How Cookie Banners Are Handled
Rihario automatically detects cookie banners and attempts to dismiss them during exploration. The AI looks for common cookie consent patterns and clicks "Accept" or "OK" buttons. If it can't dismiss the banner automatically, exploration may be marked as BLOCKED.
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
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