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Install in OpenClaw
/install browser-zombie-cleaner
Description
Detect and clean up zombie browser processes left by OpenClaw's browser tool. When the OpenClaw Gateway restarts, Playwright-launched browser processes get o...
README (SKILL.md)
Browser Zombie Cleaner
Detect and clean up orphaned browser processes left behind when OpenClaw Gateway restarts.
The Problem
OpenClaw's browser tool uses Playwright to launch Chrome/Chromium/Firefox. When the Gateway
restarts (update, crash, manual restart), these browser child processes become orphans — their
parent PID changes to 1 (init/systemd). They keep running, consuming memory, and accumulate
over days.
Safety Design
This tool is safe by default:
- Detect-only mode is the default — no processes are killed without
--kill - Triple verification before killing: OpenClaw user-data-dir pattern + orphaned PPID + minimum age
- Only current user's processes — never touches other users
- Only OpenClaw browsers — identified by
~/.openclaw/browser/in the command line - Graceful shutdown — SIGTERM first, SIGKILL only after grace period
- Audit log — every action is logged to
/tmp/openclaw/zombie-browser-cleanup.log - No root required — runs as regular user
Usage
Detect only (safe, default)
bash \x3Cskill_dir>/scripts/cleanup-zombie-browsers.sh
Output example:
Found 8 OpenClaw browser processes, 5 are zombies (1200MB total)
ZOMBIE: PID=66301 PPID=1 age=3d 2h mem=388MB
ZOMBIE: PID=152356 PPID=1 age=2d 4h mem=168MB
...
Run with --kill to terminate these zombie processes
Detect and clean
bash \x3Cskill_dir>/scripts/cleanup-zombie-browsers.sh --kill
Options
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--kill |
off | Actually terminate zombie processes |
--min-age N |
3600 (1h) | Only target processes older than N seconds |
--grace N |
10 | Seconds between SIGTERM and SIGKILL |
--json |
off | Output as JSON (for programmatic use) |
--log PATH |
/tmp/openclaw/zombie-browser-cleanup.log |
Log file location |
--pattern STR |
.openclaw/browser/ |
Pattern to identify OpenClaw browsers |
Integration with Health Checks
Add to your health check script or heartbeat:
# Detect and report (no kill)
bash /path/to/cleanup-zombie-browsers.sh
# Auto-clean with safety margin (processes must be >2 hours old)
bash /path/to/cleanup-zombie-browsers.sh --kill --min-age 7200
How It Identifies Zombies
A process is classified as a zombie browser if ALL of these are true:
- Browser process — executable name matches chrome/chromium/brave/msedge/firefox
- OpenClaw origin — command line contains
.openclaw/browser/(the user-data-dir used by OpenClaw) - Orphaned — PPID is 1 (init) or systemd, meaning the parent Gateway process is gone
- Old enough — process age exceeds
--min-agethreshold (prevents killing browsers that are actively initializing)
If ANY condition is not met, the process is skipped.
Platform Support
| Platform | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Full | Uses /proc filesystem for precise detection |
| macOS | Full | Uses ps with etime parsing |
| Windows | Not yet | Planned (PowerShell-based) |
Supported Browsers
All Playwright-supported browsers with OpenClaw user-data-dir:
- Google Chrome / Chromium
- Brave Browser
- Microsoft Edge
- Firefox
Exit Codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | No zombies found, or zombies cleaned (--kill mode) |
| 1 | Zombies detected but not killed (detect mode) |
Usage Guidance
This skill appears to do what it says, but follow safe steps before using its kill functionality: (1) run the default detect-only mode and review the output to confirm detected PIDs are indeed orphaned OpenClaw browser processes; (2) inspect the log file (default /tmp/openclaw/zombie-browser-cleanup.log) and consider setting --log to a secure path so command lines (which may contain sensitive args) aren't left in a world-readable temp file; (3) tune --pattern and --min-age to your environment to avoid false positives; (4) avoid running as root — the script is designed to run as the regular user; (5) on macOS test the parsing thoroughly because ps output parsing can be brittle. If you need extra assurance, run with --json and validate programmatically before enabling automatic --kill runs.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: browser-zombie-cleaner
Version: 1.0.0
The skill is a utility designed to identify and terminate orphaned browser processes (zombies) left behind by OpenClaw's browser tool. The script (cleanup-zombie-browsers.sh) implements multiple safety checks, including verifying the process owner, checking for a specific command-line pattern (~/.openclaw/browser/), ensuring the process is orphaned (PPID=1), and enforcing a minimum process age. It defaults to a non-destructive detection mode and uses graceful termination (SIGTERM followed by SIGKILL) when the --kill flag is explicitly provided.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
Name/description match the implementation: the script scans processes (via /proc and ps), filters by current user and a user-data-dir pattern (.openclaw/browser/) and optionally kills matched orphans. It does not ask for cloud credentials, global system access, or unrelated binaries.
Instruction Scope
The SKILL.md and script stay within the declared purpose. The script reads /proc and invokes normal system utilities, and only kills when --kill is passed. Two cautionary notes: (1) it inspects full command lines, which can include sensitive arguments — these are written to the log by default; (2) platform-specific parsing (macOS ps parsing) can be brittle and could misclassify processes in edge cases. The presence of a configurable pattern and min-age mitigates accidental kills but requires the operator to verify settings.
Install Mechanism
Instruction-only skill with a bundled shell script; no install spec, no external downloads, and no packages are installed. Lowest-risk distribution model.
Credentials
No credentials or privileged environment variables are required. The script supports an optional OPENCLAW_ZOMBIE_LOG env var and allows custom pattern/log path via CLI; these are reasonable and proportionate for the task.
Persistence & Privilege
always is false and the skill does not request permanent/forced inclusion or modify other skills or system-wide settings. It runs as the invoking user and explicitly avoids touching other users' processes.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install browser-zombie-cleaner - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/browser-zombie-cleaner - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.0
Initial release of browser-zombie-cleaner.
- Detects orphaned browser processes left by OpenClaw's browser tool after Gateway restarts.
- Default safe mode: only detects and reports zombie browsers; uses triple verification before termination.
- Option to terminate zombie processes with --kill, supporting grace periods and logging all actions.
- Filters processes by user, age, and OpenClaw browser signature to prevent accidental terminations.
- Supports Linux and macOS; logs actions to /tmp/openclaw/zombie-browser-cleanup.log for auditability.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Browser Zombie Cleaner?
Detect and clean up zombie browser processes left by OpenClaw's browser tool. When the OpenClaw Gateway restarts, Playwright-launched browser processes get o... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 262 downloads so far.
How do I install Browser Zombie Cleaner?
Run "/install browser-zombie-cleaner" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Browser Zombie Cleaner free?
Yes, Browser Zombie Cleaner is completely free (open-source). You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Browser Zombie Cleaner support?
Browser Zombie Cleaner is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Browser Zombie Cleaner?
It is built and maintained by Madoka (@guoqunabc); the current version is v1.0.0.
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