Generate Simplified DOM

Type: generate_simplified_dom

When you're looking at the DOM of a web page, there's a lot of unnecessary data that can be discarded if you are only interested in the page's elements or looking to export the data into an LLM. The generate_simplified_dom output format processes the HTML in the following way:

• Removes all links in the head
• Removes all script nodes and links to scripts
• Removes all style nodes
• Remove style attributes from all elements
• Remove all links to stylesheets
• Remove all noscript elements outside of the body
• Finds all hrefs with query strings and removes the query strings
• Important meta tags are kept, all others are removed
• Remove all alternate links
• Remove all SVG paths
• Remove empty text nodes and excessive spacing

Tips for using generate_simplified_dom

• Use this when an agent needs to look at a page and work out what to click or type next. It keeps the classes, IDs and structure that selectors are built from.
• Use it instead of capture_dom for anything going to an LLM. Same structure, far fewer tokens.
• Don't use it to debug styling — styles and stylesheets are removed.
• Note that query strings are stripped from links, so use capture_dom if you're collecting URLs with parameters.

Parameters

See universal parameters.

Usage

The following JSON captures the page's DOM and simplifies it.

"actions": [
    {
        "type": "generate_simplified_dom"
    }
]

We are actively working to improve this and to make this process more configurable - let us know if there's something you think we can improve.

Example Output

GaffaSimplifiedDOMSample.txt

6KB

Open

FAQs

When do I use generate_simplified_dom?

Use it when you need to understand a page's structure — usually to find selectors on a site you haven't scraped before, or to give an AI agent something to plan its next action from.

What does generate_simplified_dom remove?

It removes scripts, styles and style attributes, stylesheet and alternate links, noscript elements outside the body, SVG paths, most meta tags, query strings on links, and empty text.

When should I use capture_dom instead of generate_simplified_dom?

Use capture_dom when you need something simplification removes — inline scripts, style attributes or full link URLs. Use the simplified version for everything else.

When should I use generate_markdown instead of generate_simplified_dom?

Use generate_markdown when you only need the content. Use generate_simplified_dom when you need the structure too, like classes and IDs to build selectors from.

How can an AI agent find selectors on a page it doesn't know?

Run generate_simplified_dom first, look through the structure for stable IDs, classes or ARIA labels, then build click, type or capture_element actions from what you find.

Does generate_simplified_dom keep links?

Yes, but without their query strings. If you need full URLs with parameters, use capture_dom or capture_element instead.