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WorkflowsSteps

Work in a web portal

See what the browser step can do in a customer or vendor web portal, such as downloading a statement or uploading an invoice for you.

Some vendors and customers only offer a website: a portal where you sign in to download a statement or submit an invoice. The Stagehand step opens a browser and works in that website for you. You tell it what to do in plain words, such as "click Statements and download the latest one".

  1. TriggerFirst of the month
  2. StepOpen the vendor portal
    Navigate to the sign-in page.
  3. StepSign in
    Act: type the username and password.
  4. StepDownload the statement
    Download: the PDF is saved to Files.
  5. OutputStatement read and filed

Before you start

Have permission to use the portal and a test task that will not submit live transactions. Ask your developer to store sign-in details as secrets.

What it can do

Choose one under Action for each step:

  • Navigate: open a web address.
  • Act: do one thing on the page, such as click a button or fill in a field.
  • Extract: read information off the page, such as the balance shown on an account summary.
  • Observe: describe what can be done on the page, without doing it.
  • Download: click a link that downloads a file. Persist To Folder saves it to Files.
  • Screenshot: capture the page, for your records.
  • Agent: carry out a longer task of several actions from one instruction.

All Stagehand steps in one run share the same browser, so a later step carries on where the earlier one left off.

Set it up

Store the portal password as a secret

Ask your developer to save the password as a secret for this workflow (gear icon > Secrets). Do not type passwords into the instruction itself.

Add a step to open the portal

Drag Stagehand from Integrations onto the canvas. Set Action to Navigate and put the portal's address in URL.

Add a step for each action

Add one Stagehand step per action, such as Act to sign in and Download to get the statement. In Instruction, write what to do as you would tell a temp. Ask chat to put the stored password into the sign-in instruction.

Test it

Deploy and run the workflow, then open the run under Runs and check each step.

Good to know

  • The step uses AI to find buttons and fields from your words. Short, specific instructions work better: "click the Statements tab", not "get my statements".
  • Portals change their pages. A step that worked last month can fail after a redesign. Check the runs after a portal changes.
  • Portals that ask for a code sent to your phone at each sign-in may stop the step. Ask your developer about a saved browser session.
  • The default execution limit is one hour, including time spent in the browser. Time waiting for an approval does not count toward that limit.

Check it worked

Open the run under Runs. Check the browser step's result and any document saved under Files. Compare it with the document you expected from the portal.

If something goes wrong

If sign-in or a button fails, check whether the portal changed or requires an extra security code. Ask your developer to review the session. For the step error, see Error messages explained.

Send an email or Slack message

Notify people from a workflow by sending an email or posting a Slack message, for example to tell AP that a bill is ready for review.

Reuse one workflow inside another

Call a shared workflow as one step of another, so a task you repeat in many workflows, such as creating a customer, is built only once.

On this page

Before you startWhat it can doSet it upStore the portal password as a secretAdd a step to open the portalAdd a step for each actionTest itGood to knowCheck it workedIf something goes wrongRelated