# steel-reliability

This skill helps investigate unreliable Steel browser automation involving CAPTCHAs, blocks, proxies, profiles, and retries. Use it when login or session behavior breaks down.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 432 installs · ★ 4
- Author: steel-dev
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/steel-dev/skills/tree/HEAD/steel-reliability/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-06-04
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/steel-reliability

## What it does

steel-reliability gives an agent a fact-led way to investigate Steel browser workflows that stop behaving consistently. It covers CAPTCHA loops, 403 and human-check pages, proxy failures, profile or identity issues, lost login state, suspicious request pacing, redirect loops, and retry behavior.

The workflow starts with `steel doctor --preflight`, then checks for a failed session ID, screenshots, logs, and error text. It preserves evidence before configuration changes, checks profiles, pacing, concurrency, proxy or CAPTCHA access, and reruns the smallest failing step. Supporting material covers the mitigation ladder, feature gates, proxies, CAPTCHAs, credentials, identity, pacing, and failure signals.

On Hobby plans, Steel-managed `useProxy` and CAPTCHA solving should not be enabled silently; feature access comes first. When a failed session has no evidence yet, use `steel-session-debugging` before this skill.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add steel-dev/skills --skill steel-reliability -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/steel-reliability/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/steel-reliability/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add steel-dev/skills --skill steel-reliability -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/steel-reliability/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add steel-dev/skills --skill steel-reliability -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/steel-reliability/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install steel-dev/skills steel-reliability
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/steel-reliability/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add steel-dev/skills --skill steel-reliability -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/steel-dev/skills --path steel-reliability
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/steel-reliability/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add steel-dev/skills --skill steel-reliability -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/steel-dev/skills/tree/HEAD/steel-reliability/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- trace a CAPTCHA loop or 403 response
- inspect proxy and profile failures
- preserve evidence from a broken session
- adjust pacing, retries, or concurrency
- check access to proxy and CAPTCHA features

## Example prompts
- Investigate this Steel session failure with a CAPTCHA loop and propose the least invasive next step.
- Run `steel doctor --preflight`, then explain why login state and the profile are not persisting.
- Review these redirect and retry failures, preserving logs and screenshots before changing configuration.

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 21abc4dc9eb650ff.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 21abc4dc9eb650ff
````text
---
name: steel-reliability
description: Use this skill when a Steel automation appears unreliable because of bot detection, CAPTCHA loops, 403/access-denied or verify-you-are-human pages, proxy failures, profile or identity problems, credential or login persistence issues, suspicious pacing, redirect loops, or retry strategy, or when the user asks about stealth, proxies, CAPTCHA solving, profiles, credentials, or reliable logins. Do not use as a first step for unknown failed sessions; collect evidence with steel-session-debugging first when needed.
license: MIT
compatibility: claude-code,codex,cursor,opencode,pi
metadata:
  owner: steel
  category: reliability
  stage: beta
---

# Steel Reliability

## Skill Boundary

Use this skill to plan and verify legitimate reliability improvements for Steel browser workflows.

Do not promise guaranteed bypass. Do not provide advice for evading access controls or violating site terms. Start with the least invasive change that fits the evidence.

If the user has a failed session but no evidence yet, load `steel-session-debugging` first.

## Setup Check

1. Confirm `steel doctor --preflight` passes.
2. Confirm whether the user has a failed session ID, screenshot, logs, or error text.
3. Check feature access before enabling paid CAPTCHA or Steel-managed proxy features.
4. Preserve evidence before changing configuration.

## Mitigation Ladder

1. Determine whether the failure is normal auth/app behavior or likely anti-bot/reliability.
2. Preserve evidence: status codes, redirects, challenge text, screenshots, console errors, failed requests.
3. Use profiles when login state, cookies, or reputation matter.
4. Add realistic pacing and lower concurrency.
5. Add Steel-managed proxies only when feature access supports them, or BYOP when the user supplies a proxy.
6. Add CAPTCHA solving when feature access supports it and the target flow allows it.
7. Tune stealth config only with clear justification.
8. Verify by rerunning the smallest failing step.

## Feature Check

```bash
curl -sSfL "https://api.steel.dev/v1/details" \
  -H "steel-api-key: $STEEL_API_KEY" | jq -r '.plan'
```

On Hobby plans, do not silently enable Steel-managed `useProxy` or CAPTCHA solving. Use defaults, BYOP when supplied, profiles, pacing, or ask the user to upgrade.

## References

- `references/mitigation-ladder.md`: staged diagnostic and mitigation workflow.
- `references/stealth-and-antibot.md`: challenge signals and acceptable framing.
- `references/feature-access.md`: plan checks and feature gates.
- `references/proxies.md`: Steel-managed proxies, geotargeting, and BYOP.
- `references/captchas.md`: detection, status, manual solve, and failure handling.
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 21abc4dc9eb650ff

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First 2710 of 3105 bytes. © steel-dev · MIT · https://github.com/steel-dev/skills/tree/HEAD/steel-reliability/SKILL.md

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---
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