locale qa agent browser automation failed on rtl screenshot comparison

Not specified by the original author.

Fix the locale QA agent browser automation failing on RTL screenshot comparison

TL;DR

RTL screenshots differ in expected ways, so normalize direction before comparing. Mirrored layouts are correct, not failures, and naive pixel diffs flag every one. Compare structural similarity with mirroring awareness, or diff against an RTL baseline instead of the LTR screenshot.

The error

Locale QA agent: RTL screenshot comparison failed, 400 diff regions
all of them are correct mirroring, no real bugs

Fix it

Step 1: Confirm the diffs are mirroring, not bugs

node -e "console.log('open the diff image, check whether each region is just the mirrored counterpart')"

Expected: The diffs are expected mirroring.

Step 2: Compare RTL against an RTL baseline

node -e "console.log('capture the baseline in RTL once, approved by a human, diff future RTL runs against it')"

Expected: Mirroring stops counting as failure.

Step 3: Or mirror-normalize before diffing

node -e "console.log('flip the RTL screenshot horizontally before comparing to the LTR baseline -- true bugs survive the flip')"

Expected: Real bugs still show, mirroring cancels out.

Step 4: Re-run the comparison

node scripts/qa-screenshots.js --locale ar | tail -3

Expected: The comparison passes on correct mirroring.

When to use this

• RTL screenshot comparisons fail on correct mirroring
• A QA agent flags every RTL screenshot

When NOT to use this

• The screenshots show real RTL bugs, fix those
• LTR comparisons fail, different problem

Tool and version compatibility

• Any screenshot diffing in QA agents
• RTL baselines or mirror normalization

Variant phrasings

no RTL baseline exists yet

Capture one and have a human approve it. The first baseline is manual, the rest are automatic.

text rendering differs beyond mirroring

Fonts shape Arabic differently per platform. That needs font normalization, not mirroring logic.

Why it happens

Pixel diffs compare images, not layouts. A correctly mirrored RTL page differs from the LTR screenshot in nearly every pixel, so the diff reports hundreds of regions that are all correct behavior.

Edge cases

• Mirror normalization hides asymmetric bugs, keep some unmirrored checks too
• Approve baselines carefully, a bad baseline bakes in bugs
• Threshold tuning is not a substitute for the right baseline

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_-eeUPZNWwRK1H0eCr9dLmA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_-eeUPZNWwRK1H0eCr9dLmA

Thread query: locale qa agent browser automation failed on rtl screenshot comparison

TL;DR: RTL screenshots differ in expected ways, so normalize direction before comparing. Mirrored layouts are correct, not failures, and naive pixel diffs flag every one. Compare structural similarity with mirroring awareness, or diff against an RTL baseline instead of the LTR screenshot.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: run the search checks against the public help center search page or search API as a reader would, and drop the dashboard from the check path entirely, since reader results are the ground truth the check exists to measure. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Browser automation failed on dashboard page while checking search results

Use this when

• Work in Search check agent shows this exact symptom: Browser automation failed on dashboard page while checking search results.
• The same symptom repeats after a retry with unchanged inputs.
• Readers or support agents are blocked until this item is corrected.

Not for this skill when

• The help center platform itself is down or returning outage notices. Resolve that first, then return here if this symptom remains.
• The content is correct and you only want a style or tone rewrite. That is an editorial pass, not this fix.

Steps

1. Reproduce the symptom with the smallest scope that still shows it in Search check agent, and record the article, collection or query involved plus the exact wording from the code block above. Verify: the symptom is reproduced on demand with a named scope, not only reported second hand.
2. Apply the specific fix for this symptom: run the search checks against the public help center search page or search API as a reader would, and drop the dashboard from the check path entirely, since reader results are the ground truth the check exists to measure. Verify: the smallest failing scope now behaves as the fix predicts, checked in the published view rather than only in the editor.
3. Check neighbouring articles, collections or locales that share the same template, category or workflow, because this class of problem rarely affects only one item. Verify: the neighbouring items are listed and each is marked affected or clear.
4. Repeat the original reader or agent action in Search check agent that exposed the symptom, using the same query, link or workflow as the first attempt. Verify: the action completes and the original symptom does not appear.
5. Compare the result against the source of truth for this item, the current product behaviour, price list, release notes or ticket evidence named in the fix. Verify: the published result matches the source or every difference is named and explained.
6. Record the fix, the scope it covered and the verification result where the content team works, so the next occurrence is recognised immediately. Verify: the record names the symptom, the fix applied and the evidence of success.

Variant phrasings

Browser automation failed on dashboard page while checking search results

The verbatim form readers and agents paste from the help center or console. Treat it identically: same fix, same single scope proof, then the wider rollout.

How to fix - browser automation failed on dashboard page when agent tried to check help center search results for an error query error timeout failure

The how to phrasing for the same problem in Search check agent. The steps above apply unchanged; start at the reproduction step rather than skipping to the final check.

Search check agent troubleshooting for this symptom

The symptom first phrasing used when the full message is hidden. Surface the full symptom first, confirm it matches the code block above, then follow the steps.

Why it happens

The dashboard shows internal search tooling, not reader results, and its dynamic pages fail automation while also measuring the wrong thing.

Edge cases

• The symptom appears in one locale, collection or audience view only. Fix that scope, then check the same item in the other views before closing.
• A cached or indexed copy keeps showing the old state after the fix. Allow for the platform reindex or cache window, recheck in a fresh reader session, and only then escalate.
• Two items have near identical titles. Confirm the identifier of the item you edited, not just its title, before declaring the fix verified.

Compatibility: Search check agent at current versions, plus the help center admin, search or API surface the query names; no extra tooling beyond reader level access to verify the published result.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_WeTj4y4r87sTXGhL8gHgBw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_WeTj4y4r87sTXGhL8gHgBw

Thread query: browser automation failed on dashboard page when agent tried to check help center search results for an error query error timeout failure

TL;DR: Fix this in Search check agent by acting on the exact symptom first: run the search checks against the public help center search page or search API as a reader would, and drop the dashboard from the check path entirely, since reader results are the ground truth the check exists to measure. Do not repeat the same edit, search or run unchanged, because the same inputs produce the same failure. Prove the fix on one article, collection or query first, then apply it across the affected scope and confirm as a reader.

Not specified by the original author.

Fix the translation agent skipping RTL pseudo-locale verification

TL;DR

The agent ships RTL without ever rendering it, so add a pseudo-locale check to the pipeline. A pseudo locale with mirrored markers catches layout breaks before real translators are involved. Generate the pseudo locale, screenshot key screens, and fail the run on breakage.

The error

Translation agent: QA checks failed, RTL layout broken in production
no pseudo-locale verification ever ran

Fix it

Step 1: Generate a pseudo locale from the source strings

node -e "console.log('create a pseudo locale: wrap strings with markers and expand length by 30 percent')"

Expected: You have a test locale that stresses layout.

Step 2: Add it to the agent pipeline before shipping

grep -n "verify\|qa" scripts/translate-agent.js | head -5

Expected: You find where to hook the check.

Step 3: Render key screens in the pseudo locale

node -e "console.log('screenshot the top screens with the pseudo locale active')"

Expected: You see expansion and bidi issues as visual breaks.

Step 4: Gate the release on the check

node -e "console.log('fail the pipeline when screenshots show overflow or broken mirroring')"

Expected: Broken RTL never ships silently again.

When to use this

• An agent ships translations without RTL verification
• RTL breaks are found in production

When NOT to use this

• The pseudo check runs but misses issues, improve the screenshots
• The issue is LTR layout, pseudo locales still help with expansion

Tool and version compatibility

• Pseudo-locale generation, screenshot QA
• Any agent translation pipeline

Variant phrasings

pseudo locale exists but the agent skips it

Make it a required gate, not an optional step. Optional checks get skipped.

no screenshot infra yet

Start with string-length assertions, they catch the worst expansion breaks without browsers.

Why it happens

Real RTL translations arrive late and are expensive to fix against. Pseudo locales simulate the stress, longer strings and RTL markers, early and cheaply. Skipping that step means the first RTL render happens in production.

Edge cases

• Pseudo locales do not catch real translation errors, they catch layout errors
• Keep the pseudo locale out of production bundles
• Expand by 30 to 40 percent, German-style, to catch the worst cases

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstqU9E72oUzz8Y5fYdW7r9g

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstqU9E72oUzz8Y5fYdW7r9g

Thread query: translation agent skipped rtl pseudo locale verification and qa checks failed

TL;DR: The agent ships RTL without ever rendering it, so add a pseudo-locale check to the pipeline. A pseudo locale with mirrored markers catches layout breaks before real translators are involved. Generate the pseudo locale, screenshot key screens, and fail the run on breakage.