About Crawlbase
Crawlbase is an MCP server that connects clients to the Crawlbase Crawling API for website scraping and page capture. It supports rendered pages, anti-bot handling, and named scrapers that return structured data.
Key features
- 01Scrape pages as HTML, Markdown, or JSON
- 02Handle rotating proxies and anti-bot challenges
- 03Render JavaScript-heavy pages
- 04Capture rendered-page screenshots
- 05Extract structured data with named scrapers
Use cases
- 01Collect page content for LLM context
- 02Capture screenshots of rendered pages
- 03Extract product or social profile data
MCP support
Exposes Crawlbase scraping, screenshot, and structured extraction tools to MCP clients. It can connect through Pipeworx or run as a standalone local stdio server; Crawlbase API tokens are supplied by the user.
Configuration
Remote servers need no local install. Pick your client, then copy the config or install in one click.
https://gateway.pipeworx.io/crawlbase/mcpclaude mcp add --transport http pipeworx-io-crawlbase https://gateway.pipeworx.io/crawlbase/mcp{"mcpServers":{"pipeworx-io-crawlbase":{"type":"http","url":"https://gateway.pipeworx.io/crawlbase/mcp"}}}Open in Cursor{"servers":{"pipeworx-io-crawlbase":{"type":"http","url":"https://gateway.pipeworx.io/crawlbase/mcp"}}}Open in VS Code{"mcpServers":{"pipeworx-io-crawlbase":{"type":"http","url":"https://gateway.pipeworx.io/crawlbase/mcp"}}}{"mcpServers":{"pipeworx-io-crawlbase":{"serverUrl":"https://gateway.pipeworx.io/crawlbase/mcp"}}}Run commands in a terminal; paste JSON into the client’s MCP config and restart. Servers that need sign-in will prompt on first connect.
Tools
Details
From the project READMEmcp-crawlbase
Crawlbase MCP — wraps the Crawlbase Crawling API (crawlbase.com, formerly ProxyCrawl). One endpoint powers everything: rotating residential/datacenter proxies, server-side anti-bot solving (Cloudflare, DataDome, hCaptcha, …), optional headless-browser rendering, screenshots, and a library of named…
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1875+ live data sources. This is an independent, unofficial integration — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or published by the upstream provider.
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
crawlbase_scrape | Scrape any website through Crawlbase rotating residential proxies with server-side anti-bot bypass (Cloudflare, DataDome, hCaptcha solved for you). Returns the page as HTML (default), clean markdown (format:"md" — great for LLM context), or a JSON envelope with metadata (format:"json"). JavaScript-heavy pages (SPAs) render when you pass your Crawlbase JavaScript token as _apiKey; the Normal token does fast static fetches. Example: crawlbase_scrape({ url: "https://example.com", format: "md", _apiKey: "your-crawlbase-token" }) |
crawlbase_screenshot | Capture a screenshot of a rendered web page via Crawlbase (headless browser + rotating proxies, anti-bot bypass). Returns a stored screenshot_url (JPEG, link expires after about one hour) plus crawl metadata. Requires your Crawlbase JavaScript token as _apiKey — screenshots always render in a real browser. Captures the full page by default; pass mode:"viewport" with width/height to constrain. Example: crawlbase_screenshot({ url: "https://example.com", _apiKey: "your-js-token" }) |
crawlbase_structured | Scrape a page into clean structured JSON using a named Crawlbase scraper — skip HTML parsing entirely. Common scraper names: "amazon-product-details", "amazon-serp", "google-serp", "facebook-page", "facebook-profile", "instagram-profile", "instagram-post", "linkedin-profile", "linkedin-company", "tiktok-profile", "ebay-product", "walmart-product-details", "github-repository", "generic-extractor". Full catalog: https://crawlbase.com/docs/scrapers/ — social-media scrapers (Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn) work best with your JavaScript token. Example: crawlbase_structured({ url: "https://www.amazon.com/dp/1098145356", scraper: "amazon-product-details", _apiKey: "your-crawlbase-token" }) |
Quick Start
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"crawlbase": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/crawlbase/mcp"
}
}
}
What this endpoint actually serves
tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/crawlbase/mcp returns the tools in the table
above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx,
discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the
gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a
single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the
pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and
is the authoritative answer for a given day.
This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a
scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via
ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a
second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without
them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth,
connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.
Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pipeworx": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
}
}
}
Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1875+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx
reaches all of them from either one.
No MCP client? Call it over HTTP
This pack takes your own API key (_apiKey) — we don't front one for it, so there's no curl here that would run without it. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/crawlbase_scrape. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.
Standalone (no gateway account)
This package also runs as a local stdio MCP server — no Pipeworx account, no gateway round-trip:
{
"mcpServers": {
"crawlbase": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-crawlbase"]
}
}
}
Or run it directly to confirm it starts:
npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-crawlbase
It speaks MCP over stdin/stdout and answers initialize/tools/list/tools/call
for only this pack's tools — none of the shared meta-tools the gateway
connection above adds. Same source, same tools, no ask_pipeworx routing.
Using with ask_pipeworx
Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Crawlbase data" })
The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
More
License
MIT
Comments
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