brightdata
Progressive four-tier URL content scraping with automatic fallback strategy. USE WHEN user says "scrape this URL", "fetch this page", "get content from", "can't access this site", "use Bright Data", "pull content from URL", or needs to retrieve web content that may have bot detection or access restrictions.
Best use case
brightdata is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Progressive four-tier URL content scraping with automatic fallback strategy. USE WHEN user says "scrape this URL", "fetch this page", "get content from", "can't access this site", "use Bright Data", "pull content from URL", or needs to retrieve web content that may have bot detection or access restrictions.
Teams using brightdata should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/brightdata/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How brightdata Compares
| Feature / Agent | brightdata | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Progressive four-tier URL content scraping with automatic fallback strategy. USE WHEN user says "scrape this URL", "fetch this page", "get content from", "can't access this site", "use Bright Data", "pull content from URL", or needs to retrieve web content that may have bot detection or access restrictions.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
## Workflow Routing (SYSTEM PROMPT)
**CRITICAL: This workflow implements progressive escalation for URL content retrieval.**
**When user requests scraping/fetching URL content:**
Examples: "scrape this URL", "fetch this page", "get content from [URL]", "pull content from this site", "retrieve [URL]", "can't access this site", "this site is blocking me", "use Bright Data to fetch"
→ **READ:** ${PAI_DIR}/skills/brightdata/workflows/four-tier-scrape.md
→ **EXECUTE:** Four-tier progressive scraping workflow (WebFetch → Curl → Browser Automation → Bright Data MCP)
---
## When to Activate This Skill
### Direct Scraping Requests (Categories 1-4)
- "scrape this URL", "scrape [URL]", "scrape this page"
- "fetch this URL", "fetch [URL]", "fetch this page", "fetch content from"
- "pull content from [URL]", "pull this page", "pull from this site"
- "get content from [URL]", "retrieve [URL]", "retrieve this page"
- "do scraping on [URL]", "run scraper on [URL]"
- "basic scrape", "quick scrape", "simple fetch"
- "comprehensive scrape", "deep scrape", "full content extraction"
### Access & Bot Detection Issues (Categories 5-7)
- "can't access this site", "site is blocking me", "getting blocked"
- "bot detection", "CAPTCHA", "access denied", "403 error"
- "need to bypass bot detection", "get around blocking"
- "this URL won't load", "can't fetch this page"
- "use Bright Data", "use the scraper", "use advanced scraping"
### Result-Oriented Requests (Category 8)
- "get me the content from [URL]"
- "extract text from [URL]"
- "download this page content"
- "convert [URL] to markdown"
- "need the HTML from this site"
### Use Case Indicators
- User needs web content for research or analysis
- Standard methods (WebFetch) are failing
- Site has bot detection or rate limiting
- Need reliable content extraction
- Converting web pages to structured format (markdown)
---
## Core Capabilities
**Progressive Escalation Strategy:**
1. **Tier 1: WebFetch** - Fast, simple, built-in Claude Code tool
2. **Tier 2: Customized Curl** - Chrome-like browser headers to bypass basic bot detection
3. **Tier 3: Browser Automation** - Full browser automation using Playwright for JavaScript-heavy sites
4. **Tier 4: Bright Data MCP** - Professional scraping service that handles CAPTCHA and advanced bot detection
**Key Features:**
- Automatic fallback between tiers
- Preserves content in markdown format
- Handles bot detection and CAPTCHA
- Works with any URL
- Efficient resource usage (only escalates when needed)
---
## Workflow Overview
**four-tier-scrape.md** - Complete URL content scraping with four-tier fallback strategy
- **When to use:** Any URL content retrieval request
- **Process:** Start with WebFetch → If fails, use curl with Chrome headers → If fails, use Browser Automation → If fails, use Bright Data MCP
- **Output:** URL content in markdown format
---
## Extended Context
**Integration Points:**
- **WebFetch Tool** - Built-in Claude Code tool for basic URL fetching
- **Bash Tool** - For executing curl commands with custom headers
- **Browser Automation** - Playwright-based browser automation for JavaScript rendering
- **Bright Data MCP** - `mcp__Brightdata__scrape_as_markdown` for advanced scraping
**When Each Tier Is Used:**
- **Tier 1 (WebFetch):** Simple sites, public content, no bot detection
- **Tier 2 (Curl):** Sites with basic user-agent checking, simple bot detection
- **Tier 3 (Browser Automation):** Sites requiring JavaScript execution, dynamic content loading
- **Tier 4 (Bright Data):** Sites with CAPTCHA, advanced bot detection, residential proxy requirements
**Configuration:**
No configuration required - all tools are available by default in Claude Code
---
## Examples
**Example 1: Simple Public Website**
User: "Scrape https://example.com"
Skill Response:
1. Routes to three-tier-scrape.md
2. Attempts Tier 1 (WebFetch)
3. Success → Returns content in markdown
4. Total time: <5 seconds
**Example 2: Site with JavaScript Requirements**
User: "Can't access this site https://dynamic-site.com"
Skill Response:
1. Routes to four-tier-scrape.md
2. Attempts Tier 1 (WebFetch) → Fails (blocked)
3. Attempts Tier 2 (Curl with Chrome headers) → Fails (JavaScript required)
4. Attempts Tier 3 (Browser Automation) → Success
5. Returns content in markdown
6. Total time: ~15-20 seconds
**Example 3: Site with Advanced Bot Detection**
User: "Scrape https://protected-site.com"
Skill Response:
1. Routes to four-tier-scrape.md
2. Attempts Tier 1 (WebFetch) → Fails (blocked)
3. Attempts Tier 2 (Curl) → Fails (advanced detection)
4. Attempts Tier 3 (Browser Automation) → Fails (CAPTCHA)
5. Attempts Tier 4 (Bright Data MCP) → Success
6. Returns content in markdown
7. Total time: ~30-40 seconds
**Example 4: Explicit Bright Data Request**
User: "Use Bright Data to fetch https://difficult-site.com"
Skill Response:
1. Routes to four-tier-scrape.md
2. User explicitly requested Bright Data
3. Goes directly to Tier 4 (Bright Data MCP) → Success
4. Returns content in markdown
5. Total time: ~5-10 seconds
---
**Related Documentation:**
- `${PAI_DIR}/skills/CORE/SKILL-STRUCTURE-AND-ROUTING.md` - Canonical structure guide
- `${PAI_DIR}/skills/CORE/CONSTITUTION.md` - Overall Kai philosophy
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