TLDR
The world of software automation has expanded far beyond the web. Yet a large share of enterprise applications are built on custom frameworks like Qt, WPF, or Canvas that lack standard DOM hooks. This makes them effectively invisible to traditional automation tools.
This post explores how AskUI’s Computer Use Agents enable DOM-free automation by understanding and interacting with software like a human would, delivering stable, resilient workflows even in restricted and virtualized enterprise environments.
The software automation market has grown explosively around web technologies. However, if you peel back the layers of mission-critical environments in manufacturing, automotive, or finance, you will find a massive blind spot.
We call this “The Invisible Layer”
Why Existing Tools Can’t “See” Critical UI
Mainstream automation tools like Selenium or Playwright rely heavily on the HTML DOM (Document Object Model) to identify elements. While this works perfectly for web browsers, it renders them powerless against custom desktop applications built with WPF, Qt, and Canvas.
In these industrial and enterprise contexts, traditional methods face fundamental limitations:
- Invisible Elements: Because the rendering methods differ from the web, standard selectors (ID, XPaths) often do not exist. To a DOM-based tool, the UI is just one giant, impenetrable image.
- SIL & Virtualization Blindspots: In secure Software-in-the-Loop(SIL) environments or virtualized setups like Citrix, accessing internal code, OS handles, or the accessibility tree is often technically impossible or prohibited.
- Fragile Maintenance: Without DOM hooks, testers are forced to rely on fragile coordinate-based scripts. If the resolution shifts by even a single pixel, the script breaks, leading to “flaky” tests that erode trust in automation.
For a long time, this DOM-Free environment was treated as a boundary where automation could not operate reliably.
Agentic Detection: Understanding Patterns, Not Code
AskUI addresses this problem with a fundamentally different approach: the Computer Use Agent. We provide the automation infrastructure that allows the agent to look at and understand the screen just like a human does, rather than parsing code.
- Visual Patterns Over Code Hooks
Our agent doesn’t search for a hidden line of code like <button id="bookDemoCta">. Instead, it recognizes the visual pattern of a disk icon combined with text. Whether the UI is an industrial HMI written in Qt or 3D canvas rendered by a game engine, it makes no difference. To the agent, it is simply a screen to interact with. This is the essence of Agentic Automation, mimicking the human-centric way of using software
- Non-Intrusive Automation
This technology is particularly powerful in embedded or high security environments where hardware control is restricted. AskUI’s agent does not need to access the underlying hardware layer or inject hooks into the source code. It operates purely based on the pixel information displayed on the screen, enabling a robust automation workflow without compromising system integrity.
The Shift to Robust Stability
This DOM-free Automation approach eliminates the root causes of test flakiness in desktop environments.
<aside>“Traditional tools fail to ‘see’, but our Agent understands.”
</aside>- Eliminating Fragility: By moving away from strict coordinates and reliance on unstable OCR, automation workflows become resilient to minor UI changes or resolution shifts.
- No application-level integration required: There is no need to modify source code or build custom APIs solely for automation
Even if the internal structure of the UI changes, the automation remains stable as long as the visual patterns stay consistent. This is what we mean by truly robust automation infrastructure.
AskUI: The Eyes and Hands of AI Agents
AskUI is not just a testing tool. It is the automation infrastructure for next generation of Computer Use Agents. enabling them to control any operating system through human-like interaction.
Our technology combines on-screen understanding with OS-level input control, providing the foundation to automate end-to-end human workflows.
- Platform Agnostic: Work seamlessly on Windows,Linux, macOS, and virtualized environments
- Tech Agnostic: Automate, Web, Desktop, Legacy Apps, and Terminals without dependency on application technology stacks
The vast landscape of enterprise software, long constrained to manual execution is now accessible to automation through Computer Use Agents.
Conclusion
For years, automation has been constrained by what the DOM could expose. Everything outside the browser, including custom desktop software, industrial HMIs, and virtualized enterprise systems, remained largely manual.
Computer Use Agents change the boundary.
By interacting with software the way humans do, AskUI enables truly DOM-free, resilient automation across environments that traditional tools cannot reach. What was once considered unreachable is now becoming a core part of scalable, reliable automation infrastructure.
The “Invisible Layer” of enterprise software is no longer visible. It is now automatable.
FAQ: Automating the Invisible Layer with AskUI
Q: Does AskUI require access to application source code or internal APIs?
A: No. AskUI operates at the operating system level through Computer Use Agents. Automation runs without modifying application source code, injecting hooks, or exposing internal APIs.
Q: How is AskUI different from traditional OCR-based automation tools?
A: Traditional OCR tools rely on brittle text recognition and fixed screen coordinates. AskUI’s agents interpret UI elements in context, combining visual understanding with intent-driven actions to keep workflows stable even as layouts or resolutions change.
Q:Can AskUI work in virtualized or restricted environments like Citrix or SIL setups?
A: Yes. Because AskUI interacts with software through on-screen perception and OS-level input, it functions across virtual machines, secure enterprise environments, and systems where DOM access or code instrumentation is unavailable.