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firecrawl-download skill

/skills/firecrawl-download

This skill downloads an entire site as local files by mapping and scraping pages into organized .firecrawl directories for offline access.

npx playbooks add skill firecrawl/cli --skill firecrawl-download

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)
SKILL.md
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---
name: firecrawl-download
description: |
  Download an entire website as local files — markdown, screenshots, or multiple formats per page. Use this skill when the user wants to save a site locally, download documentation for offline use, bulk-save pages as files, or says "download the site", "save as local files", "offline copy", "download all the docs", or "save for reference". Combines site mapping and scraping into organized local directories.
allowed-tools:
  - Bash(firecrawl *)
  - Bash(npx firecrawl *)
---

# firecrawl download

> **Experimental.** Convenience command that combines `map` + `scrape` to save an entire site as local files.

Maps the site first to discover pages, then scrapes each one into nested directories under `.firecrawl/`. All scrape options work with download. Always pass `-y` to skip the confirmation prompt.

## When to use

- You want to save an entire site (or section) to local files
- You need offline access to documentation or content
- Bulk content extraction with organized file structure

## Quick start

```bash
# Interactive wizard (picks format, screenshots, paths for you)
firecrawl download https://docs.example.com

# With screenshots
firecrawl download https://docs.example.com --screenshot --limit 20 -y

# Multiple formats (each saved as its own file per page)
firecrawl download https://docs.example.com --format markdown,links --screenshot --limit 20 -y
# Creates per page: index.md + links.txt + screenshot.png

# Filter to specific sections
firecrawl download https://docs.example.com --include-paths "/features,/sdks"

# Skip translations
firecrawl download https://docs.example.com --exclude-paths "/zh,/ja,/fr,/es,/pt-BR"

# Full combo
firecrawl download https://docs.example.com \
  --include-paths "/features,/sdks" \
  --exclude-paths "/zh,/ja" \
  --only-main-content \
  --screenshot \
  -y
```

## Download options

| Option                    | Description                                              |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--limit <n>`             | Max pages to download                                    |
| `--search <query>`        | Filter URLs by search query                              |
| `--include-paths <paths>` | Only download matching paths                             |
| `--exclude-paths <paths>` | Skip matching paths                                      |
| `--allow-subdomains`      | Include subdomain pages                                  |
| `-y`                      | Skip confirmation prompt (always use in automated flows) |

## Scrape options (all work with download)

`-f <formats>`, `-H`, `-S`, `--screenshot`, `--full-page-screenshot`, `--only-main-content`, `--include-tags`, `--exclude-tags`, `--wait-for`, `--max-age`, `--country`, `--languages`

## See also

- [firecrawl-map](../firecrawl-map/SKILL.md) — just discover URLs without downloading
- [firecrawl-scrape](../firecrawl-scrape/SKILL.md) — scrape individual pages
- [firecrawl-crawl](../firecrawl-crawl/SKILL.md) — bulk extract as JSON (not local files)

Overview

This skill downloads an entire website into organized local files so you can keep documentation, reference pages, or site sections offline. It combines site mapping and scraping into nested directories under .firecrawl/, and supports multiple per-page formats plus screenshots. Use it to bulk-save pages in Markdown, plain text, screenshots, or custom combinations for each page.

How this skill works

The skill first maps the site to discover URLs, then scrapes each discovered page according to the chosen options. It writes outputs into a directory tree under .firecrawl/, creating one or more files per page (for example index.md, links.txt, screenshot.png). All scrape options apply to the download flow, including format selection, content filters, screenshots, and path include/exclude rules.

When to use it

  • Save an entire site or a specific section for offline access
  • Download documentation or developer guides for local reference
  • Bulk-export pages into Markdown, text, screenshots, or multiple formats per page
  • Archive a site snapshot for audits, backups, or research
  • Automate large downloads in CI or agent-driven workflows using -y

Best practices

  • Always pass -y in automated or CI runs to skip the confirmation prompt
  • Use --limit to control scope and avoid overloading the target site
  • Filter with --include-paths and --exclude-paths to target relevant sections
  • Prefer --only-main-content when you want clean article text without navigation
  • Combine formats (e.g., markdown,links) when you need both readable content and link inventories
  • Use screenshots (--screenshot or --full-page-screenshot) for visual verification or design archives

Example use cases

  • Download a product docs site as Markdown + screenshots for offline reading and team distribution
  • Archive a developer portal section before a major API change using include/exclude paths
  • Bulk-save knowledge base articles into a local folder for internal search indexing
  • Create per-page pairs of content and link lists to support data curation or migration
  • Automate nightly snapshots of a site section in CI with -y and --limit to keep recent copies

FAQ

Where are downloaded files stored?

Files are written under a nested directory structure inside .firecrawl/ relative to your current working directory.

How do I skip the interactive confirmation?

Include -y on the command line to automatically accept and run the download without prompts.