Browser control keeps dropping, resetting, or getting stuck on "verify you are human"

You asked Otto to work on a website through Browser control, and the connection keeps dropping and reconnecting, the page resets to blank before you can finish, or a "verify you are human" check keeps restarting so you can never get past it. This article explains why it happens and what to do.

What is going on

Browser control runs a small helper that drives a real Chrome window for Otto. That helper can be restarted between steps, and each restart opens the browsing session fresh - which is what you see as the page resetting to blank or the connection "reconnecting." A human-verification check (the Cloudflare "confirm you are human" box) is especially sensitive to this, because it needs the same unbroken session to complete, and a restart mid-check sends you back to the start.

First: update to the newest version

Version 1.7.16 makes this much steadier. The browsing helper is now pinned to a fixed version instead of re-fetching the newest one every time it starts, which was the main cause of the repeated dropping and reconnecting inside a single session. Update first:

1. In the app, click Check for Updates at the top left, or grab the newest build from booked.kivimedia.co/download.
2. Restart the app after it updates.

Your browser sign-ins carry over between runs, so you do not lose logins when the helper restarts.

If a page still resets while you work it

• Do the human check quickly and in one go. When a "verify you are human" box appears, complete it right away rather than switching away and back - a long pause raises the chance the session restarts under it.
• Sign in to the site once, in the browsing window, before you hand the task to Otto. Once you are signed in, that login persists, so Otto is not landing on a fresh login wall each time.
• For a site that fights automation hard (some lead marketplaces like The Bash or GigSalad use aggressive bot checks), it is often faster to do the sign-in and the human check yourself in the window, then let Otto read and draft from the page once you are through.

When to send it to us

If it still drops repeatedly on the newest version, that is exactly the kind of thing we want to see. Turn on detailed logging (Troubleshooting > "Generate a support bundle and turn on support logging"), reproduce the drop once, then send the bundle from inside the app (Get Help) or to the help desk. The newest version records each drop, so the bundle now shows us exactly where the connection is failing - which is how it gets fixed for good.

Still stuck? Submit a ticket from this help center and we will take it from there.