Issue: Selenium Java Headless Mode (Chrome 130+) - Element Not Interactable, Stale Element & Timeout Issues

[Aashima Gandhi]

Hi ,

I am facing multiple issues while running Selenium Java tests in headless mode starting from Chrome 130. These tests work perfectly fine in headless = false mode (normal UI mode).

Errors encountered:

ElementNotInteractableException:

Caught org.openqa.selenium.ElementNotInteractableException: element not interactable | Retrying...

StaleElementReferenceException:

Caught org.openqa.selenium.StaleElementReferenceException: stale element reference: stale element not found in the current frame | Retrying...

TimeoutException (Element not clickable):

Caught org.openqa.selenium.TimeoutException: Expected condition failed: waiting for condition (element to be clickable...) to be refreshed

I have tried multiple approaches to resolve the issues:

1. Wait Strategies:

   • Used implicit and explicit waits (WebDriverWait) to ensure the elements are present before interacting.
   • Tried ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable() and ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated().

2. Re-Locating Elements:

   • Since stale element exceptions occurred, I tried finding the element again before interacting.

3. JavaScript Execution:

   • Used JavascriptExecutor to click elements that were not interactable.
   • Used scrollIntoView() to make elements visible.

4. ChromeOptions Tweaks:

   • Tried both --headless=new and --headless modes.
   • Used options like --disable-gpu, --window-size=1920,1080, and --remote-allow-origins=*.

5. Checking Element Visibility:

   • Used ExpectedConditions.frameToBeAvailableAndSwitchToIt() for frame handling.

What I am expecting 

• I expected my Selenium tests to behave the same way in headless mode as they do in headless = false mode.
• The elements should be visible, interactable, and clickable without throwing ElementNotInteractableException, StaleElementReferenceException, or TimeoutException.
• The test should not require additional tweaks just because it is running in headless mode.

Questions

1. Why do these issues occur only in headless mode (Chrome 130+)?
2. Are there any additional ChromeOptions or workarounds to fix this?
3. Is this related to a known Chromium bug affecting element interaction in headless mode?

[Aashima Gandhi]

I am facing multiple issues while running Selenium Java tests in headless mode starting from Chrome 130. These tests work perfectly fine in headless = false mode (normal UI mode).

Errors encountered:

ElementNotInteractableException:

Caught org.openqa.selenium.ElementNotInteractableException: element not interactable | Retrying...

StaleElementReferenceException:

Caught org.openqa.selenium.StaleElementReferenceException: stale element reference: stale element not found in the current frame | Retrying...

TimeoutException (Element not clickable):

Caught org.openqa.selenium.TimeoutException: Expected condition failed: waiting for condition (element to be clickable...) to be refreshed

I have tried multiple approaches to resolve the issues:

1. Wait Strategies:

   • Used implicit and explicit waits (WebDriverWait) to ensure the elements are present before interacting.
   • Tried ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable() and ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated().

2. Re-Locating Elements:

   • Since stale element exceptions occurred, I tried finding the element again before interacting.

3. JavaScript Execution:

   • Used JavascriptExecutor to click elements that were not interactable.
   • Used scrollIntoView() to make elements visible.

4. ChromeOptions Tweaks:

   • Tried both --headless=new and --headless modes.
   • Used options like --disable-gpu, --window-size=1920,1080, and --remote-allow-origins=*.

5. Checking Element Visibility:

   • Used ExpectedConditions.frameToBeAvailableAndSwitchToIt() for frame handling.

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What I am expecting ?