fetch-url · diff
v2.6 to v2.7
17 added, 12 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: fetch-url
- version: "2.6"
+ version: "2.7"
description: "Fetch and extract readable text from any web page — auto-selects the best backend (w3m, lynx, jina, markdown, chrome) with smart fallback. Use when the user wants to read an article, docs, or scrape text from a page. Triggers on: fetch this URL, read this page, extract the text, scrape this site, get the article content. Works on Reddit, StackOverflow, GitHub, docs sites, and more."
---
# Fetch URL
```bash
fetch-url "https://example.com" # That's it.
```
- Extracts text from any webpage. Works globally after install.
+ Extracts text from any webpage. Works globally after install. **No credentials needed** — the free tools (w3m, lynx, jina, markdown) cover most sites.
## Install
- **Linux / macOS (bash):**
+ This skill ships in the **skale-skills** pi package — install the repo once:
+
```bash
- cd ~/.pi/agent/skills/fetch-url && ./install.sh
+ pi install git:github.com/devskale/skale-skills
```
- **Windows (cmd):**
- ```cmd
- cd %USERPROFILE%\.pi\agent\skills\fetch-url && install.bat
- ```
+ That loads the skill into pi. To also get a global `fetch-url` shell command, run the installer from **this skill's own directory** (next to `SKILL.md`):
- Creates `fetch-url` in `~/.local/bin/` (`%USERPROFILE%\.local\bin\` on Windows). Requires `uv` (auto-installed).
+ ```bash
+ ./install.sh # → creates ~/.local/bin/fetch-url (uv auto-installed)
+ install.bat # Windows, same directory
+ ```
## Update
```bash
fetch-url --update # Manual update (git pull + uv sync)
fetch-url --selfcheck # Show version + last update date
```
Auto-updates in background every 7 days.
## Usage
```bash
fetch-url "https://example.com" # Auto-selects best tool
fetch-url "https://reddit.com/r/python" # Redirects to old.reddit.com, uses w3m
fetch-url "https://news.ycombinator.com" # Uses w3m (free, local)
fetch-url "URL" --tool jina # Force specific tool
fetch-url "URL" -v # Verbose (shows tool + redirects)
```
## Options
| Option | Description |
|--------|-------------|
- | `--tool NAME` | w3m, lynx, jina, markdown, chrome, chawan |
+ | `--tool NAME` | w3m, lynx, jina, markdown, chrome, chawan, api |
| `-v, --verbose` | Show tool selection and redirects |
| `--no-clean` | Keep empty lines |
| `--update` | Update the skill now |
| `--selfcheck` | Show version and last update |
## Tools (Auto-Selected)
Priority: free local tools first (w3m, lynx), then free APIs (jina, markdown), then chrome.
| Tool | Best For | Cost |
|------|----------|------|
| w3m | Reddit, HN, simple HTML sites | Free, local |
| lynx | Wikipedia, text-heavy sites | Free, local |
| jina | Docs, blogs, GitHub, Medium | Free API |
| markdown | StackOverflow, fallback | Free API (50/day) |
+ | api | Skale fetch endpoint (`amd.skale.dev`) | Free, needs credgoo key |
| chrome | Cloudflare/JS-protected sites | Free, needs Chrome |
## Site-Specific Behavior
| Site | Strategy |
|------|----------|
| Reddit | Auto-redirects to old.reddit.com, uses w3m |
| HN | w3m (clean output) |
| Wikipedia | jina (cleanest), lynx/w3m fallback |
| GitHub | jina (clean markdown) |
| StackOverflow | markdown (bypasses blocks) |
| Medium | jina |
| Cloudflare sites | Chrome headless |
## Configure (optional)
```bash
- # Credgoo for API tool
- credgoo add FETCH_URL_BEARER
+ # Credgoo for the 'api' tool (retrieve shared team token)
+ credgoo FETCH_URL_BEARER
+
+ # No 'credgoo' command? Install it once:
+ uv tool install "credgoo @ git+https://github.com/devskale/python-openutils.git#subdirectory=packages/credgoo"
# Optional browsers for better fallback
brew install w3m lynx chawan
```
## Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---------|-----|
| `fetch-url: command not found` | Add `~/.local/bin` to PATH |
| gunzip error on GitHub | Use `--tool jina` |
| Empty result | Try `--tool jina` or `--tool chrome` |
| Dependency error | `fetch-url --update` |
## References
- [references/sites.md](references/sites.md) — per-site tool rankings. **Read when** a site returns poor output and you need to pick a better `--tool`.
- [references/github.md](references/github.md) — GitHub raw-URL patterns. **Read when** fetching GitHub file/README/directory content.
- [references/troubleshooting.md](references/troubleshooting.md) — detailed fixes. **Read when** a fetch fails or returns empty/garbled output.