Skillify: Codify scrapes into skills

VerifiedSafe

Codifies the most recent successful /scrape flow into a permanent browser-skill on disk, enabling future runs in ~200ms.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
7/22/2026
Claude Code
#browser-automation#web-scraping#playwright#code-generation#skill-creation

Recommended for

Automated summary

Codifies the most recent successful /scrape into a permanent on-disk browser skill (Playwright script + test + fixture), verified in a temp directory before committing.

Strengths

  • Turns an LLM-driven scrape into deterministic Playwright code that runs in ~200ms on later calls
  • Runs the generated test in a temp directory and only renames into the final path on pass plus explicit user approval
  • Proposes a skill name, trigger phrases, and tier, and checks for tier-shadowing conflicts
  • Refuses to act when no recent, valid /scrape result can be found in the conversation

Limitations

  • Requires a successful, non-invalidated /scrape within the last 10 agent turns
  • Cannot skillify a result already produced by matching an existing codified skill
  • Depends on the fstack browser stack ($B, browse-client) and is not standalone
When to use it

Right after a successful /scrape you want to make permanent and fast for future runs.

When not to use it

When there is no recent /scrape to codify or the result already came from an existing skill.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score92/100

The skill provides a structured, guarded workflow for codifying a previous scrape into a permanent script. It uses Bash for file operations, temp directories, and running tests, all within a contained context. It includes explicit refusal conditions, user confirmation, and cleanup on failure. No destructive, exfiltrating, or obfuscated actions are instructed.

No concerns found

How this analysis is made

Examples

Skillify the last scrape
skillify
Codify a named scrape
codify this scrape of the lobsters frontpage as lobsters-frontpage at global tier
Make it permanent
make this permanent so future scrapes of the same page are fast

name: skillify version: 1.0.0 description: | Codify the most recent successful /scrape flow into a permanent browser-skill on disk. Future /scrape calls with the same intent run the codified script in ~200ms instead of re-driving the page. Walks back through the conversation, synthesizes script.ts + script.test.ts

  • fixture, runs the test in a temp dir, and asks before committing. Use when asked to "skillify", "codify", "save this scrape", or "make this permanent". (fstack) allowed-tools:
  • Bash
  • Read
  • Write
  • AskUserQuestion triggers:
  • skillify
  • codify this scrape
  • save this scrape
  • make this permanent

{{PREAMBLE}}

/skillify — codify the last scrape into a permanent skill

The productivity multiplier. /scrape discovered how to pull the data; /skillify writes it as deterministic Playwright-via-browse-client code so the next /scrape call on the same intent runs in ~200ms.

Without this command, /scrape is a slow wrapper around $B. With it, every successful scrape is a one-time cost.

Iron contract — never write a half-broken skill to disk

Skills are user-trust artifacts. A broken skill in $B skill list makes agents reach for the wrong tool and erodes confidence. This skill writes to a temp dir, runs the auto-generated test there, and only renames into the final tier path on (a) test pass + (b) explicit user approval. On either failure, the temp dir is removed entirely. There is no "almost shipped" state.


Step 1 — Provenance guard (D1)

Walk back through the conversation, at most 10 agent turns, looking for the most recent /scrape invocation that:

  • Was bounded (you can identify the user's intent line and the trailing JSON the prototype produced)
  • Produced a JSON result the user did not subsequently invalidate (e.g., did not say "that's wrong", did not ask you to retry)

If you cannot find one, refuse with exactly this message:

"No recent /scrape result found in this conversation. Run /scrape <intent> first, then say /skillify."

Stop. Do not synthesize from chat fragments. Do not synthesize from a match-path /scrape result (matched skills are already codified — there's nothing to skillify).

If you find a candidate but the user is currently three turns past it discussing something unrelated, ask once before proceeding:

"The last successful /scrape was '<intent line>' a few turns back. Skillify that one?"

A "yes" lets you continue. Anything else: refuse with the message above.

Step 2 — Propose name + triggers

From the prototype intent, extract:

  • A short skill name: lowercase letters/digits/dashes, ≤32 chars, starts with a letter, no consecutive dashes. E.g., lobsters-frontpage, gh-issue-list, pypi-package-stats.
  • 3–5 trigger phrases the agent should match against in future /scrape calls. Mix the canonical phrase ("scrape lobsters frontpage") with paraphrases ("top posts on lobste.rs", "lobsters front page").
  • The host (just the hostname, e.g. lobste.rs).

Then AskUserQuestion to confirm:

D<N> — Skill name + tier
Project/branch/task: codifying /scrape "<intent>" as a browser-skill.
ELI10: Pick a short name we'll use to find this skill next time you say
something similar. Pick a tier — global means every project on this
machine sees it, project means just this repo.
Stakes if we pick wrong: bad name buries the skill in $B skill list;
wrong tier means future projects can't find it (or can find it when you
didn't want them to).
Recommendation: A — <proposed-name> at global tier — most scrape skills
generalize across projects.
Note: options differ in kind, not coverage — no completeness score.
A) Keep "<proposed-name>" at global tier — ~/.fstack/browser-skills/<proposed-name>/  (recommended)
B) Keep "<proposed-name>" but at project tier — <project>/.fstack/browser-skills/<proposed-name>/
C) Rename it (free-form — say the new name)

Tier-shadowing check. Before showing the question, run $B skill list and check for an existing skill at the same name. If found, add to the question:

"Note: a <tier> skill named '<name>' already exists. Picking the same name at a higher tier (project > global > bundled) shadows it; picking the same tier collides and will be refused at write time. Pick a different name to coexist."

Step 3 — Synthesize script.ts (D2)

Use only the final-attempt $B calls that produced the JSON the user accepted, plus the user's intent string. Drop:

  • Failed selector attempts (the four selectors you tried before the working one)
  • Unrelated $B commands from earlier turns
  • All conversation prose, summaries, your own reasoning

The script imports the SDK from ./_lib/browse-client (a sibling copy, written in step 6) and exports a parser function so script.test.ts can exercise it against the bundled fixture without spinning up the daemon.

Mirror the bundled reference at browser-skills/hackernews-frontpage/script.ts:

import { browse } from './_lib/browse-client';

export interface Item { /* one row of the JSON output */ }
export interface Output { items: Item[]; count: number; }

const TARGET_URL = '<the URL the prototype used>';

export function parseFromHtml(html: string): Item[] {
  // Pure function: HTML in, parsed Item[] out. No $B calls.
  // Future fixture-replay tests call this directly.
}

if (import.meta.main) { await main(); }

async function main(): Promise<void> {
  await browse.goto(TARGET_URL);
  const html = await browse.html();
  const items = parseFromHtml(html);
  const output: Output = { items, count: items.length };
  process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify(output) + '\n');
}

The parser MUST be a pure function. If your prototype used multiple $B calls (e.g., goto + click "Next" + html), keep all of them in main() but extract the parsing into pure helpers. The fixture-replay tests in step 5 only exercise the pure parts.

Step 4 — Capture the fixture

$B goto "<TARGET_URL>"
$B html > /tmp/skillify-fixture-$$.html

The fixture filename inside the staged dir is fixtures/<host-with-dashes>-<YYYY-MM-DD>.html, where the date is today. E.g. fixtures/lobste-rs-2026-04-27.html.

Read the file you wrote, store its contents in a variable, and use it when staging in step 7.

Step 5 — Write script.test.ts

Mirror browser-skills/hackernews-frontpage/script.test.ts. The test must include at least one ★★ assertion — parsed output has the expected shape AND non-empty key fields — not a smoke ★ assertion. Smoke tests that only check parseFromHtml doesn't throw are insufficient.

import { describe, it, expect } from 'bun:test';
import * as fs from 'fs';
import * as path from 'path';
import { parseFromHtml } from './script';

describe('<name> parser', () => {
  const fixturePath = path.join(import.meta.dir, 'fixtures', '<host>-<date>.html');
  const html = fs.readFileSync(fixturePath, 'utf-8');
  const items = parseFromHtml(html);

  it('returns at least one item from the bundled fixture', () => {
    expect(items.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
  });

  it('every item has the required shape', () => {
    for (const item of items) {
      expect(typeof item.<keyfield>).toBe('<keytype>');
      // ... assert on every required field
    }
  });
});

Step 6 — Resolve the canonical SDK path + read it

The canonical SDK lives at <fstack-install>/browse/src/browse-client.ts. The bundled-skill loader walks the install tree to find it; mirror that.

Resolve the fstack install dir. Two reliable signals (in order):

  1. The bundled hackernews-frontpage skill — look at its tier path from $B skill list (the bundled row). The skill dir is <fstack-install>/browser-skills/hackernews-frontpage/, so the install dir is two dirname calls above its _lib/browse-client.ts.
  2. The active fstack skills install at ~/.claude/skills/fstack/. Read the symlink target if it's a symlink, otherwise use the path directly.

Example (run as Bun, not bash, to avoid shell-redirect parsing issues):

import * as fs from 'fs';
import * as os from 'os';
import * as path from 'path';

function resolveSdkPath(): string {
  const candidates = [
    path.join(os.homedir(), '.claude', 'skills', 'fstack', 'browse', 'src', 'browse-client.ts'),
    // Add other install-dir candidates if your environment differs.
  ];
  for (const c of candidates) {
    try {
      const real = fs.realpathSync(c);
      if (fs.existsSync(real)) return real;
    } catch {}
  }
  throw new Error('Could not resolve canonical browse-client.ts');
}

const sdkContents = fs.readFileSync(resolveSdkPath(), 'utf-8');

Read the SDK contents into a variable. The staging step writes it as _lib/browse-client.ts byte-identical to the canonical. Phase 1 decision #4 — each skill is fully self-contained, no version drift possible.

Step 7 — Stage the skill (D3 atomic write)

Use the helper at browse/src/browser-skill-write.ts. Construct an inline TypeScript snippet (or shell out to a small Bun one-liner) that calls:

import { stageSkill } from '<fstack-install>/browse/src/browser-skill-write';

const stagedDir = stageSkill({
  name: '<name>',
  files: new Map([
    ['SKILL.md', skillMd],
    ['script.ts', scriptTs],
    ['script.test.ts', scriptTestTs],
    ['_lib/browse-client.ts', sdkContents],
    ['fixtures/<host>-<date>.html', fixtureHtml],
  ]),
});
console.log(stagedDir);

The SKILL.md content for <name> follows the Phase 1 frontmatter contract:

---
name: <name>
description: <one-line, what data this returns>
host: <hostname>
trusted: false       # agent-authored skills are untrusted by default
source: agent
version: 1.0.0
args: []             # extend if your script accepts --arg key=value
triggers:
  - <phrase 1>
  - <phrase 2>
  - <phrase 3>
---

# <Name> scraper

<2-3 sentences on what the script does, what URL it hits, and what
shape of JSON it returns. NO conversation context. NO chat fragments.
This is a durable on-disk artifact — keep it tight.>

## Usage

\`\`\`
$ $B skill run <name>
{ "items": [...], "count": N }
\`\`\`

Capture stagedDir (the path returned by stageSkill). You'll pass it to $B skill test next, then to commitSkill or discardStaged.

Step 8 — Run $B skill test against the staged dir

$B skill test "<name>" --dir "<stagedDir>"

If $B skill test does not yet accept --dir, fall back to invoking the test runner directly against the staged path:

( cd "<stagedDir>" && bun test script.test.ts )

If the test fails:

  1. Read the test output. If the failure is a fixable parser bug, rewrite script.ts and script.test.ts (still inside the staged dir) and retry — at most twice. Show the diff to the user before each retry.

  2. If still failing after two retries, OR the failure is an environmental issue (SDK import, daemon connection):

    import { discardStaged } from '<fstack-install>/browse/src/browser-skill-write';
    discardStaged('<stagedDir>');
    

    Report the failure to the user, show them the staged script.ts for reference, and stop. No on-disk artifact.

Step 9 — Approval gate

Tests passed. Now ask the user before committing:

D<N> — Commit skill "<name>" at <resolved-tier-path>?
Project/branch/task: codified /scrape "<intent>" — tests pass against fixture.
ELI10: The script ran clean against the snapshot we captured. Saying yes
moves the staged folder into ~/.fstack/browser-skills/ where /scrape
will find it next time. Saying no removes the staged folder and nothing
lands on disk.
Stakes if we pick wrong: yes commits an artifact you have to manually rm
later if you regret it ($B skill rm <name> --global). No throws away
~30s of synthesis work.
Recommendation: A — tests passed, the script is self-contained, this is
the productivity payoff for the prototype.
Note: options differ in kind, not coverage — no completeness score.
A) Commit it (recommended)
B) Look at the script first (I'll print SKILL.md + script.ts and re-ask)
C) Discard — don't commit

If the user picks B, print the staged SKILL.md and script.ts (NOT the fixture or _lib/), then re-ask the same A/B/C question (without B this time — they already saw it).

Step 10 — Commit (atomic) or discard

If the user approved:

import { commitSkill } from '<fstack-install>/browse/src/browser-skill-write';
const dest = commitSkill({
  name: '<name>',
  tier: '<global|project>',  // from step 2 answer
  stagedDir: '<stagedDir>',
});
console.log(`Committed: ${dest}`);

If commitSkill throws "already exists" (tier-shadowing collision the user dismissed in step 2), report and ask whether to:

  • Pick a different name (back to step 2)
  • $B skill rm <name> then retry
  • Discard

If the user rejected in step 9:

import { discardStaged } from '<fstack-install>/browse/src/browser-skill-write';
discardStaged('<stagedDir>');

Report: "Discarded. No skill was written to disk."

Step 11 — Confirm + verify

After a successful commit, run one verification:

$B skill list | grep <name>
$B skill run <name>    # should match the JSON the prototype produced

If the post-commit run does not match the prototype output, something in synthesis drifted. Surface this to the user — they may want to $B skill rm <name> and retry. Do NOT silently roll back; the user deserves to see the discrepancy.

End the skill with one line: "Skill '<name>' committed at <tier>. Future /scrape calls matching '<canonical-trigger>' will run in ~200ms."


Limits (be honest)

  • Bun runtime required. The codified skill runs as a Bun process (bun run script.ts). Phase 1 design carry-over (Codex finding #7). Real fix lands in Phase 4 (self-contained binary or Node fallback). For now: the skill works on any machine that has fstack installed, which means it has Bun.
  • Fixture-replay tests are point-in-time. When the target site rotates HTML, the fixture goes stale and the test passes against an outdated snapshot. Phase 4 will add fixture-staleness detection.
  • Synthesis is best-effort. You're writing a script from your own conversation memory. If the prototype was complex (multi-page, JS hydration, lazy load) the codified script may need a hand-edit before it's reliable. The post-commit verify step catches obvious drift.
  • Single-target only. One $B goto URL per skill. Multi-page crawls are out of scope — write a separate skill per target, or parameterize via args: if the URL pattern is regular.

What this skill does NOT do

  • Codify match-path /scrape results (matched skills are already codified)
  • Codify mutating flows (those are /automate's job — Phase 2 P0)
  • Run skills (that's $B skill run — codified skills are run via /scrape's match path or directly)
  • Edit existing skills ($EDITOR + the skill dir is the surface — $B skill show <name> finds the path)
  • Tombstone or remove ($B skill rm)

{{LEARNINGS_LOG}}

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9/download' --output '.skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/skillify' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9' '.claude/skills/skillify'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9'

openskills read 'skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/skillify-codify-scrapes-into-skills-mrwakaw9/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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