Recording Issues¶

Can't record your website? v7.0 uses a Chrome extension to capture HTTP traffic (not the proxy-based recording from earlier versions). This page covers Chrome extension problems specifically.

Chrome Extension Problems¶

"Extension Setup Required" wizard appears on every recording¶

Symptom: ExtensionSetupWizard shows every time you try to record.

Cause: Extension isn't installed, or Load Tester can't detect it.

Fix: 1. Verify extension is installed: Open chrome://extensions in Chrome 2. Check "Web Performance Load Tester" extension is listed and enabled 3. If not listed: Install the extension: - Open chrome://extensions in Chrome - Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top-right corner) - Click "Load unpacked" - Navigate to Load Tester installation folder → browser/chrome/ - Select the folder and click "Select Folder" 4. Test detection: Click "I've Installed the Extension" in the wizard 5. If detection fails: Extension may not be communicating with Load Tester (see "Extension not detected" below)

"Extension not detected" after installation¶

Symptom: Installed extension but wizard says "Extension not detected, verify installation."

Most common causes: 1. Extension installed but not enabled in chrome://extensions 2. Chrome wasn't restarted after installation 3. Extension installed in different Chrome profile 4. Extension files corrupted or incomplete

Fix: 1. Check extension status in chrome://extensions: - Extension should show as "Enabled" - Should have permissions for "Debugger" and "WebRequest" 2. Restart Chrome completely (close all Chrome windows, reopen) 3. Verify extension folder: Load Tester installation → browser/chrome/ should contain: - manifest.json - wprecorder.js - background.js - http-debugger-recorder.js - http-transaction-builder.js 4. Check Chrome profile: Make sure you're installing extension in the Chrome profile you'll use for recording 5. Manual confirmation: Click "I've Installed the Extension" button anyway - wizard may allow manual override

See: First Recording Guide for detailed extension setup instructions.

"Developer mode disabled" or can't enable Developer mode¶

Symptom: Can't enable "Developer mode" toggle in chrome://extensions.

Cause: Corporate policy or Chrome configuration restricts developer mode.

Workarounds: 1. Check Chrome policies: Visit chrome://policy to see if DeveloperToolsDisabled is set 2. Contact IT department: Request developer mode exception for Load Testing 3. Enterprise Policy JSON (for IT): Add this to Chrome policy configuration:

{
  "DeveloperToolsDisabled": false,
  "ExtensionInstallAllowlist": ["<extension-id>"]
}

4. Alternative browser: If developer mode can't be enabled, contact WPI support for packed .CRX installation option

"I started recording but my test case is empty"¶

Symptom: Stopped recording, but test case has no transactions.

Most common causes: 1. Chrome extension not installed or not enabled 2. Recording was stopped too quickly (before browser finished loading) 3. Extension failed to attach debugger to tab 4. Browser navigated to chrome:// URL (extension can't record chrome:// pages)

Fix: 1. Verify extension installed: Check chrome://extensions - extension should be enabled 2. Wait longer: Let pages fully load before stopping recording 3. Check for errors: Look in Chrome DevTools Console (F12) for extension errors 4. Restart Chrome: Close all Chrome windows, reopen, try recording again 5. Avoid chrome:// URLs: Don't navigate to chrome://extensions or other chrome:// pages during recording

Symptom: Chrome shows yellow warning banner "DevTools debugger is attached" during recording.

Why this happens: v7.0 uses Chrome's debugger API to capture HTTP traffic, and Chrome displays this banner whenever the debugger API is active. It's cosmetic.

This is normal and doesn't affect recording quality.

Fix (if banner is distracting): - Accept it: This is how v7.0 recording works - banner disappears when recording stops - Alternative: Use chrome://flags (search for "debug-mode") to customize banner behavior (not recommended - may break recording)

"Recording includes unwanted transactions (ads, analytics)"¶

Symptom: Test case has transactions from third-party domains you don't want to test.

Fix: Use domain blocking to filter unwanted transactions during recording.

How to set up blocking: 1. Tools → Preferences → Recording → Domain Blocking 2. Add domains to block (e.g., google-analytics.com, doubleclick.net, facebook.com) 3. Start a new recording, and blocked domains won't appear in test case

Alternatively: Delete unwanted transactions after recording (right-click → Cut in Test Case Editor).

See: Recording Settings for domain/URL blocking configuration.

"Recording works but pages look broken in Content View"¶

Symptom: Recording succeeds, but pages don't render correctly in Content View when inspecting.

Cause: This is expected when: - Site uses modern JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue, Angular) - Site uses browser-specific CSS or JavaScript - Site loads dynamic content via AJAX after page load

Fix: Ignore the rendering differences in Content View. They don't affect test case functionality. Focus on verifying that transactions are captured correctly in Test Case Editor.

What to check instead: - Test Case Editor shows all important requests (API calls, form submissions, page loads) - Response codes are 200/30x (not 40x/50x errors) - Request/response bodies captured correctly

See: Inspecting a Recording for what to check after recording.

"Can't record sites that require client certificates"¶

Symptom: Recording fails when site requires client certificate authentication.

Fix: Load Tester supports client certificates. You need to: 1. Import the client certificate into Load Tester 2. Configure the test case to use the certificate

See: Client Certificates for complete setup instructions.

"Extension not working after Chrome update"¶

Symptom: Extension worked before, but stopped working after Chrome update.

Most common causes: 1. Chrome update reset extension state 2. Extension permissions changed 3. Developer mode was disabled by update

Fix: 1. Check chrome://extensions: Verify extension is still enabled and has permissions 2. Re-enable Developer mode if it was turned off 3. Reload extension: In chrome://extensions, click reload button for "Web Performance Load Tester" 4. Reinstall if needed: Remove and reinstall extension from <install>/browser/chrome/ 5. Update Load Tester: Extension files may need update for latest Chrome version

"Extension folder location not found"¶

Symptom: Wizard says "Open Extension Folder" but folder doesn't exist or can't be found.

Cause: Load Tester installation incomplete or extension files not deployed.

Fix: 1. Verify installation folder: Find Load Tester installation directory - Windows: C:\Program Files\Web Performance\Load Tester\ - macOS: /Applications/Web Performance Load Tester.app/ 2. Check for browser/chrome/ subfolder: Should contain manifest.json and .js files 3. If missing: Reinstall Load Tester - extension files may not have been deployed 4. Manual path entry: If folder exists but wizard can't find it, manually navigate to <install>/browser/chrome/ in chrome://extensions

VPN & Corporate Network Issues¶

"Recording fails on VPN"¶

Symptom: Recording works without VPN, fails when VPN is connected.

Cause: VPN may interfere with Chrome debugger API or block localhost communication.

Fix: 1. Try split-tunnel VPN: Configure VPN to only route specific traffic, not all traffic 2. Disable VPN for recording: Record without VPN if target site is accessible without it 3. Check VPN firewall rules: Ensure VPN allows localhost connections (127.0.0.1) 4. Contact IT: VPN configuration may need adjustment for Chrome debugger API

"Corporate firewall blocking recording"¶

Symptom: Recording works at home, fails on corporate network.

Cause: Corporate firewall may block Chrome debugger API or extension communication.

Fix: 1. Check firewall logs: Look for blocked connections to localhost 2. Whitelist Load Tester: Add Load Tester to firewall exception list 3. Contact IT: Corporate policies may need adjustment 4. Test on different network: Confirm issue is network-specific

Error Message Lookup¶

Looking for a specific error message? Use the searchable error catalog:

See: Common Error Messages - Use Ctrl+F to search for the exact error text you're seeing.

Still Stuck?¶

If none of these solutions work:

Check Chrome DevTools Console: Open F12 during recording to see extension errors
Verify Chrome version: v7.0 requires Chrome 90+ (run chrome://version to check)
Check detailed guide: Recording Settings for advanced configuration
Contact Support: See Getting Support for how to gather diagnostic logs

Include in support request: - Chrome version (chrome://version) - Extension status screenshot (chrome://extensions) - Console errors from Chrome DevTools (F12) - Load Tester diagnostic log

Most recording issues in v7.0 come down to Chrome extension installation or detection. The ExtensionSetupWizard walks you through the one-time setup. Once that's working, recording issues are rare.