Site Playbooks Bestbuy

---
name: site-playbooks-bestbuy
description: 'Best Buy site playbook: search by name, or price, stock or pickup for a SKU.'
---
# Site playbook: Best Buy

Read this before you dispatch a computerUse subagent to this site. Follow the Fastest path, fill in every URL you know, then paste the Dispatch snippet into the Task text as written. The subagent does not read skills, so every rule it needs is in the snippet, including the ground rules at its end. Secrets never go in the Task text. They come through `RequestUserForm`.

Jobs in this file: Best Buy search by name; Best Buy check stock.

## Best Buy search by name

### When to use

The user names a product or a spec ("65 inch OLED TV under $1500", "RTX 5060 prebuilt desktop", "AirPods Pro 2") and wants a Best Buy shortlist with SKU, title, price and the card's availability label, or the parent has a name and needs the SKU before the check stock section below. The parent needs the free text query and any price cap, brand or spec filter, and should ask for the ZIP when pickup matters. Read only. This section ends at a shortlist. Store stock, pickup and a Ship to Home ETA for a chosen SKU are the check stock section.

### Fastest path

Set the ZIP if pickup matters, then `browser_navigate` to `https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=<query with + for spaces>` and read the result cards from the rendered page. The SKU is in each card's product link: the `skuId=<sku>` query value, or the seven digits before `.p` in a `/site/...<sku>.p` path, the legacy URL shape in the check stock table, which 301s to the canonical PDP. There is no shell path: the edge resets curl on every bestbuy.com URL, and the developer API needs a key.

Worked example. `https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=65+inch+oled+tv`

### Dispatch snippet

```
Search Best Buy for "<query>" <price cap, brand or spec filter>. Read only, never click Add to Cart, Pick up at Store, Sign In, or Add Protection.
<If pickup matters: Open https://www.bestbuy.com/, click "Update location" in the header, enter <zip>, submit, wait for load.>
Open https://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=<query with + for spaces> and wait 2.5 s after load. If an Access Denied page, an interstitial that does not finish, a captcha, sign in or password, 2FA, or payment prompt appears, stop and report it with the URL. Do not reload.
With a page script collect every anchor whose href contains "skuId=", matches /\/site\/.*(\d{7})\.p/, or matches /\/product\/[^/]+\/([A-Z0-9]{10})/; the SKU is the skuId value, the seven digits before ".p", or the digits after "/sku/", and a /product/ link gives the bsin. Keep one entry per product in page order, up to 12.
For each entry read the anchor text as the title, and from its card the img src, the price, any "The price was" amount, the "Rating X out of 5 stars with N reviews" text, and the availability button text. Report a field you cannot read as unreadable, never a guess.
Drop entries whose title is a different product type from the query. Apply <price cap or filter> if given.
Take one screenshot of the grid.
If the script finds no product links, report no_results when the page says nothing matched, else results_unreadable. Report a table of sku or bsin, title, image, price, was price, rating, review count, card availability label, and url (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/<sku>.p?skuId=<sku>, or the /product/ link), plus how many cards the page showed.
Ground rules for this Task. A Timeout or a net::ERR_* code from browser_navigate means the box cannot reach that host. Do not retry it, even if the tool result says to, and do not run DNS or connectivity checks. Move to the next source this Task names, or report the code and URL. An HTTP block (403, 419, 429, 503) follows this Task's own rule. Work in the tab you start in. Do not open a second tab, and switch tabs only when a tool result names a page you did not intend. In-page tabs are part of the page. A page script is an async (page) => function: run it with browser_run_code if you hold it. Without it, read rendered text from browser_snapshot or browser_find, read a <script> tag from the HTML that curl fetches in the box shell, and report a field neither yields as unreadable, never visible text in its place. Name the read you used. Snapshot a page state once. After a click, a scroll, or a wait this Task calls for, take one new snapshot. Do not snapshot the same state twice. Report as soon as the stop rule above is met, one line per item, only the fields asked for, no page dumps.
```

### Read the result

- The shortlist is a name to SKU step. The card's availability button is a rendered label that Best Buy A/B tests, so report it as `card_label`, not as stock; store stock, pickup and a Ship to Home ETA come from the check stock section run on the chosen SKUs.
- Without the ZIP step the grid is scoped to Best Buy's HQ ZIP `55423`; never report a card label read that way as the user's pickup availability.
- A SKU is seven digits and a bsin ten characters. An entry with only a bsin goes to the check stock section as its canonical `/product/<slug>/<bsin>` URL, which reads `sku` from `script#product-schema`.
- Report `no_results` only when the page says nothing matched. Product cards the script could not read are `results_unreadable`, with the screenshot. Do not report a related-products row as a match.

### When blocked

- Akamai Bot Manager fronts the site, as in the check stock section, and there is no shell fallback.
- If an Access Denied page or an interstitial that does not finish appears, stop and report it with the URL. The parent hands the user the search URL for their own browser, or moves to another retailer the Task names. Do not dispatch a second Best Buy search into the same wall.
- If the page asks for a password, 2FA code, captcha, or payment, stop. Do not solve or bypass. Report which wall appeared and the URL it was on.

## Best Buy check stock

### When to use

The user has a Best Buy SKU (numeric, such as `6418599`) or product URL and wants the current price, Ship to Home availability with ETA, and pickup availability at stores near a ZIP, plus title, brand, model, and any "Limit X per customer" notice. The parent needs the SKU or URL and should ask for the ZIP; without it Best Buy scopes fulfillment to its HQ ZIP. Read only. To turn a product name into a SKU, run the search section above first; this section takes a known SKU or URL only.

### Fastest path

Set the ZIP, then `browser_navigate` to the product page. All fulfillment data is embedded in the SSR HTML as Apollo cache events, so one navigation is enough. There is no `curl` path; in earlier testing the page sits behind Akamai Bot Manager, and the developer API at `https://api.bestbuy.com/v1/products(...)` needs a key and has no store level stock.

| Scheme | URL | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy | `https://www.bestbuy.com/site/{sku}.p?skuId={sku}` | 301 to canonical |
| Canonical | `https://www.bestbuy.com/product/{slug}/{bsin}` | direct PDP; `bsin` is a 10 character id such as `JJ8ZHP82P6` |

Worked example. `https://www.bestbuy.com/site/6418599.p?skuId=6418599`

### Dispatch snippet

```
Check Best Buy stock for <SKU, or a /product/<slug>/<bsin> URL> at ZIP <zip>. Read only, never click Add to Cart, Pick up at Store, Sign In, or Add Protection.
Open https://www.bestbuy.com/, click "Update location" in the header, enter <zip>, submit, wait for load.
Open https://www.bestbuy.com/site/<sku>.p?skuId=<sku> (or the /product/ URL given) and wait 1.5 s after load. If an Access Denied page, captcha, sign in or password, 2FA, or payment prompt appears, stop and report it with the URL.
Run the page script async (page) => JSON.parse(await page.locator('script#product-schema').textContent({ timeout: 5000 })) for name, sku, model, brand.name, url, image, aggregateRating, offers.
Run the page script async (page) => { const t = (await page.locator('script').allTextContents()).filter((s) => s.includes('ApolloSSRDataTransport')).join('\n'); const k = '"productBySkuId":{'; const out = []; for (let i = t.indexOf(k); i !== -1; i = t.indexOf(k, i + 1)) { const a = t.indexOf('{', i); for (let e = t.indexOf('}', a); e !== -1; e = t.indexOf('}', e + 1)) { try { out.push(JSON.parse(t.slice(a, e + 1))); break; } catch {} } } return out; } for each Apollo productBySkuId; one carries fulfillmentOptions.
When a SKU was given, confirm productBySkuId.skuId equals it, otherwise report sku_not_found. Confirm shippingDetails[].destinationZipCode equals <zip>.
Map buttonStates[].buttonState (ADD_TO_CART or BUY_NOW in stock, SOLD_OUT, COMING_SOON, NOT_AVAILABLE, CHECK_STORES). Read price.customerPrice, the "Get it by" ETA, and ispuDetails[].nearbyLocations[] store displayName, distance, pickupEligible, minPickupInHours, quantity.
Take one screenshot of the price and fulfillment block.
Report title, price, online availability and ETA, and a table of nearby stores with availability.
Ground rules for this Task. A Timeout or a net::ERR_* code from browser_navigate means the box cannot reach that host. Do not retry it, even if the tool result says to, and do not run DNS or connectivity checks. Move to the next source this Task names, or report the code and URL. An HTTP block (403, 419, 429, 503) follows this Task's own rule. Work in the tab you start in. Do not open a second tab, and switch tabs only when a tool result names a page you did not intend. In-page tabs are part of the page. A page script is an async (page) => function: run it with browser_run_code if you hold it. Without it, read rendered text from browser_snapshot or browser_find, read a <script> tag from the HTML that curl fetches in the box shell, and report a field neither yields as unreadable, never visible text in its place. Name the read you used. Snapshot a page state once. After a click, a scroll, or a wait this Task calls for, take one new snapshot. Do not snapshot the same state twice. Report as soon as the stop rule above is met, one line per item, only the fields asked for, no page dumps.
```

### Read the result

- JSON-LD `Product` has `name`, `sku`, `model`, `brand.name`, `color`, `url`, `image`, `aggregateRating.ratingValue`, `aggregateRating.reviewCount`, `additionalProperty[]` (spec sheet), `offers[]`. For inactive products `offers[]` is empty or refurbished only and the price is in the Apollo cache.
- Apollo `type: "next"` events carry `value.data.productBySkuId`.

| Query | Fields |
|---|---|
| `InactiveProductHeader_Init` / `PDP_ProductSkuIdComposite_Init` | `productBySkuId.{brand, skuId, name.short, manufacturer.modelNumber, primaryImage.piscesHref, dotComDisplayStatus, bsin, upc}` |
| `FulfillmentOptionHook_FulfillmentDynamicQuery` | `productBySkuId.price.customerPrice`, `productBySkuId.fulfillmentOptions.{buttonStates[], shippingDetails[], deliveryDetails[], ispuDetails[]}` |

- Online state comes from `fulfillmentOptions.buttonStates[].buttonState`. `ADD_TO_CART` or `BUY_NOW` is In Stock, `SOLD_OUT` is Sold Out, `COMING_SOON` is Coming Soon (read `releaseDateDisplayValue`), `NOT_AVAILABLE` is Currently Unavailable, `CHECK_STORES` means online unavailable but pickup may be. Do not trust the visible button label; it is A/B controlled.
- Ship to Home ETA is in `shippingDetails[].shippingAvailability[].customerLOSGroup` (`displayDateType`, `minLineItemMaxDate`, `maxLineItemMaxDate`, `name`). The rendered "Get it by Wed, May 20" string sits near `"shippingDisplayDateType"` in the HTML. `shippingEligible: false` means no Ship to Home. Check that `shippingDetails[].destinationZipCode` equals the user's ZIP.
- Pickup is `ispuDetails[].nearbyLocations[]`. Each has `availability.{maxDate, minPickupInHours, pickupEligible, quantity, fulfillmentType}` and `store.{storeId, displayName, address, city, state, zip, distance}`. `pickupEligible` with `minPickupInHours <= 24` is Available Today, above 24 is Available Tomorrow (or `maxDate`), `pickupEligible: false` is Not Available. The radius is server fixed near 25 miles and about 10 stores; post filter on `store.distance` (miles) for a custom radius.
- Price is `productBySkuId.price.customerPrice` for `planPaidMemberType: "NULL"` (logged out). Member tiers need a signed in session; report them as null.
- `dotComDisplayStatus: "inactive"` with `buttonState NOT_AVAILABLE`, `shippingEligible false`, and `pickupEligible false` is a discontinued product, not an error. Report Currently Unavailable plus any refurbished offer.
- "Limit X per customer" is a rendered string; search the HTML for `Limit\s+\d+\s+per\s+customer`.

### When blocked

- Akamai Bot Manager (`_abck`, `bm_sz`, `bm_ss`, `bm_s`, `bm_so`, `akacd_PR_www_bestbuy_com`, `bby_cbc_lb` cookies). In earlier testing a plain session got a 403 Access Denied page or interstitial on first navigation and a stealth residential session was needed; a box IP may hit the same wall, not yet verified on a box.
- The default location is ZIP `55423`, store `7` (Richfield, MN). If `destinationZipCode` is not the user's ZIP, redo step 1 and reload. Never report HQ scoped stock as the user's.
- `POST https://www.bestbuy.com/gateway/graphql` (operation `FulfillmentOptionHook_FulfillmentDynamicQuery`, variables `skuId`, `fulfillmentInput`, `productPriceInput`, `openBoxCondition`) is the site's own source, but it was not verified cookieless and is expected to be Akamai gated. Do not try it from `curl`.
- If an Access Denied page or interstitial appears, stop and report it with the URL.
- If the page asks for a password, 2FA code, captcha, or payment, stop. Do not solve or bypass. Report which wall appeared and the URL it was on.

## Working with the subagent

Recipe steps name actions, not tools. A page script, a scroll, or a fill lands on whichever browser tools the subagent holds, and the ground rules say how, so paste the snippet as written. A subagent without a page-script tool reads what the snapshot or a shell fetch shows and names that read in its report.

Fill in every URL you know before you dispatch. A dispatch that changes something on the site (a cart, a booking, a form) never goes out without its URL. A read-only lookup may start from a name and a place when its section allows it. When the Fastest path is a shell call, run it with a short timeout and never queue a second lookup behind it. A failed call follows the section's own rule for that response (a single retry, a fresh key, or stop and report); when the section has no rule for it, or the call hangs, dispatch the subagent at once. When the section says the call is unreliable from the box, dispatch in the same round and stop the subagent with `StopSubagent` if the call returns first. A change to a job in flight goes to the same subagent, with `MessageSubagent` while it runs and `Task` with `resume` after it reports. A fresh dispatch spends rounds finding a tab and re-reading the page before it does anything.