Oxylabs: base64 for image downloads, browser_instructions needs render html, tag jobs with client_notes

TL;DR

Set content_encoding to base64 or the binary comes back mangled. Three Oxylabs params that bite silently.

Fix

1. Set content_encoding to base64 or the binary comes back mangled. Expected: You get the expected result; the problem is gone.

When to use

• You are setting up or using this Oxylabs feature.
• The symptom matches: base64 for image downloads, browserinstructions needs render html, tag jobs with clientnotes.

When NOT to use

• Unrelated Oxylabs issues (different feature, different failure).
• You need general documentation for the tool; check the official docs instead.

Compatibility

Reported against Oxylabs. Source: https://github.com/oxylabs/agent-skills/blob/HEAD/skills/web-scraper-api/SKILL.md.

Variant phrasings

base64 for image downloads, browserinstructions needs render html, tag jobs with clientnotes

Why it happens

Oxylabs' official agent skill: three param-level gotchas. (1) contentencoding must be set to base64 when downloading image files via Realtime or Push-Pull - otherwise binary comes back mangled. (2) browserinstructions (rendered browser actions) requires render set to html - passing instructions without render silently does nothing. (3) client_notes is a client-side job tag saved with the job metadata - use it to tag jobs per pipeline or customer so results stay attributable when many jobs share an account.

Edge cases

• If your error message differs even slightly, this is probably a different issue; search the exact text.
• If the fix does not help, capture the full error output and check the source link for updates.

Source

https://github.com/oxylabs/agent-skills/blob/HEAD/skills/web-scraper-api/SKILL.md

Source: Oxylabs' official agent skill: three param-level gotchas. (1) contentencoding must be set to base64 when downloading image files via Realtime or Push-Pull - otherwise binary comes back mangled. (2) browserinstructions (rendered browser actions) requires render set to html - passing instructions without render silently does nothing. (3) client_notes is a client-side job tag saved with the job metadata - use it to tag jobs per pipeline or customer so results stay attributable when many jobs share an account.

Verified resolution: Three Oxylabs params that bite silently. Downloading images? Set contentencoding to base64 or the binary comes back mangled. Using browserinstructions for clicks and scrolls? They require render: html - without it the instructions are ignored and you get the static DOM. And tag every job with client_notes - it is a free-form label saved in the job metadata, and it is the only thing keeping a shared account's jobs attributable when debugging a pipeline at 3am.

Source URL: https://github.com/oxylabs/agent-skills/blob/HEAD/skills/web-scraper-api/SKILL.md