Xpather

About

Xpather generates multiple XPath variants for any element on the page and lets you test expressions in real time — all in a side panel that stays open while you work.

USE CASES

- Write web scrapers and need reliable selectors
- Debug page structure and DOM hierarchy
- Build test automation with XPath locators (Selenium, Playwright, Puppeteer)
- Learn XPath syntax on real pages
- Quickly find and copy the shortest unique path to any element

HOW IT WORKS

1. Open Xpather from the toolbar icon or press Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on Mac).
2. Click "Pick element" or hold Alt and hover over the page — the element under the cursor is highlighted in real time.
3. Alt+click to select. Xpather instantly generates up to 7 XPath variants for that element.
4. Copy the one you need in one click or edit it manually to test.

XPATH STRATEGIES

- By ID — uses the element's id attribute for a direct, unique selector
- By data-* — targets data attributes (data-testid, data-qa, etc.)
- By attribute — builds a selector from any distinguishing attribute
- By text — matches elements by their visible text content
- By class — uses CSS class names to locate the element
- Shortest path — the most concise unique XPath from the root
- Absolute path — full path from html to the target element

Each variant shows a "Best" badge when it produces a unique match. You always know which selector is the most reliable.

FEATURES

- Element picker: Alt+hover to highlight, Alt+click to select, Esc to cancel
- Live evaluation: type or paste any XPath and see matches highlighted on the page
- Match counter: shows how many nodes match the expression
- DOM preview: inspect the matched node's tag, attributes, and text
- One-click copy to clipboard
- Side panel mode: pin Xpather to the browser side panel for hands-free workflow
- Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+X to toggle the picker without touching the mouse
- Dark and light theme
- English and Russian localization

PRIVACY

- Zero network requests — works entirely offline
- Zero telemetry, analytics, or tracking
- No accounts, no sign-in
- All data stays in your browser
- Open source: https://github.com/investblog/xpather