Scrapling Skill

Overview

Use Scrapling through its CLI as the default path. Start with the smallest working command, validate the saved output, and only escalate to browser-backed fetching when the static fetch does not contain the real page content.

Do not assume the user's Scrapling install is healthy. Verify it first.

Default Workflow

Copy this checklist and keep it updated while working:

Scrapling Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Diagnose the local Scrapling install
- [ ] Step 2: Fix CLI extras or browser runtime if needed
- [ ] Step 3: Choose static or dynamic fetch
- [ ] Step 4: Save output to a file
- [ ] Step 5: Validate file size and extracted content
- [ ] Step 6: Escalate only if the previous path failed

Step 1: Diagnose the Install

Resolve the loaded Skill directory without changing the user's working directory. Replace the placeholder once, then run the bundled diagnostic:

SCRAPLING_SKILL_DIR='<absolute path to the loaded scrapling-skill directory>'
python3 "$SCRAPLING_SKILL_DIR/scripts/diagnose_scrapling.py"

Use the result as the source of truth for the next step. For platform defaults, custom or unknown cache locations and smoke-test output retention, read references/troubleshooting.md.

Step 2: Fix the Install

If the CLI was installed without extras

If scrapling --help fails with missing click or a message about installing Scrapling with extras, reinstall it with the CLI extra:

uv tool uninstall scrapling
uv tool install 'scrapling[shell]'

Do not default to scrapling[all] unless the user explicitly needs the broader feature set.

If browser-backed fetchers are needed

Install the Playwright runtime:

scrapling install

If the install looks slow or opaque, read references/troubleshooting.md before guessing. Treat an already-installed message or cache-directory presence as installation clues. Verify browser-backed readiness with the needed fetch and inspect its saved content; neither clue proves compatible versions or a working browser launch.

Step 3: Choose the Fetcher

Use this decision rule:

• Start with extract get for normal pages, article pages, and most WeChat public articles.
• Use extract fetch when the static HTML does not contain the real content or the page depends on JavaScript rendering.
• Use extract stealthy-fetch only after fetch still fails because of anti-bot or challenge behavior. Do not make it the default.

Step 4: Run the Smallest Useful Command

Always quote URLs in shell commands. This is mandatory in zsh when the URL contains ?, &, or other special characters.

Full page to HTML

scrapling extract get 'https://example.com' page.html

Main content to Markdown

scrapling extract get 'https://example.com' article.md -s 'main'

JS-rendered page with browser automation

scrapling extract fetch 'https://example.com' page.html --timeout 20000

WeChat public article body

Use #js_content first. This is the default selector for article body extraction on mp.weixin.qq.com pages.

scrapling extract get 'https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ARTICLE_ID?scene=1' article.md -s '#js_content'

Step 5: Validate the Output

After every extraction, verify the file instead of assuming success:

wc -c article.md
sed -n '1,40p' article.md

For HTML output, check that the expected title, container, or selector target is actually present:

rg -n '<title>|js_content|rich_media_title|main' page.html

If the file is tiny, empty, or missing the expected container, the extraction did not succeed. Go back to Step 3 and switch fetchers or selectors.

Step 6: Handle Known Failure Modes

Local TLS trust store problem

If extract get fails with curl: (60) SSL certificate problem, treat it as a local trust-store problem first, not a Scrapling content failure.

Retry the same command with:

--no-verify

Only do this after confirming the failure matches the local certificate verification error pattern. Do not silently disable verification by default.

WeChat article pages

For mp.weixin.qq.com:

• Try extract get before extract fetch
• Use -s '#js_content' for the article body
• Validate the saved Markdown or HTML immediately

Browser-backed fetch failures

If extract fetch fails:

1. Re-check the install with python3 "$SCRAPLING_SKILL_DIR/scripts/diagnose_scrapling.py"
2. Check the selected browser cache; resolve an unknown location through references/troubleshooting.md
3. Retry with a slightly longer timeout
4. Escalate to stealthy-fetch only if the site behavior justifies it

Command Patterns

Diagnose and smoke test a URL

python3 "$SCRAPLING_SKILL_DIR/scripts/diagnose_scrapling.py" --url 'https://example.com'

Diagnose and smoke test a WeChat article body

python3 "$SCRAPLING_SKILL_DIR/scripts/diagnose_scrapling.py" \
  --url 'https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ARTICLE_ID?scene=1' \
  --selector '#js_content' \
  --no-verify

Diagnose and smoke test a browser-backed fetch

python3 "$SCRAPLING_SKILL_DIR/scripts/diagnose_scrapling.py" \
  --url 'https://example.com' \
  --dynamic

Guardrails

• Do not tell the user to reinstall blindly. Verify first.
• Do not default to the Python library API when the user is clearly asking about the CLI.
• Do not jump to browser-backed fetching unless the static result is missing the real content.
• Do not claim success from exit code alone. Inspect the saved file.
• Do not hardcode user-specific absolute paths into outputs or docs.

Resources

• Installation and smoke test helper: scripts/diagnose_scrapling.py
• Verified failure modes and recovery paths: references/troubleshooting.md