fetch-website-to-markdown

name	fetch-website-to-markdown
description	Fetch public URLs/articles/docs/blogs and save clean Markdown with source URL, headings, lists, links, and code blocks. Use when the source is a URL. Not for converting local files (use markitdown) or condensing/summarizing content (use the /summarize-article prompt).
compatibility	{"tools":"bash, read, write"}

Fetch Website to Markdown

Use this skill to fetch one or more public webpages and save them as proper Markdown files.

What this skill should do

• Fetch the page content with a browser-like user agent.
• Convert the main readable article/page body to Markdown.
• Save a Markdown file that includes:
  • the page title as # H1
  • the source URL
  • the retrieval date
• Preserve links and formatting as well as possible.
• Keep one Markdown file per URL unless the user explicitly asks for a combined file.

Before you start

Capture these details if the user did not already provide them:

1. The URL or list of URLs.
2. The output path or output directory.
3. Whether they want:
   • one file per URL, or
   • one combined Markdown file.
4. Any filename preferences.

Use these defaults if the user does not specify them:

• Save one .md file per URL.
• Put the source URL near the top of the file.
• Include the retrieval date.
• Derive the filename from the page title or URL slug.

Workflow

1. Normalize the URL.

   • Decode HTML-escaped query parameters such as &.
   • Keep the full canonical URL the user gave you unless they ask you to strip tracking parameters.

2. Choose an output location.

   • If the user gave an explicit file path, use it.
   • If they gave a directory, create one Markdown file per URL inside that directory.
   • If they gave nothing, ask once or use a sensible local directory only if the user clearly does not care.

3. Use the bundled script for the conversion. Replace <SKILL_DIR> with the directory containing this SKILL.md.

python3 <SKILL_DIR>/scripts/fetch_to_markdown.py \
  --url "<URL>" \
  --output "<OUTPUT_FILE>.md"

• For a directory-based workflow, use --out-dir instead of --output.
• For multiple URLs, call the script once per URL.

4. Review the generated Markdown.
   • Confirm the file starts with the title and metadata block.
   • Check that headers, lists, links, and code fences look reasonable.
   • If the output is obviously broken, rerun with a different extractor:

python3 <SKILL_DIR>/scripts/fetch_to_markdown.py \
  --url "<URL>" \
  --output "<OUTPUT_FILE>.md" \
  --extractor readability

5. Summarize clearly for the user.
   • Tell them which files were written.
   • Mention any extraction limitations, such as paywalls, JS-heavy pages, or missing images.

Output format

Unless the user asks for a different structure, the Markdown file should look like this:

# Page Title

- Source URL: https://example.com/page
- Retrieved: 2026-03-18

---

[Converted markdown body]

When quality is imperfect

Some sites convert poorly (JS-heavy, paywalled, auth-gated, nav-chrome-heavy). Do the best conversion you can and say explicitly what's incomplete; don't claim a perfect extraction. Full edge-case guidance, batch-mode conventions, and worked examples: references/edge-cases-and-examples.md.

Notes for the model using this skill

• Prefer the bundled script over ad-hoc one-off conversion logic.
• Be explicit about where files were saved.
• Include the source URL in the Markdown unless the user explicitly asks you not to.
• If the user asks for "proper markdown," do a quick sanity check after conversion instead of blindly trusting the first result.