Summary

When Browserbase returns a 429 (max concurrent sessions exceeded), the browser tool surfaces a generic failure message instead of a specific, actionable error.

Problem to solve

Users running browser automation via Browserbase hit rate limits (especially on free tier with 1 concurrent session). The current error looks like a connectivity or config problem:

Browser control failed. Restart the OpenClaw gateway...

This leads to:

• Unnecessary gateway restarts
• Agent retry loops that keep failing
• Time wasted debugging connectivity when it's a provider rate limit

Proposed solution

1. Detect 429 responses from Browserbase API in the browser control client
2. Surface a specific error message:
   Browserbase rate limit reached (max concurrent sessions: 1).
   Wait for current session to complete, or upgrade your plan.
   Do NOT retry the browser tool — it will keep failing.
3. Include explicit "do not retry" guidance to prevent agent loops

Alternatives considered

No response

Impact

• UX: Clear error messaging saves debugging time
• Reliability: Prevents disruptive restart loops and agent retries
• DX: Easier to diagnose cron job failures involving browser automation

Evidence/examples

No response

Additional information

• Related to fix(browser): improve browser control disabled/error hints #34864 (improving browser error hints) — this extends that work to cloud provider rate limits
• Encountered running Stagehand + Browserbase cron jobs on free tier
• OpenClaw 2026.3.7, Browserbase (1 concurrent session limit)