SmartMacrosDocs
Get started
- Install SmartMacros, click the puzzle icon in Chrome and pin it.
- Click the toolbar icon. The side panel opens on the right.
- Open the page where your task starts and press Record new macro.
- Do the task once, then press Stop. The macro is saved and opens in Macro Studio for renaming.
- Press Run once to replay it.
The welcome tab that opens after install walks through the same steps. Reopen it from side panel Settings, Setup guide.
Recording
Clicks, typing, selections, ticks, key presses and page changes are captured. Typing in one field is merged into one step. Passwords are kept out of the saved macro.
Right-click any element while recording to open the SmartMacros menu. Shift + right-click keeps the browser menu.
| Group | Actions |
|---|---|
| Data | Copy text or link into a variable, copy to clipboard, paste a variable, add as variable |
| Check | Check it exists, check its text, wait for it |
| Act | Hover, double-click, right-click, scroll to it |
| Page | Take screenshot, pause here, ask me for a value, add note |
Running
Run once replays the macro one time. Run rows repeats it for every data row. Pause, skip a step or stop from the Run tab at any moment.
| Speed | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Human | Random pauses between steps. Use it on sites that rate-limit. |
| Fast | Waits only for the page. |
| Instant | As fast as the page allows. |
The Run tab shows the step timeline with a playhead, a map of rows, the variables collected so far and a log.
Data and variables
Open Data in Macro Studio, paste a table or import a CSV. The first line holds the column names and each becomes a variable. Type {{email}} in a step value to insert the current row's email.
| Built-in | Value |
|---|---|
{{$row}} | Current row number |
{{$date}} | Today's date |
{{$random}}, {{random(8)}} | Random text |
{{upper(name)}}, {{pad($row,3)}} | Functions on a value |
Values saved with a Save as variable step form a results table, one line per data row. Export it as CSV or JSON, copy it, or re-run only the rows that failed.
Repairs
When a step cannot find its element, SmartMacros tries, in order: the other locators it recorded, the closest similar element on the page, the AI if you added a key, and finally you.
- Accepted repairs are saved as the step's first locator, so the next run is fast again.
- Every repair is listed under Repairs with the old locator, the new one, who solved it and the confidence. Revert any of them.
- Steps named delete, pay or confirm always ask before a repair is used.
- Save repairs without asking and Minimum confidence are in Settings.
Triggers
| Trigger | Notes |
|---|---|
| Schedule | Runs while Chrome is open. |
| Keyboard shortcut | Four slots. Set the keys at chrome://extensions/shortcuts. |
| Right-click menu | The macro appears under SmartMacros in the page menu. |
| URL pattern | Starts when a matching page opens. |
Macro Studio
Drag steps to reorder them or drop new ones from the All steps list. Select a step to edit its name, value, waiting, failure handling and locators. Test a locator against the open page, pick a new element, or reorder locators.
Steps cover clicking, typing, selecting, key presses, scrolling, waits, checks, extracting text or lists, variables, screenshots, clipboard, webhooks, tabs, frames, prompts, notes, if / else and loops.
Import and export
Import accepts SmartMacros JSON and iMacros .iim files. Unsupported commands are kept as notes so nothing is lost. Export any macro as JSON, or copy its steps as text or as a Markdown table.
Settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Use AI to repair steps | Needs your own OpenRouter key. Off means no network calls at all. |
| Send page text to the AI | Off: only the element fingerprint and candidate tags are sent. |
| Wait for an element up to | How long a step waits before a repair starts. |
| Close cookie banners | Dismisses common consent banners before a step. |
| Tips while recording | The small card shown on the page during a recording. |
| Debug mode | Saves a report with a screenshot when a step fails, for bug reports. |
Keyboard
| Alt Shift R | Start or stop recording |
| Del | Delete the selected step in the editor |
| Ctrl Z / Y | Undo / redo in the editor |
| Esc | Leave pick mode or close the recording menu |