Active Browser Recording in v10.4.3 not skipping steps (Chrome 143 compatibility issue)

Web Testing
1

I just couldn’t explain my issue in detail so I let Gemini explain my issue so that you people can understand better
Issue Summary:
I am a beginner following the Katalon Academy Chapter 3 tutorials. I am attempting to use the “Active Browser” feature to record a test starting from an already-logged-in state (skipping the login phase), but it is not working as demonstrated in the official training.
Detailed Symptoms:

  • Recording starts from scratch: When I select an “Active Browser” and click “Continue Recording,” Katalon adds a new “Open Browser” step to the action list instead of jumping directly to the new clicks.
  • Extension Permissions Reset: Even though I enable “Allow in Incognito” in my main browser, every time Katalon launches a recording session, the permission appears disabled in that specific instance.
  • Blind Recorder: In many attempts, the browser opens, but no manual clicks are captured in the “Recorded Actions” list, despite the extension being installed.
  • Version Conflict: I recently updated to v10.4.3 to fix an issue where the browser would disappear entirely on launch. While the browser now stays open, the recording session does not “skip” steps as intended by the Academy definition of “Active Browser”.
    Environment Details:
  • Katalon Studio Version: 10.4.3 Enterprise
  • Browser: Google Chrome v143.0.7499.170 (Official Build)
  • Extensions: Katalon Studio Recording Engine (Incognito permission enabled manually in personal profile)
  • OS: Windows 10/11
    Steps to Reproduce:
  • Manually open Chrome and log in to the test site.
  • Open Web Recorder in Katalon Studio and select “Active Browser > Chrome.”
  • Click “Continue Recording.”
  • Notice that it does not capture clicks or it forces a redundant “Open Browser” step.
    This is the screen recording displaying what my issue is

    and let me know if error log is necessary to help you understand better what my issue is.
    Thank you and hope I’ll get a solution
1 Like
2

this looks like a Chrome side issue more than your script

chrome 143 is not officially supported yet by Katalon 10.4.3, especially for Active Browser recording. i’ve seen similar behavior where the recorder keeps capturing every click even when “skip similar steps” is enabled
basically the recorder logic breaks once Chrome updates too far ahead

a couple things you can try that worked for me or others:

  • downgrade Chrome to a supported version (usually whatever Katalon lists for 10.4.x). This fixes it almost immediately.
  • or switch the recorder to Edge temporarily. Edge tends to lag a bit behind Chrome updates and recording works normally there.
  • if you must stay on Chrome 143, avoid Active Browser recording for now and record with a fresh browser session instead. Not ideal, but more stable.
3

Problem Analysis

Your issue is related to Active Browser recording in Katalon Studio v10.4.3. Based on the official documentation and your symptoms, here’s what’s happening:

Key Finding: Version Compatibility Issue

According to the Katalon Web Recorder Plus documentation, there’s a critical version compatibility requirement:

KSE version Katalon Studio Recording Engine extension version
Before 10.2.4 1.0.8
10.3.0 and later 1.0.13

Your v10.4.3 requires extension version 1.0.13, but you may have an incompatible version installed. This is the root cause of your issues.

Solution: Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Step 1: Check Your Extension Version

  1. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/
  2. Search for “Katalon Studio Recording Engine”
  3. Check the version number displayed next to the extension name
  4. If it’s NOT 1.0.13, proceed to Step 2

Step 2: Update the Extension

  1. Go to the Chrome Web Store - Katalon Studio Recording Engine
  2. Click “Update” if available, or “Remove” and reinstall
  3. After updating, verify the version is now 1.0.13
  4. Important: Restart Katalon Studio completely

Step 3: Fix Extension Permissions

The permission reset issue you’re experiencing is a known behavior. To resolve it:

  1. In your personal Chrome profile (not the Katalon-launched instance):

    • Go to chrome://extensions/
    • Find Katalon Studio Recording Engine
    • Click Details
    • Enable “Allow in Incognito”
    • Enable “Allow on all sites”

  2. Do NOT rely on permissions in the Katalon-launched browser instance — they reset by design

Step 4: Use Active Browser Correctly

Once the extension is compatible:

  1. Manually open Chrome and log into your test site
  2. Open Katalon Studio > Web Recorder
  3. Select “Active Browser” from the dropdown
  4. You should see your Chrome instance listed with a “Compatible” status label
  5. Click “Start Record” (NOT “Continue Recording” — that’s for existing test cases)
  6. Your clicks should now be captured without adding a redundant “Open Browser” step

Step 5: If Clicks Still Aren’t Captured

If the extension is compatible but clicks aren’t being recorded:

  1. Pause/Resume Recording: Click the Pause button in the recorder, interact with the app, then click Resume

  2. Check Engine Status: Look for the status indicator in the Web Recorder Plus panel:

    • Green = Connected ✓
    • Red (blinking) = Recording ✓
    • Gray = Disconnected ✗ (try selecting another browser)

  3. Disable Smart Locator (if performance issues occur):

    • Click the Katalon Studio Recording Engine extension icon in the browser toolbar
    • Uncheck “Enable Smart Locator Capture”

Key Considerations

Why “Active Browser” Adds “Open Browser” Steps

  • If the extension is incompatible, Katalon falls back to “New Browser” mode, which always adds an “Open Browser” step
  • Once you have the correct extension version (1.0.13), this should stop happening

Extension Permissions Reset

  • This is expected behavior in Katalon-launched browser instances
  • Permissions set in your personal Chrome profile persist and are used by Katalon
  • You only need to set permissions once in your main profile

Known Limitations (Web Recorder Plus)

  • Multiple tabs: Recording across multiple tabs is not currently supported
  • Smart Locator performance: May cause slowdowns on certain websites (disable if needed)
  • Beta status: Web Recorder Plus is still in evaluation and not recommended for production use

Recommended Next Steps

  1. Verify your extension version (should be 1.0.13 for v10.4.3)
  2. Update if needed and restart Katalon Studio
  3. Test Active Browser recording with a simple login scenario
  4. If issues persist, create a support ticket with:
    • Screenshot of your extension version
    • Screenshot of the “Incompatible” status label (if shown)
    • Your exact Katalon Studio version
    • Steps to reproduce

References