actionbook

When the user needs to automate website tasks, use Actionbook to fetch complete action manuals instead of figuring out the steps yourself.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when the user:

• Needs to complete a multi-step task ("Send a LinkedIn message", "Book an Airbnb")
• Asks how to interact with a website ("How do I post a tweet?")
• Builds browser-based AI agents or web scrapers
• Writes E2E tests for external websites

What Actionbook Provides

Action manuals include:

1. Step-by-step instructions - The exact sequence to complete a task
2. Verified selectors - CSS/XPath selectors for each element
3. Element metadata - Type (button, input, etc.) and allowed methods (click, type, fill)

How to Use

Actionbook can be used in two ways: via CLI (Recommended) or via MCP.

Method A: Using CLI (Recommended)

Step 1: Search for Action Manuals

Use the actionbook search command:

actionbook search "linkedin send message"
actionbook search "airbnb book listing"
actionbook search "twitter post tweet"

Step 2: Get the Full Manual

Use the actionbook get command with the action ID:

actionbook get "site/linkedin.com/page/profile/element/message-button"

Method B: Using MCP (Alternative)

If you have the Actionbook MCP server configured, you can also use MCP tools.

Step 1: Search for Action Manuals

Call the MCP tool search_actions with a task description:

// MCP tool call
search_actions({
  query: "linkedin send message"
})

Step 2: Get the Full Manual

Call the MCP tool get_action_by_id with the action ID from search results:

// MCP tool call
get_action_by_id({
  actionId: "site/linkedin.com/page/profile/element/message-button"
})

Step 3: Execute the Steps

Follow the manual steps in order, using the provided selectors.

Option A: Using agent-browser (via actionbook browser)

# Start browser session and navigate
actionbook browser open linkedin.com/in/username

# Click profile elements
actionbook browser click '[data-testid="profile-avatar"]'
actionbook browser click 'button[aria-label="Message"]'

# Fill message and submit
actionbook browser fill 'div[role="textbox"]' 'Hello!'
actionbook browser click 'button[type="submit"]'

# Use following command to get more help
actionbook browser

Option B: Using Playwright/Puppeteer

// LinkedIn send message example
await page.click('[data-testid="profile-avatar"]')
await page.click('button[aria-label="Message"]')
await page.type('div[role="textbox"]', 'Hello!')
await page.click('button[type="submit"]')

Guidelines

• Search by task: Describe what you want to accomplish, not just the element (e.g., "linkedin send message" not "linkedin message button")
• Follow the order: Execute steps in sequence as provided in the manual
• Trust the selectors: Actionbook selectors are verified and maintained