web-scraping

Extract website content and metadata using cascade fallbacks with Python libraries.

359|61|Updated Dec 25, 2025
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/jamditis/claude-skills-journalism --skill web-scraping-jamditis
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: web-scraping
Source: https://github.com/jamditis/claude-skills-journalism/tree/main/web-scraping
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/jamditis/claude-skills-journalism --skill web-scraping-jamditis

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

This skill enables robust extraction of web content from diverse sites, navigating paywalls and anti-bot defenses while preserving data quality, enabling journalists and researchers to build accessible datasets.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Content Extraction: Retrieve article text, metadata, and structured data from web pages using multiple extraction strategies.
  • Anti-Bot & Undocumented API Handling: Apply a cascade of methods (requests, Trafilatura, Playwright with stealth) to bypass basic bot protections while respecting legality and robots.txt.
  • Social & Media Scraping Use Cases: Collect data from social platforms via approved patterns, track content for verification, and assemble datasets for analysis.
  • Use Case: A researcher collects 100 article pages behind paywalls and builds a clean dataset of headlines, authors, dates, and article text.

Quick Start

Run the skill on a target URL like https://example.com/article and let the cascade try Trafilatura, Requests, and Playwright to extract text.

Frequently Asked Questions about web-scraping

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I scrape web content from pages with anti-bot protections?

To scrape web content protected by anti-bot measures, apply a cascade of extraction strategies using requests, trafilatura, and Playwright stealth mode to bypass basic defenses while respecting robots.txt.

Can I extract article text and metadata from sites behind paywalls?

Yes, you can extract article text, authors, and dates from paywalled sites by applying multiple content isolation strategies and cascade fallbacks to retrieve structured metadata despite access restrictions.

What is the best way to scrape dynamic web pages with JavaScript rendering?

The best way to scrape dynamic web pages is using Playwright with stealth mode, which handles JavaScript rendering and bypasses anti-bot defenses when simpler request libraries fail to load content.

Does trafilatura work for extracting content from social media posts?

Trafilatura can extract content from social posts when combined with approved collection patterns, allowing you to track content for verification and assemble datasets for analysis.

Why does my web scraper fail on certain news articles?

Your web scraper fails because sites deploy anti-bot defenses and paywalls; applying a cascade fallback from requests to trafilatura to Playwright stealth isolates content and overcomes these protections.

Do I need Python to use this web scraping cascade approach?

Yes, you need Python to run this web scraping approach, as the cascade requires Python libraries including requests, trafilatura, and Playwright to execute the extraction strategies.