Fix “Multiple selectors were not found” Errors in Dynatrace Synthetic Clickpaths

Valentín · ‎13 May 2026

Summary

This article provides a structured troubleshooting workflow for resolving the Dynatrace Synthetic Clickpath errors Multiple selectors were not found and 1502 – The HTML element could not be found to perform action.. It walks through how to identify the true failing Synthetic event, distinguish between locator and event‑trigger issues, and debug failures using screenshots, DevTools, and manual navigation. You’ll learn how to build resilient DOM or XPath locators, fix broken clickpaths without re‑recording, and reliably trigger custom JavaScript events when standard Synthetic actions aren’t sufficient. The goal is to create robust Synthetic browser monitors that withstand UI changes and reduce false failures.

Summary
Problem
Troubleshooting steps
1 – Identify the real failing Synthetic event (Where)
2 – Check if the element was selected (What)
3 – Navigate to the failure context manually (Prepare a debugging context)
4 – Get an element locator manually (JS Path)
5 – Move the verified locator into Dynatrace
6 – When the element is found but the action does not occur (How)
7 – Verify event listeners
8 - Elements that resist selection
What's next
Related reading

Problem

The error Multiple selectors were not found in a Dynatrace Synthetic Clickpath means Dynatrace couldn’t uniquely identify an HTML element during playback.

During scheduled or on-demand executions, this error appears as: 1502 – The HTML element could not be found to perform action.

Troubleshooting steps

1 – Identify the real failing Synthetic event (Where)

From the Monitor details page of the affected Synthetic browser monitor, select Analyze executions to open the Multidimensional analysis page.
Choose a single failed execution.
Locate the first step that deviates from the expected clickpath.

Ask yourself:

Is the flagged step the true root cause?
Or did a previous step fail, leading to this error?

Example

Step “Click Go to XYZ” completes.
The next step shows the same page instead of XYZ.
Root cause: The previous click step failed, not the one highlighted in red.

2 – Check if the element was selected (What)

In the root cause step:

Review the Actual screenshot.
Check if the expected element is highlighted with a dotted box.

Outcomes

✖️ No highlighted element → Locator failed → Element not found.
✅ Element highlighted → Element found → Action likely didn’t trigger.

3 – Navigate to the failure context manually (Prepare a debugging context)

To ensure accurate debugging, do one of the following:

▶️ Playback clickpath and keep the clickpath recorder tab open after failure.
- If the element isn't shown in the page where the clickpath fails, use Manual navigation.
🌐 Manually navigate through the monitored web app:
- Use the same steps as the clickpath.
- In a private browser window.
- Reproduce the exact context before failure.

Tip: Open DevTools (F12) at the start so all elements appear in the Elements tab. For playback, this can be done after the initial navigation is performed.

4 – Get an element locator manually (JS Path)

Right‑click the target element → Inspect
Confirm the correct HTML node is selected:
- Hover over the highlighted HTML
  - This should highlight the element in the rendered page
- Repeat if needed to select correctly.
Right-click the HTML node → Copy → Copy JS path.

Test the locator

Paste into the Console:
```
document.querySelector("...")
```
Press Enter
- If the element is returned and highlights correctly → Locator is valid.
- If not, inspect parent or child nodes until correct element is found.

Test the action

Paste again in the Console call the method .click().
```
document.querySelector("...").click();
```
✅ Action occurs → Locator is correct.
❌ Nothing happens →
- Event listener issue → See step 7.
- Element in iframe, shadow DOM, or slot → Try XPath method.
  How to add an XPath locator in a Browser Clickpath Monitor script

5 – Move the verified locator into Dynatrace

Edit the recorded clickpath step identified in step 1.
Remove existing locators (usually CSS).
Add one locator:
- Type: DOM
- Value: Verified JS path (without .click()).
Save and playback.
If still failing → See step 6.

6 – When the element is found but the action does not occur (How)

Scenario A – Triggered event ignored

Try trusted events → How to interact with trusted events in a Browser Clickpath Monitor

Scenario B – Wrong element selected

Locator points to a visual element, not the one handling the event.
Fix: Refine locator to the element with the event listener (see step 7).

Scenario C – No matching listener exists

The app uses different events than click or keystroke. Standard Synthetic actions won’t trigger them.
Fix: Dispatch programmatically the required event

7 – Verify event listeners

With the element selected in Elements tab (like in section 4), check the "Event Listeners" panel.

Confirm the expected listener (e.g. click).
If missing:
- Inspect ancestors and child elements successively in the HTML hierarchy
- Look for the element that's associated with the listener the Clickpath needs to trigger.
When correct element found, repeat step 4.
If no listener exists, the app likely expects a different event sequence.

8 - Elements that resist selection

Some apps use shadow DOM or <slot>, making selection harder.
Try using the Full XPath instead of JS path.

See guide: How to add an XPath locator in a Browser Clickpath Monitor script

What's next

If none of the previous steps resolved the issue, open a chat and provide a link to the monitor you're troubleshooting and the steps you've already completed.

Troubleshoot “Multiple selectors were not found” errors in Dynatrace Synthetic Clickpaths