapper');
  } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling queryThreads/listLabels with a page wrapper lacking nativeType — e.g. a raw Puppeteer Page (which has keyboard.type but not page.nativeType), a minimal shim, or an outdated browser helper.

Common situations: Handing the library a page object from a different driver/version than expected; custom page wrappers that implemented evaluate/sleep but not native input; driver upgrades that renamed the native-type helper.

Related errors

• Gmail could not set the search query exactly
• Gmail requires browser response interception
• Gmail requires native browser keyboard input
• Failed to insert text into Gemini composer
• Gmail capture

AI-assisted analysis of jackwener/OpenCLI@49907e53dc (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9ba46361d17e87fe. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at clis/gmail/utils.js:463

      ...row,
      threadId: cleanString(target).replace(/^#/, ''),
      date: parsedDate && !Number.isNaN(parsedDate.getTime()) ? parsedDate.toISOString() : null,
      body: cleanString(row.body).slice(0, MAX_BODY_CHARS) || null,
    };
  }).map(({ dateText: _dateText, ...row }) => row);
}

async function submitSearch(page, query, operation) {
  const prepared = unwrapBrowserResult(await page.evaluate(`() => {
    const field = document.querySelector('input[name="q"]');
    if (!field) return false;
    field.focus();
    field.select();
    return true;
  }`), `${operation} search preparation`);
  if (prepared !== true) throw new CommandExecutionError(`Gmail ${operation} could not find the search input`);
  if (typeof page.nativeType !== 'function') {
    throw new CommandExecutionError(`Gmail ${operation} requires native browser input`);
  }
  await page.nativeType(query);
  const actual = unwrapBrowserResult(await page.evaluate(`() => document.querySelector('input[name="q"]')?.value || ''`), `${operation} search input verification`);
  if (actual !== query) throw new CommandExecutionError(`Gmail ${operation} could not set the search query exactly`);
  if (typeof page.cdp === 'function') {
    const key = { key: 'Enter', code: 'Enter', windowsVirtualKeyCode: 13, nativeVirtualKeyCode: 13 };
    await page.cdp('Input.dispatchKeyEvent', { type: 'rawKeyDown', ...key });
    await page.cdp('Input.dispatchKeyEvent', { type: 'keyUp', ...key });
  } else if (typeof page.nativeKeyPress === 'function') {
    await page.nativeKeyPress('Enter');
  } else {
    throw new CommandExecutionError(`Gmail ${operation} requires native browser keyboard input`);
  }
}

export async function queryThreads(page, query, { account = 0, limit = DEFAULT_LIMIT } = {}) {
  const normalizedQuery = cleanString(query);
  if (!normalizedQuery) throw new ArgumentError('Gmail search query cannot be empty');

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