scraper

name	scraper
description	Scrape documents from Notion, DocSend, PDFs, and other sources into local PDF files. Use when the user needs to download, archive, or convert web documents to PDF format. Supports authentication flows for protected documents and session persistence via profiles. Returns local file paths to downloaded PDFs.

docs-scraper

CLI tool that scrapes documents from various sources into local PDF files using browser automation.

Installation

npm install -g docs-scraper

Quick start

Scrape any document URL to PDF:

docs-scraper scrape https://example.com/document

Returns local path: ~/.docs-scraper/output/1706123456-abc123.pdf

Basic scraping

Scrape with daemon (recommended, keeps browser warm):

docs-scraper scrape <url>

Scrape with named profile (for authenticated sites):

docs-scraper scrape <url> -p <profile-name>

Scrape with pre-filled data (e.g., email for DocSend):

docs-scraper scrape <url> -D email=[e-mail]

Direct mode (single-shot, no daemon):

docs-scraper scrape <url> --no-daemon

Authentication workflow

When a document requires authentication (login, email verification, passcode):

1. Initial scrape returns a job ID:

   docs-scraper scrape https://docsend.com/view/xxx
   # Output: Scrape blocked
   #         Job ID: abc123
   

2. Retry with data:

   docs-scraper update abc123 -D email=[e-mail]
   # or with password
   docs-scraper update abc123 -D email=[e-mail] -D password=1234
   

Profile management

Profiles store session cookies for authenticated sites.

docs-scraper profiles list     # List saved profiles
docs-scraper profiles clear    # Clear all profiles
docs-scraper scrape <url> -p myprofile  # Use a profile

Daemon management

The daemon keeps browser instances warm for faster scraping.

docs-scraper daemon status     # Check status
docs-scraper daemon start      # Start manually
docs-scraper daemon stop       # Stop daemon

Note: Daemon auto-starts when running scrape commands.

Cleanup

PDFs are stored in ~/.docs-scraper/output/. The daemon automatically cleans up files older than 1 hour.

Manual cleanup:

docs-scraper cleanup                    # Delete all PDFs
docs-scraper cleanup --older-than 1h    # Delete PDFs older than 1 hour

Job management

docs-scraper jobs list         # List blocked jobs awaiting auth

Supported sources

• Direct PDF links - Downloads PDF directly
• Notion pages - Exports Notion page to PDF
• DocSend documents - Handles DocSend viewer
• LLM fallback - Uses Claude API for any other webpage

---

Scraper Reference

Each scraper accepts specific -D data fields. Use the appropriate fields based on the URL type.

DirectPdfScraper

Handles: URLs ending in .pdf

Data fields: None (downloads directly)

Example:

docs-scraper scrape https://example.com/document.pdf

---

DocsendScraper

Handles: docsend.com/view/*, docsend.com/v/*, and subdomains (e.g., org-a.docsend.com)

URL patterns:

• Documents: https://docsend.com/view/{id} or https://docsend.com/v/{id}
• Folders: https://docsend.com/view/s/{id}
• Subdomains: https://{subdomain}.docsend.com/view/{id}

Data fields:

Field	Type	Description
email	email	Email address for document access
password	password	Passcode/password for protected documents
name	text	Your name (required for NDA-gated documents)

Examples:

# Pre-fill email for DocSend
docs-scraper scrape https://docsend.com/view/abc123 -D email=[e-mail]

# With password protection
docs-scraper scrape https://docsend.com/view/abc123 -D email=[e-mail] -D password=secret123

# With NDA name requirement
docs-scraper scrape https://docsend.com/view/abc123 -D email=[e-mail] -D name="John Doe"

# Retry blocked job
docs-scraper update abc123 -D email=[e-mail] -D password=secret123

Notes:

• DocSend may require any combination of email, password, and name
• Folders are scraped as a table of contents PDF with document links
• The scraper auto-checks NDA checkboxes when name is provided

---

NotionScraper

Handles: notion.so/*, *.notion.site/*

Data fields:

Field	Type	Description
email	email	Notion account email
password	password	Notion account password

Examples:

# Public page (no auth needed)
docs-scraper scrape https://notion.so/Public-Page-abc123

# Private page with login
docs-scraper scrape https://notion.so/Private-Page-abc123 \
  -D email=[e-mail] -D password=mypassword

# Custom domain
docs-scraper scrape https://docs.company.notion.site/Page-abc123

Notes:

• Public Notion pages don't require authentication
• Toggle blocks are automatically expanded before PDF generation
• Uses session profiles to persist login across scrapes

---

LlmFallbackScraper

Handles: Any URL not matched by other scrapers (automatic fallback)

Data fields: Dynamic - determined by Claude analyzing the page

The LLM scraper uses Claude to analyze the page HTML and detect:

• Login forms (extracts field names dynamically)
• Cookie banners (auto-dismisses)
• Expandable content (auto-expands)
• CAPTCHAs (reports as blocked)
• Paywalls (reports as blocked)

Common dynamic fields:

Field	Type	Description
email	email	Login email (if detected)
password	password	Login password (if detected)
username	text	Username (if login uses username)

Examples:

# Generic webpage (no auth)
docs-scraper scrape https://example.com/article

# Webpage requiring login
docs-scraper scrape https://members.example.com/article \
  -D email=[e-mail] -D password=secret

# When blocked, check the job for required fields
docs-scraper jobs list
# Then retry with the fields the scraper detected
docs-scraper update abc123 -D username=myuser -D password=secret

Notes:

• Requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable
• Field names are extracted from the page's actual form fields
• Limited to 2 login attempts before failing
• CAPTCHAs require manual intervention

---

Data field summary

Scraper	email	password	name	Other
DirectPdf	-	-	-	-
DocSend	✓	✓	✓	-
Notion	✓	✓	-	-
LLM Fallback	✓*	✓*	-	Dynamic*

*Fields detected dynamically from page analysis

Environment setup (optional)

Only needed for LLM fallback scraper:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_key

Optional browser settings:

export BROWSER_HEADLESS=true   # Set false for debugging

Common patterns

Archive a Notion page:

docs-scraper scrape https://notion.so/My-Page-abc123

Download protected DocSend:

docs-scraper scrape https://docsend.com/view/xxx
# If blocked:
docs-scraper update <job-id> -D email=[e-mail] -D password=1234

Batch scraping with profiles:

docs-scraper scrape https://site.com/doc1 -p mysite
docs-scraper scrape https://site.com/doc2 -p mysite

Output

Success: Local file path (e.g., ~/.docs-scraper/output/1706123456-abc123.pdf) Blocked: Job ID + required credential types

Troubleshooting

• Timeout: docs-scraper daemon stop && docs-scraper daemon start
• Auth fails: docs-scraper jobs list to check pending jobs
• Disk full: docs-scraper cleanup to remove old PDFs