Crawler Skill
Playwriter exploration -> CDP evidence capture -> Documentation -> Code generation
Use crawler when the user wants a reusable crawling flow, site extraction plan, API reverse engineering for crawling, or analysis-backed crawler code.
For resumable or multi-step crawl work, treat .hypercore/crawler/<ACTION>.json as the durable context file that preserves intent, current state, evidence pointers, and the next step.
Do not use crawler for generic browser automation, one-off page clicking, or document rewriting with no crawl deliverable.
For quick one-off extraction with no reusable crawler, keep the work lightweight and avoid forcing the full artifact set unless the request expands into crawl design.
Templates: document-templates.md · code-templates.md Checklists: pre-crawl-checklist.md · anti-bot-checklist.md References: playwriter-commands.md · cdp-capture.md · crawling-patterns.md · selector-strategies.md · network-crawling.md · action-manifest.md
<trigger_examples>
Positive examples:
- "Scrape product cards from this shop, inspect the API first, then generate a crawler."
- "Figure out how this logged-in dashboard loads data and document the cookies and headers."
- "Analyze this Cloudflare-protected site and recommend the safest crawl approach."
Negative examples:
- "Open this site and click through the signup flow."
- "Rewrite this crawl runbook for readability."
Boundary example:
- "Grab three prices from this public page right now." Prefer lightweight extraction unless the user asks for a reusable crawler or site-wide strategy.
</trigger_examples>
<trigger_conditions>
| Trigger | Action |
|---|---|
| Reusable crawling, scraping, or site-wide extraction | Run immediately |
| Site investigation or API reverse engineering for crawling | Start discovery and API interception |
| One-off extraction from a single page | Treat as a boundary case and keep the workflow lightweight unless reusable crawl work is requested |
| Anti-bot bypass or Cloudflare-heavy target | Start with risk checks and Anti-Detect guidance |
</trigger_conditions>
<support_file_routing>
Read support files in this order:
- Start with pre-crawl-checklist.md before making crawl or code decisions.
- Use playwriter-commands.md when you need session control, page interaction, visual inspection, or selector validation.
- Use cdp-capture.md when you need structured network, cookie, token, storage, or rate-limit evidence with lower token cost.
- Use network-crawling.md when turning Playwriter/CDP evidence into
API.md,NETWORK.md, and raw evidence files. - Use selector-strategies.md when DOM extraction is still on the table.
- Use crawling-patterns.md when pagination, authentication, lazy loading, or retries shape the approach.
- Use anti-bot-checklist.md when the target shows blocks, CAPTCHA, Cloudflare, or explicit anti-detect requirements.
- Use action-manifest.md when the run needs a durable state file under
.hypercore/crawler/<ACTION>.json. - Use document-templates.md when writing
.hypercore/crawler/[site]/artifacts. - Use code-templates.md only after the method is chosen and the discovery evidence is documented.
</support_file_routing>
<mandatory_reasoning>
Mandatory Sequential Thinking
- Always use the
sequential-thinkingtool before starting crawl design, extraction strategy, or code generation decisions. - Run
sequential-thinkingfor each major phase: discovery, method selection, and implementation planning. - If
sequential-thinkingis unavailable, stop and report the blocker instead of continuing without structured reasoning.
</mandatory_reasoning>
<execution_defaults>
- Do discovery before code generation, selector lock-in, or auth assumptions.
- Use Playwriter to reproduce the user-visible flow, then prefer CDP for structured network/auth evidence capture.
- Prefer an API-backed crawler when CDP or fallback browser-network evidence shows a stable endpoint and manageable auth.
- Keep large DOM or accessibility snapshots rare; use them for structure checks and selector validation, not as the default capture surface.
- If CDP attach fails, document the limitation in
ANALYSIS.mdand use Playwriter interception only when the fallback evidence is still sufficient. - Stop and report blockers when legal constraints, repeated
403/429/503, CAPTCHA, or strong anti-bot signals make automation unsafe. - Do not promise
CRAWLER.tsuntil the method, auth material, and rate-limit posture are documented.
</execution_defaults>
| Phase | Task | Command/Method |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Session | Create session + open page | playwriter session new |
| 2. Explore | Reproduce the page flow with Playwriter | accessibilitySnapshot, screenshotWithAccessibilityLabels |
| 3. Capture | Attach CDP and collect network/auth evidence | Network.*, Storage.*, Runtime.evaluate |
| 4. Analyze | Decide API-first vs DOM-first | network-crawling.md, selector-strategies.md |
| 5. Document | Save findings under .hypercore/crawler/[site]/ | Write |
| 6. Code | Generate crawler implementation | code-templates.md |
<method_selection>
| Condition | Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| API found via CDP or fallback browser-network evidence + simple auth | fetch | Fastest |
| API + cookie/token required | fetch + Cookie | Requires expiry handling |
| Strong bot detection | Nstbrowser | Anti-Detect |
| No API (SSR) | Playwright DOM | Parse directly |
</method_selection>
<output_structure>
.hypercore/crawler/<ACTION>.json
ACTION.jsonpreserves intent, current status, capture mode, blockers, output pointers, and the next step..hypercore/crawler/[site-name]/preserves detailed evidence, analysis, and generated code for that site.
.hypercore/crawler/
├── <ACTION>.json # durable action context
└── [site-name]/
├── ANALYSIS.md
├── SELECTORS.md
├── API.md
├── NETWORK.md
├── raw/
│ ├── network-summary.json
│ ├── auth-signals.json
│ └── endpoint-candidates.json
└── CRAWLER.tsSite artifact contract:
.hypercore/crawler/[site-name]/
├── ANALYSIS.md # Site structure
├── SELECTORS.md # DOM selectors
├── API.md # API endpoints
├── NETWORK.md # Auth/network details
├── raw/
│ ├── network-summary.json # normalized request/response evidence
│ ├── auth-signals.json # cookies/storage/header evidence
│ └── endpoint-candidates.json # deduped API candidates
└── CRAWLER.ts # Generated crawler codeMinimum artifact contract:
.hypercore/crawler/<ACTION>.jsonis required for reusable, blocked, or resumable crawl work.ANALYSIS.mdis always required for reusable crawl work.SELECTORS.mdis required when DOM extraction is used or kept as a fallback path.API.mdis required when API discovery was attempted; document discovered endpoints or the absence of a usable API.NETWORK.mdis required when cookies, tokens, headers, rate limits, or bot-detection signals affect the method.raw/network-summary.json,raw/auth-signals.json, andraw/endpoint-candidates.jsonare recommended when CDP capture is available, and should back the human-readable docs instead of replacing them.CRAWLER.tsis required only after discovery evidence is written and the chosen method is justified.
Starter interaction commands live in playwriter-commands.md. CDP evidence capture lives in cdp-capture.md. Durable action-state rules live in action-manifest.md. Keep the core focused on method choice, output gates, and stop conditions.
Templates: document-templates.md
</output_structure>
<blocked_outcomes>
For blocked or unsafe runs:
- write
ANALYSIS.mdwith the blocker, the evidence that triggered the stop, and the safest next step - write
NETWORK.mdwhen auth signals, block responses, or anti-bot findings affected the decision - write any available raw evidence files even when the run is blocked, so the stop is auditable
- update
ACTION.jsonsostatus,capture_mode, blockers, and output pointers match the blocked state - omit
CRAWLER.tsuntil the blocker is resolved or the method becomes safe to automate
</blocked_outcomes>
✅ Playwriter session created
✅ `ACTION.json` created when the run is reusable, blocked, or resumable
✅ Structure analyzed with limited Playwriter snapshots
✅ CDP capture attempted for network/auth evidence
✅ raw evidence files recorded when CDP capture is available, or the fallback limitation documented when it is not
✅ Selector extraction validated
✅ Findings documented under .hypercore/crawler/
✅ Crawler code generated
✅ sequential-thinking trace recorded for major phases
✅ legal, rate-limit, and bot-detection blockers documented before scaling
✅ blocked runs reported explicitly when crawler code is unsafe or premature
✅ `ACTION.json` status and `site_dir` match the actual run outputs
✅ completed runs leave `ACTION.json.next_step` empty or terminal and point outputs at final files| Category | Forbidden |
|---|---|
| Analysis | Guess selectors without structure analysis |
| Approach | Use DOM-only flow without checking APIs |
| Documentation | Skip documenting analysis results |
| Network | Ignore rate limiting |
# User: /crawler crawl products from https://shop.example.com
# 1. Create durable action context
# .hypercore/crawler/extract-products.json
# 2. Session
playwriter session new # => 1
playwriter -s 1 -e "state.page = await context.newPage(); await state.page.goto('https://shop.example.com/products')"
# 3. Structure analysis
playwriter -s 1 -e "console.log(await accessibilitySnapshot({ page: state.page }))"
# => list "Products" [ref=e5]: listitem [ref=e6]: link "Product A" [ref=e7]
# 4. CDP capture
playwriter -s 1 -e $'
const client = await state.page.context().newCDPSession(state.page);
await client.send("Network.enable");
state.cdpHits = [];
client.on("Network.responseReceived", (event) => {
if (event.response.url.includes("/api/")) state.cdpHits.push(event.response.url);
});
'
playwriter -s 1 -e "await state.page.evaluate(() => window.scrollTo(0, 9999))"
playwriter -s 1 -e "console.log(state.cdpHits)"
# => ["/api/products?page=2"]
# 5. Update extract-products.json -> status=running, capture_mode=cdp
# 6. Documentation -> .hypercore/crawler/shop-example-com/ + raw/network-summary.json
# 7. Generate API-based crawler