> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://copilot-docs.bugbase.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://copilot-docs.bugbase.ai/enterprise/how-to-trigger-a-web-assessment/manual-crawler.md).

# Manual Crawler

Explore a web target interactively in Debug Mode.

Manual Crawler opens a proxied browser so an operator can capture important pages and user flows that automated discovery missed.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Manual Crawler is a Debug Mode capability. It is hidden or disabled on deployments and workspaces where Debug Mode is not enabled.
{% endhint %}

## Start a Crawler

1. Open **Web Assessment -> Run Assessment**.
2. Choose any intent and continue to **Scope**.
3. Select and configure the asset.
4. Under **Explore manually**, choose **Crawl as**:
   * **Unauthenticated** starts without a login state;
   * a named browser session reuses that recorded account.
5. Select **Open logged-out crawler** or **Open session crawler**.

The selected crawl context is independent of the assessment's authentication coverage. Opening a crawler does not add another context to the run.

Trajectories you save with the Manual Crawler join the asset's inventory, just like flows found by Discovery. They appear in **Trajectory scope** the next time you start an **Assessment** run.

## Use the Proxied Browser

Wait for the status indicator to show that the browser is ready before each action.

| Control             | Use                                                                                                                                          |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Start Recording** | Begin a trajectory from the current page.                                                                                                    |
| **Refresh**         | Rescan the current DOM and reapply actionable-element highlights after dynamic content changes. It does not perform a normal browser reload. |
| **Reset**           | Discard the in-progress trajectory and return to its starting point.                                                                         |
| **Done**            | Save captured trajectories and end the crawler.                                                                                              |
| **Abort**           | Stop without saving the current in-progress trajectory.                                                                                      |

Use **Refresh** when a click, form step, or single-page application navigation reveals new controls that are not highlighted. Normal page navigation automatically refreshes highlights when it completes.

Keep the proxied browser open until the UI confirms that the trajectory was saved. The interactive VNC session lasts at most 30 minutes from its start; activity does not extend that limit.

The browser may ask you to confirm before closing or leaving the VNC tab. Confirmed closure ends the VNC session and crawler submodule, so use **Done** first when you want to save the trajectory. If the popup did not open but the crawler is still active, select **Reopen browser** in **Explore manually**. A confirmed tab close ends that run; start a new crawler afterward. Use **Cancel crawler** when the browser becomes unusable or you no longer need the run. If the sandbox VNC service is unavailable, retry after an operator restores that service.