BrightData – Progressive URL Scraping

Intelligent URL content retrieval with automatic fallback strategy.

Activation Triggers

Direct Scraping Requests

• “scrape this URL”, “scrape [URL]”, “scrape this page”
• “fetch this URL”, “fetch [URL]”, “fetch this page”
• “pull content from [URL]”, “get content from [URL]”
• “retrieve [URL]”, “download this page content”

Access Issues

• “can’t access this site”, “site is blocking me”
• “bot detection”, “CAPTCHA”, “403 error”
• “this URL won’t load”

Explicit Tier Requests

• “use Bright Data to fetch [URL]” – Skip to Tier 4
• “use browser to scrape [URL]” – Skip to Tier 3

Core Capability

Four-Tier Progressive Escalation:

START
  |
Tier 1 (WebFetch) --> Success? --> Return content
  |
  No
  |
Tier 2 (Curl) --> Success? --> Return content
  |
  No
  |
Tier 3 (Browser) --> Success? --> Return content
  |
  No
  |
Tier 4 (Bright Data) --> Success? --> Return content
  |
  No
  |
Report failure + alternatives

Tier Details

Tier 1: WebFetch (Built-in)

• Tool: Claude Code’s WebFetch
• Speed: ~2-5 seconds
• Cost: Free
• Works for: Public sites, no bot detection

Tier 2: Curl with Chrome Headers

• Tool: Bash curl with comprehensive browser headers
• Speed: ~3-7 seconds
• Cost: Free
• Works for: Sites with basic user-agent filtering

Tier 3: Browser Automation (Playwright)

• Tool: Browser skill’s Playwright automation
• Speed: ~10-20 seconds
• Cost: Free
• Works for: JavaScript SPAs, dynamic content

Tier 4: Bright Data MCP

• Tool: mcp__Brightdata__scrape_as_markdown
• Speed: ~5-15 seconds
• Cost: Bright Data credits
• Works for: CAPTCHA, advanced bot detection, residential IPs

Workflow Routing

Default workflow for all URL scraping:

• Route to: Workflows/FourTierScrape.md
• Output: URL content in markdown format

Examples

Example 1: Simple Site (Tier 1 Success)

User: “Scrape https://example.com“

Process:

1. Attempt Tier 1 (WebFetch)
2. Success in 3 seconds
3. Return markdown content

Example 2: JavaScript Site (Tier 3 Success)

User: “Fetch https://spa-app.com“

Process:

1. Tier 1 fails (blocked)
2. Tier 2 fails (JavaScript required)
3. Tier 3 succeeds with Playwright
4. Return markdown content

Example 3: Protected Site (Tier 4 Success)

User: “Can’t access https://protected-site.com“

Process:

1. Tier 1 fails (403)
2. Tier 2 fails (bot detection)
3. Tier 3 fails (CAPTCHA)
4. Tier 4 succeeds with Bright Data
5. Return markdown content

Example 4: Direct Tier Request

User: “Use Bright Data to fetch https://any-site.com“

Process:

1. User explicitly requested Bright Data
2. Skip directly to Tier 4
3. Return markdown content

Integration Points

• WebFetch Tool – Built-in Claude Code tool
• Bash Tool – For curl commands
• Browser Skill – For Playwright automation (requires pai-browser-skill)
• Bright Data MCP – For professional scraping

Related Documentation

• Workflows/FourTierScrape.md – Complete workflow implementation
• INSTALL.md – Installation guide
• VERIFY.md – Verification checklist

Last Updated: 2026-01-14