Why Browser Agents Fail: The Missing Layer Between Perception and Action

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A technical analysis argues that most browser-based AI agent failures stem not from model errors but from inadequate runtime representations of web pages. Unlike humans, large language models receive only the surface fed to them—pixels, accessibility trees, or raw DOM—none of which fully captures live page state. The author introduces 'structured runtime perception,' a layer that records what is visible, interactive, disabled, hidden, or loading at the exact moment an agent must act. This approach, implemented as SiFR in the E2LLM framework, aims to close the gap between what HTML declares and what a user actually experiences in the browser. The post is the fourth in a series exploring how agents can better perceive and interact with live web environments.

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