openclaw/openclaw · error · Error

Chrome tab not found (stale targetId?). Run action=tabs prof

Error message

Chrome tab not found (stale targetId?). Run action=tabs profile="${profile}" and use one of the returned targetIds.

What it means

Thrown during act-action execution when a Chrome stale-target error is detected, tabs are re-listed, and at least one tab exists but none matched for an automatic single-tab retry (i.e. there are 0 or 2+ tabs, or the request type is not retry-safe). The targetId used in the original request is no longer valid and the model must explicitly select a fresh one.

Source

Thrown at extensions/browser/src/browser-tool.actions.ts:528

              body: retryRequest,
              timeoutMs: resolveActProxyTimeoutMs(retryRequest),
            })
          : await browserToolActionDeps.browserAct(baseUrl, retryRequest, {
              profile,
            });
        return await finishActResult(
          retryResult,
          readStringValue((retryResult as { targetId?: unknown }).targetId) ??
            readStringValue(retryRequest.targetId),
        );
      }
      if (!tabs.length) {
        throw new Error(
          `No browser tabs found for profile="${profile}". Make sure the configured Chromium-based browser (v144+) is running and has open tabs, then retry.`,
          { cause: err },
        );
      }
      throw new Error(
        `Chrome tab not found (stale targetId?). Run action=tabs profile="${profile}" and use one of the returned targetIds.`,
        { cause: err },
      );
    }
    throw err;
  }
}

function formatActToolResult(
  result: unknown,
  aborted: BrowserBatchAbort | null,
): AgentToolResult<unknown> {
  const formatted = formatBrowserExternalToolResult({ kind: "act", payload: result });
  if (!aborted) {
    return formatted;
  }
  // Navigation aborts get fresh page state (or an unavailable hint) appended by
  // finishActResult, so only the closed case tells the model to snapshot manually.

View on GitHub (pinned to 01804a7531)

Solutions

1. Run action=tabs profile="<name>" to get the current list of valid targetIds.
2. Take a fresh snapshot against the new targetId to regenerate refs before re-issuing ref-scoped actions.
3. Use the returned targetId in subsequent act requests.
4. If the tab was closed, open a new one (action=open) and snapshot it.

Example fix

// before (stale targetId)
await browser({ action: 'act', targetId: 'OLD_TARGET', profile: 'default', request: { kind: 'click', ref: 'btn' } });

// after
const tabs = await browser({ action: 'tabs', profile: 'default' });
const freshId = tabs[0].targetId;
await browser({ action: 'snapshot', targetId: freshId, profile: 'default' }); // refresh refs
await browser({ action: 'act', targetId: freshId, profile: 'default', request: { kind: 'click', ref: 'btn' } });

// Refresh targetId before retrying after a stale-target error
const tabs = await browser({ action: 'tabs', profile: 'default' });
if (tabs.length > 0) {
  const freshTargetId = tabs[0].targetId;
  await browser({ action: 'snapshot', targetId: freshTargetId, profile: 'default' });
}

try {
  await browser({ action: 'act', targetId, profile, request });
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error && err.message.includes('Chrome tab not found')) {
    const tabs = await browser({ action: 'tabs', profile });
    const freshId = tabs[0]?.targetId;
    if (freshId) {
      await browser({ action: 'snapshot', targetId: freshId, profile }); // refresh refs
      await browser({ action: 'act', targetId: freshId, profile, request });
    }
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: executeActAction detects isChromeStaleTargetError, lists tabs, but either tabs.length > 1 (ambiguous which tab to retry against) or tabs.length === 1 but the request is not target-independent (canRetryChromeActAfterSoleTargetRefresh is false). The original error is attached as cause.

Common situations: The bound tab was closed or navigated to a new target; multiple tabs are open so auto-retry is ambiguous; ref-scoped or scripted actions can't safely retry because refs are stale after a target change.

Related errors

• No browser tabs found for profile="${profile}". Make sure th
• tab ${tabId} is not available to OpenClaw
• tab ${tabId} closed during attach
• Managed Chrome for profile "${profile.name}" exited before a
• Managed Chrome for profile "${profile.name}" did not own its

AI-assisted analysis of openclaw/openclaw@01804a7531 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9b142134a57e9e7a. Report an issue: GitHub.