Web Operator

The Web Operator action is a specialized action within the AI tool that allows you to interact with a remote browser instance by talking to the MESA AI assistant. With it, you can log into a system, extract data, or take actions directly in the browser, and then turn that flow into an automation.

Configure

Extracting Data Example

The following tutorial explains how to use the Web Operator via Gmail to automate gathering the 10 most recent emails from your inbox.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/bnpj0Q6XVg0?rel=0

Setup

1. Add the Web Operator step to your workflow.

2. Click the Build Web Operator instructions with MESA AI button within the Web Operator step to launch the MESA AI assistant.

3. Tell the MESA AI assistant exactly what you want to do in the service you’re using.

   • For this example, the prompt is: “Can you login to my Gmail account and list the 10 most recent emails in my inbox, including sender, subject, and the time received?”

4. Use the browser session the MESA AI assistant creates to log in to the service.

5. Once logged in, tell the MESA AI assistant to continue.

   Note

   Slow load times should be expected as the MESA AI assistant processes the output. Refer to the Technical Notes below for more details.

6. After the MESA AI assistant provides your results, review them to ensure that all of the information is accurate.

7. Once you’ve confirmed the MESA AI assistant has provided accurate results based on your instructions, tell the MESA AI assistant to “save this as an automation.”

8. After the MESA AI assistant confirms the automation has been saved, you should see your Web Operator step has been updated with the instructions.

   You can edit the instructions in the Web Operator step at any time.

9. Save your workflow and begin a manual run to see how the results of this process will be automated going forward!

   The data from the automation will be available in your workflow as variables.

Submitting a Form Example

The following tutorial explains how to use the Web Operator to submit a form in an automation.

Setup

1. Add the Web Operator step to your workflow.

2. Click the Build Web Operator instructions with MESA AI button within the Web Operator step to launch the MESA AI assistant.

3. Tell the MESA AI assistant exactly what you want to do.

   • For this example, the prompt is: “I want to submit my Shopify order to this form [create a Form link]. The form only has Order Name, and Customer Name. I want you to send the order name and the customer name.”

4. The MESA AI assistant will create a browser session, but you will not need to use it.

5. Wait for the MESA AI assistant to finish analyzing the page.

   Note

   Slow load times should be expected as the MESA AI assistant processes the output. Refer to the Technical Notes below for more details.

6. After the MESA AI assistant provides your results, review them to ensure that all of the information is accurate.

7. Once you’ve confirmed the MESA AI assistant has provided accurate results based on your instructions, tell the MESA AI assistant to “save this as an automation.”

8. After the MESA AI assistant confirms the automation has been saved, you should see your Web Operator step has been updated with the instructions.

   You can edit the instructions in the Web Operator step to reference any data that’s available via variables from steps prior to the Web Operator in the workflow.

9. Save your workflow and begin a manual run to see how the results of this process will be automated going forward!

10. If you’re using the Form in another workflow, verify that it was submitted based on your Web Operator step processing.

What to do with a Connection Error

1. If your Web Operator has run and did not complete the expected outcome, it’s best to check the connection.

2. Navigate to My Account from your profile icon in the MESA dashboard and select the Connections tab.

3. Select the connection that your Web Operator is using (it will look like the AI step icon).

4. With the connection modal open, click the Take me to login button and log in to the service you’re using with the Web Operator.

5. Save your changes to update the connection for Web Operator.

Going Further

When to use the Web Operator

The Web Operator should be used when you need to take actions in a service that requires logging in, and:

• Does not have an existing integration, or
• Does not provide an API (or the API is too limited for what you need).

In these cases, we use AI to automate actions as if it were you interacting with the tool directly in a browser. Because of this, there must be some kind of user interface involved, such as a dashboard, admin panel, or web app, where actions can be performed after logging in.

When NOT to use the Web Operator

The Web Operator should not be used if you do not need to log into a service and are simply trying to extract data.

Better alternatives for these instances include:

• Using the API tool when the data is available as JSON.
• Using a programming language if you’re transforming or processing data.
• Using the Scraper tool if you’re abstracting or extracting data from public web pages or forms.

In short, the Web Operator is primarily designed for logged-in, dashboard-based workflows where you need to take actions inside a web UI that cannot be accessed through an API.

Best Practices

There are a few key factors that will get you the best results with the Web Operator action:

• Be very explicit about what you want the MESA AI assistant to do.
• You are responsible for logging into the target system during setup.
• Confirm that the output matches what you expect for your given example.
• Once everything looks correct, tell the MESA AI assistant to automate the process.
  • From that point forward, the flow runs as an automation.

Note

If the action cannot be completed (most commonly due to login issues), we treat the automation as a failed run and surface an error.

Technical Notes

Performance and Timing Expectations

Because the Web Operator is using AI to visually navigate, analyze, and interact with a live browser, some steps, such as extracting data, analyzing pages, or determining next actions, can take a bit of time. It is normal for certain operations to take up to a minute or more while the AI figures out what to do next.

You should expect this and be patient during these steps. This is not a traditional API call; it’s AI reasoning through a real interface.

Logging in to Third-Party Services

For privacy protection, do not prompt the MESA AI assistant to automate the login process for your Web Operator by providing login details (usernames, emails, passwords, etc.). You should manually add your login credentials via the browser instance that’s generated each time you use the Web Operator.