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HITL (Human-in-the-Loop) sessions allow you to manually log into platforms and capture session cookies when automated login fails or isn’t available. This is the most reliable authentication method for scraping and publishing.

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Why HITL?

Genie Helper uses a 3-tier authentication priority: Why cookies are best:
  • ✅ No CAPTCHA risk — you’ve already solved it during manual login
  • ✅ 2FA support — you handle 2FA in your own browser
  • ✅ Platform updates — works even if platform changes login flow
  • ✅ Fastest — no browser automation overhead
  • ✅ Most reliable — 99% success rate vs. ~70% for automated login

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Installing the Browser Extension

The GenieHelper Cookie Capture extension is available for Chrome, Firefox, and mobile browsers.
1

Download the Extension

Go to /app/platforms and click the Cookie Sessions tab.You’ll see download links for:Desktop:
  • Chrome / Brave / Edge — geniehelper-chrome.zip (recommended for Chromium browsers)
  • Firefox — geniehelper-firefox.zip
Mobile:
  • Firefox for Android — Install from Firefox Add-ons or sideload the .xpi
  • Kiwi Browser (Android) — Install from Chrome Web Store or sideload the .zip
  • Orion Browser (iOS) — Supports Chrome & Firefox extensions natively
Click the appropriate download button for your browser.
2

Load Extension Unpacked

Chrome / Brave / Edge:
  1. Go to chrome://extensions
  2. Enable Developer mode (toggle in top-right)
  3. Click Load unpacked
  4. Select the extracted geniehelper-chrome folder
  5. Extension appears with a cookie icon
Firefox:
  1. Go to about:debugging
  2. Click This Firefox (left sidebar)
  3. Click Load Temporary Add-on
  4. Select the manifest.json file inside geniehelper-firefox folder
  5. Extension loads (will be removed on browser restart — use .xpi for permanent install)
Mobile (Firefox Android):
  1. Open Firefox
  2. Go to Settings → Add-ons → Install add-on from file
  3. Select the downloaded .xpi file
  4. Grant permissions
Mobile (Kiwi Browser):
  1. Open Kiwi Browser
  2. Go to Menu → Extensions → (from .zip)
  3. Select the geniehelper-chrome.zip file
  4. Grant permissions
3

Configure Extension Settings

In the Cookie Sessions tab on /app/platforms, you’ll see 3 config values:1. Server URL
https://geniehelper.com (or your custom domain)2. Directus Access Token
Your JWT token (truncated for security: abc123...xyz789)3. Creator Profile ID
Your creator_profiles UUID from DirectusCopy each value:
  1. Click the Copy button next to each field
  2. Right-click the extension icon → Options (or Settings)
  3. Paste the 3 values into the extension settings form
  4. Click Save Settings
Make sure to save these settings before attempting to capture cookies from any platform.
4

Verify Extension is Ready

Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar.You should see:
  • Server URL displayed
  • Token status: Configured (green checkmark)
  • Profile ID: Set (green checkmark)
  • Platform detection: Not on a supported platform (gray, since you’re on geniehelper.com)
If any field shows Not configured (red X), go back to Step 3.

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Capturing Cookies: Step-by-Step

1

Trigger a HITL Request (or Proactive Capture)

There are 2 ways to capture cookies:A. Reactive (HITL Banner):
  1. Run a scrape or schedule a post
  2. If Genie can’t log in automatically, you’ll see a yellow HITL banner on the dashboard:
    Manual login required
    Genie needs your active session cookies. Log into OnlyFans in another tab, then capture cookies with the browser extension and hit Retry.
B. Proactive (Before Operations):
  1. Go to /app/platforms → Cookie Sessions tab
  2. Manually log into your platform in a new tab
  3. Capture cookies before running any operations (recommended)
Why proactive is better:
  • Faster scrapes (no waiting for HITL cycle)
  • Prevents interruptions mid-operation
  • You can handle 2FA and CAPTCHAs calmly
2

Log Into Your Platform

Open a new browser tab and navigate to your platform:
  • OnlyFans: https://onlyfans.com
  • Fansly: https://fansly.com
  • Instagram: https://instagram.com
  • TikTok: https://tiktok.com
  • X (Twitter): https://x.com
  • etc.
Log in as you normally would:
  • Enter username and password
  • Complete 2FA if prompted (SMS, authenticator app, email code)
  • Solve any CAPTCHAs
  • Verify you’re on the logged-in homepage (profile pic visible)
3

Click the Extension Icon

With the platform page open and logged in, click the GenieHelper cookie icon in your browser toolbar.The popup will show:
  • Detected Platform: OnlyFans (or whichever you’re on)
  • Cookie Count: 23 cookies detected
  • Capture Button: Capture Cookies & Sync (green, enabled)
If the button is grayed out, you’re either:
  • Not logged in (refresh and log in again)
  • On an unsupported platform
  • Extension not configured (go back to setup)
4

Click 'Capture Cookies & Sync'

Click the green Capture Cookies & Sync button.What happens:
  1. Extension reads all cookies for the current domain (e.g., .onlyfans.com)
  2. Includes HttpOnly cookies (critical for authentication)
  3. Sends them to your GenieHelper server via POST /api/credentials/store-platform-session
  4. Server encrypts the cookie payload with AES-256-GCM
  5. Saves to platform_sessions collection in Directus
  6. Returns success response
You’ll see:
  • Popup shows: ✅ 23 cookies captured for OnlyFans
  • Toast notification: “Cookies synced successfully”
5

Verify Cookie Session in Dashboard

Go back to /app/platforms → Cookie Sessions tab.You should see a new session card:
  • Platform: OnlyFans (or your platform)
  • Status: Active (green shield icon)
  • Captured: just now
  • Expires: (calculated from cookie max-age, if available)
If you see the session, you’re done! Genie will now use these cookies for all operations.
6

Retry the Operation

If you started from a HITL banner:
  1. Return to /app/dashboard
  2. The banner now shows a Retry button
  3. Click Retry
  4. Genie re-queues the scrape/publish job
  5. This time, it uses your fresh cookies → should succeed
If you captured proactively, just run your scrape or publish as normal.
If you can’t install the extension (corporate browser, unsupported platform, etc.), you can manually paste cookies.
1

Open DevTools on the Platform

  1. Log into your platform (e.g., OnlyFans)
  2. Press F12 (or Cmd+Opt+I on Mac) to open DevTools
  3. Go to the Network tab
2

Capture a Request

  1. Refresh the page (or navigate to your profile)
  2. Click any request in the Network tab (the first one usually works)
  3. Scroll to Request Headers section
  4. Find the Cookie header
  5. Copy the entire value (looks like: sess=abc123; auth_id=xyz456; bc=def789; ...)
3

Paste into Manual Import Form

  1. Go to /app/platforms → Cookie Sessions tab
  2. Scroll to Manual Cookie Import section
  3. Select your platform from the dropdown (OnlyFans, Fansly, etc.)
  4. Paste the cookie string into the textarea
  5. Click Import Cookies
4

Session Created

The cookies are parsed, encrypted, and saved to platform_sessions.You’ll see:
  • Success message: “Cookies imported. Go to your dashboard to start the scrape.”
  • New session card appears in the list
Manual import limitations:
  • Some platforms use HttpOnly cookies (not visible in DevTools headers)
  • You may miss critical auth cookies this way
  • Extension method is always preferred

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Viewing Active Sessions

Go to /app/platforms → Cookie Sessions tab. Each session card shows:
  • Platform: OnlyFans, Fansly, etc.
  • Status:
    • Active (green shield) — cookies are valid
    • Expired (amber warning) — cookies past max-age
    • Revoked (gray) — manually deleted
  • Captured: Timestamp (e.g., “2h ago”)
  • Expires: Estimated expiry (if available)

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Revoking a Session

If you want to delete a session (e.g., you logged out of the platform, or cookies are stale):
  1. Click the trash icon on the session card
  2. Confirm: “Revoke this cookie session? The agent will need you to log in again.”
  3. Session is deleted from platform_sessions
  4. Next operation will fall back to credentials or create a new HITL request

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Refreshing Expired Cookies

Cookies typically expire after 7-30 days (platform-dependent). When a session expires:
  1. Status changes to Expired (amber)
  2. Operations using this session will fail
  3. You’ll see a HITL banner on the dashboard
  4. Follow the capture steps again to refresh cookies
Pro tip: Capture cookies proactively every 2 weeks to avoid interruptions. Set a calendar reminder.

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Firefox for Android

Firefox 120+ supports full extensions on Android.
1

Install Extension

Option A: From Firefox Add-ons Store
  1. Open Firefox on Android
  2. Visit https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/android/addon/geniehelper-cookie-capture/
  3. Tap Add to Firefox
  4. Grant permissions
Option B: Sideload .xpi
  1. Download geniehelper-firefox.xpi from /app/platforms
  2. Open Firefox → Menu → Add-ons → Install from file
  3. Select the .xpi file
2

Configure Settings

  1. Tap the 3-dot menu → Add-ons
  2. Find GenieHelper Cookie Capture
  3. Tap Settings
  4. Paste the 3 config values from /app/platforms
3

Capture Cookies

  1. Navigate to your platform (e.g., onlyfans.com) in Firefox
  2. Log in
  3. Tap the GenieHelper icon in the toolbar
  4. Tap Capture Cookies & Sync
  5. Success toast appears

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Kiwi Browser (Chrome Android)

Kiwi is a Chromium fork that supports Chrome extensions on Android.
1

Install Kiwi Browser

Download from Google Play Store: Kiwi Browser
2

Install Extension

Option A: From Chrome Web Store
  1. Open Kiwi → visit Chrome Web Store (if extension is published)
  2. Search “GenieHelper Cookie Capture”
  3. Tap Add to Kiwi
Option B: Sideload .zip
  1. Download geniehelper-chrome.zip from /app/platforms
  2. Extract the .zip to your phone storage
  3. Open Kiwi → Menu → Extensions → + (from .zip)
  4. Select the extracted folder
3

Capture Cookies

Same flow as desktop Chrome (see steps above).

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iOS (Orion Browser)

Orion is the only iOS browser that supports Chrome/Firefox extensions.
1

Install Orion Browser

Download from App Store: Orion Browser
2

Enable Extension Support

  1. Open Orion
  2. Settings → Extensions → Enable Chrome Extensions
  3. Visit Chrome Web Store or sideload the extension
3

Capture Cookies

Same flow as desktop (Orion supports full Chrome extension APIs).
iOS Safari: No extension support. Use the manual cookie import method via DevTools or switch to Orion.

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Extension Security & Privacy

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What Data is Captured?

  • Cookies: All cookies for the detected platform domain (e.g., .onlyfans.com)
  • User Agent: Your browser’s User-Agent string (for session replay)
  • Platform: Detected platform name (e.g., “OnlyFans”)
NOT captured:
  • Passwords
  • Browsing history
  • Other tabs or websites
  • Personal files

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How is Data Transmitted?

  • HTTPS only: Cookies are sent via encrypted POST request to https://geniehelper.com/api/credentials/store-platform-session
  • Bearer token auth: Your Directus JWT is included in the Authorization header
  • No third-party servers: Data goes directly to your GenieHelper instance (self-hosted)

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How is Data Stored?

  • Encrypted at rest: Cookies are AES-256-GCM encrypted before saving to Directus
  • Key management: Encryption key stored in CREDENTIALS_ENC_KEY_B64 env var (server-side only)
  • Access control: Only your user account can access your platform_sessions records

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Extension Permissions

Why: To read session cookies from supported platforms.Scope: Limited to the 18 supported platform domains (onlyfans.com, fansly.com, etc.)
Why: To detect which platform you’re currently on.Scope: Only the active tab, only when you click the extension icon.
Why: To save your config (server URL, token, profile ID) locally.Scope: Browser’s chrome.storage.sync (encrypted by browser).
Why: To match supported platform domains.Scope: *://onlyfans.com/*, *://fansly.com/*, etc. (see manifest.json for full list)
The extension does NOT:
  • Track your browsing
  • Inject ads or analytics
  • Share data with third parties
  • Run on pages outside the 18 supported platforms

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Troubleshooting

Cause: Settings didn’t save, or you clicked the wrong extension.Fix:
  1. Right-click the extension icon → Options
  2. Verify all 3 fields are filled
  3. Click Save again
  4. Refresh the popup (close and reopen)
Cause: Not logged into the platform, or not on a supported platform.Fix:
  1. Ensure you’re on the logged-in homepage of a supported platform (e.g., onlyfans.com)
  2. Check that your profile pic is visible (proof you’re logged in)
  3. Refresh the page
  4. Click the extension icon again
Cause: Network error, or server rejected the cookies.Fix:
  1. Check browser DevTools Console (F12) for errors
  2. Check Network tab for the POST /api/credentials/store-platform-session request
  3. If 401 Unauthorized: Your Directus token expired → log out and log back in, reconfigure extension
  4. If 500 Internal Server Error: Check server logs (pm2 logs anything-llm)
Cause: Platform rejected the cookies (e.g., IP mismatch, user-agent mismatch, or cookies expired mid-operation).Fix:
  1. Log into the platform again in your browser
  2. Recapture cookies (they might have refreshed)
  3. Retry the scrape immediately
  4. If still failing, try switching to credentials-based auth
Firefox Android:
  • Ensure Firefox version is 120+
  • Try sideloading the .xpi instead of installing from AMO
Kiwi Browser:
  • Kiwi is no longer actively maintained — switch to Orion (iOS) or desktop
iOS Safari:
  • Not supported — use Orion Browser instead

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Best Practices

Capture Proactively

Don’t wait for HITL banners — capture cookies every 2 weeks to keep sessions fresh.

Use Cookies Over Credentials

Cookies are faster, more reliable, and handle 2FA/CAPTCHAs automatically.

Revoke Stale Sessions

Delete expired sessions to avoid confusion — Genie will request fresh cookies when needed.

Keep Extension Updated

Check /app/platforms for extension updates — new platforms and bug fixes are added regularly.

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Next Steps

Run Your First Scrape

Now that you have cookies, complete your first platform scrape

Schedule Posts

Use your active sessions to automate post publishing

Platform Connections

Learn about all 18 supported platforms

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