Cookie Banners & Popups
Rihario automatically detects and dismisses cookie banners, newsletter popups, and marketing overlays. The AI actively hunts for anything blocking your UI—whether it's a GDPR consent form or a "10% Off" modal—and clears it so testing can continue.
How Cookie Banner Detection Works
When a page loads, the AI checks for cookie banners:
- Visual detection - Looks for cookie consent overlays or banners
- Text pattern matching - Identifies common cookie consent text
- Button identification - Finds "Accept", "OK", "I Agree", or similar buttons
- Automatic dismissal - Clicks the dismiss button if found
- Verification - Confirms banner is dismissed before continuing
What Gets Detected
Common Cookie Banner Patterns
- Bottom banners - Cookie notices at bottom of page
- Top banners - Cookie notices at top of page
- Modal overlays - Cookie consent modals/popups
- Side panels - Cookie preferences panels
Common Button Text
The AI recognizes these button patterns:
- "Accept" / "Accept All"
- "OK" / "Okay"
- "I Agree" / "Agree"
- "Allow" / "Allow All"
- "Continue"
- "Got it"
- Other common consent phrases
When Auto-Dismissal Works
Cookie banners are automatically dismissed when:
- Standard patterns - Banner follows common cookie consent patterns
- Clear buttons - "Accept" or similar button is clearly visible
- Simple implementation - Banner doesn't require complex interactions
- No customization - Standard cookie consent libraries (OneTrust, Cookiebot, etc.)
When Auto-Dismissal Fails
Cookie banners cannot be dismissed automatically when:
- Custom implementations - Non-standard cookie banner designs
- Complex interactions - Requires scrolling, selecting preferences, etc.
- Unclear buttons - Button text doesn't match common patterns
- Multiple steps - Requires multiple clicks or interactions
- CAPTCHA integration - Cookie banner includes CAPTCHA
- Dynamic loading - Banner loads after initial page load
What Happens When Dismissal Fails
Option 1: Manual Intervention
If auto-dismissal fails, you can:
- Pause the exploration
- Take control
- Manually dismiss the cookie banner
- Resume exploration
Option 2: BLOCKED Status
If the banner blocks all interaction and can't be dismissed, exploration may be marked as BLOCKED. This means:
- Exploration stops
- Status shows as BLOCKED
- You can see what blocked it (cookie banner)
- You can manually dismiss and retry
Marketing & Non-Cookie Popups
Rihario isn't just for cookies. It also handles the "marketing noise" that often blocks tests:
- Newsletter Signups: Detects "Subscribe" modals and clicks "No Thanks" or "X".
- Chat Widgets: closes full-screen Intercom/Drift welcomes that obscure the UI.
- Feature Announcements: Dismisses "What's New" tooltips and overlays.
- Age Verification: (Experimental) attempts to click "I am over 18" or enter birth year.
Cookie Preferences
What Gets Selected
When dismissing cookie banners, the AI:
- Accepts all cookies - Clicks "Accept All" if available
- Minimal interaction - Takes fastest path to dismiss
- No preference customization - Doesn't customize cookie preferences
Why Accept All?
Rihario accepts all cookies to:
- Minimize interactions (faster dismissal)
- Enable full site functionality
- Test the site as most users would see it
If you need to test with specific cookie preferences, dismiss the banner manually after taking control.
Best Practices
- Let AI try first - Most standard cookie banners are dismissed automatically
- Monitor for blockers - Watch the live view to see if dismissal worked
- Intervene when needed - If blocked, pause and dismiss manually
- Report issues - If your cookie banner isn't detected, let us know
Common Cookie Banner Libraries
Rihario works best with common cookie consent libraries:
- OneTrust - Usually auto-dismissed
- Cookiebot - Usually auto-dismissed
- Osano - Usually auto-dismissed
- CookieYes - Usually auto-dismissed
- Custom implementations - May require manual dismissal
Example Scenarios
Scenario 1: Standard Cookie Banner
Scenario 2: Complex Cookie Banner
Limitations
- Not 100% reliable - Custom banners may not be detected
- No preference customization - Always accepts all cookies
- May miss dynamic banners - Banners loaded after initial page load
- Complex flows - Multi-step cookie preferences may not work