fetch
Fetch web content in multiple formats using fetch MCP tools. Use when WebFetch fails with 403/access errors, when fetching HTML pages, JSON APIs, plain text, readable article content, or YouTube transcripts. Triggers on mentions of fetching URLs, web scraping, reading web pages, downloading content, or accessing online resources.
Best use case
fetch is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Fetch web content in multiple formats using fetch MCP tools. Use when WebFetch fails with 403/access errors, when fetching HTML pages, JSON APIs, plain text, readable article content, or YouTube transcripts. Triggers on mentions of fetching URLs, web scraping, reading web pages, downloading content, or accessing online resources.
Teams using fetch 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/fetch/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How fetch Compares
| Feature / Agent | fetch | 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?
Fetch web content in multiple formats using fetch MCP tools. Use when WebFetch fails with 403/access errors, when fetching HTML pages, JSON APIs, plain text, readable article content, or YouTube transcripts. Triggers on mentions of fetching URLs, web scraping, reading web pages, downloading content, or accessing online resources.
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
# Fetch MCP - Web Content Retrieval Use fetch MCP tools to retrieve web content in the most appropriate format for the task. ## When to Use - WebFetch fails with 403, access denied, or other errors - Fetching structured data from JSON APIs - Converting web pages to clean Markdown for analysis - Extracting readable article content without navigation/ads - Downloading YouTube video transcripts - Getting raw HTML for parsing or inspection ## Available Tools | Tool | Best For | |------|----------| | `mcp__fetch__fetch_markdown` | General web pages — converts to clean Markdown | | `mcp__fetch__fetch_html` | Raw HTML when you need to parse structure | | `mcp__fetch__fetch_txt` | Plain text extraction, minimal formatting | | `mcp__fetch__fetch_json` | JSON REST APIs and data endpoints | | `mcp__fetch__fetch_readable` | Articles/blog posts — removes ads and navigation | | `mcp__fetch__fetch_youtube_transcript` | YouTube video transcripts by video URL or ID | ## How to Use 1. Choose the format matching the content type and task 2. Call the appropriate tool with the target URL 3. Process the returned content as needed ## Format Selection Guide - **Documentation, blog posts**: `fetch_markdown` or `fetch_readable` - **API endpoints**: `fetch_json` - **HTML parsing/scraping**: `fetch_html` - **YouTube videos**: `fetch_youtube_transcript` - **Plain content extraction**: `fetch_txt` ## Fallback from WebFetch When WebFetch fails, the fetch plugin automatically suggests retrying with these tools. Prefer `fetch_markdown` as the general-purpose fallback for most URLs.
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