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BrightData

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danielmiessler
BrightData

4-tier progressive web scraping that auto-escalates WebFetch to curl to Interceptor to Bright Data proxy for bot detection and CAPTCHAs, with single-URL and multi-page crawl modes, output as markdown. USE WHEN Bright Data, scrape URL, web scraping, bot detection, crawl site, CAPTCHA, can't access, site blocking, extract page content, scrape whole site, spider domain, convert URL to markdown, getting blocked. NOT FOR simple public content (use WebFetch directly), social platform scraping with named actors (use Apify), or real-Chrome bot bypass with logged-in sessions and zero CDP fingerprint (use Interceptor).

Overview

Publisherdanielmiessler
RepositoryLifeOS
Skill nameBrightData
Stars
19K
Forks
2.5K
Bundled files
2
LicenseMIT
Links
  • Markdown instructions

    A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.

  • Works with any LLM

    AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.

  • 2 bundled files

    Scripts, templates, and references the model can read while it works. Files are read-only and never executed.

  • Open source

    Published by danielmiessler on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the BrightData AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

1

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

  1. Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
  2. Choose "Install from GitHub".
  3. Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
  4. Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.
Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.
2

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/danielmiessler/LifeOS.git /tmp/LifeOS
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/LifeOS/LifeOS/install/skills/BrightData .claude/skills/BrightData
Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable BrightData in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads BrightData on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so BrightData is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

  • Loaded only when it is needed

    The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.

  • Switch models mid-chat

    Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Customization

Before executing, check for user customizations at: ~/.claude/LIFEOS/USER/CUSTOMIZATIONS/SKILLS/BrightData/

If this directory exists, load and apply any PREFERENCES.md, configurations, or resources found there. These override default behavior. If the directory does not exist, proceed with skill defaults.

🚨 MANDATORY: Voice Notification (REQUIRED BEFORE ANY ACTION)

You MUST send this notification BEFORE doing anything else when this skill is invoked.

  1. Send voice notification:

    bash
    curl -s -X POST http://localhost:31337/notify \
      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
      -d '{"message": "Running the WORKFLOWNAME workflow in the BrightData skill to ACTION"}' \
      > /dev/null 2>&1 &
  2. Output text notification:

    Running the **WorkflowName** workflow in the **BrightData** skill to ACTION...

This is not optional. Execute this curl command immediately upon skill invocation.

BrightData

Scrapes a single URL (FourTierScrape) or crawls a whole site (Crawl), escalating through four tiers only as far as each page needs. Output is always markdown. Start at Tier 1 and step up only when blocked — reaching for the heavy proxy every time wastes Tier-4 credits. A Cloudflare Accept: text/markdown pre-check runs before Tier 1 (recipe in FourTierScrape.md).

The four tiers (tool contract)

TierToolWins onCost / latency
1WebFetchpublic content, no bot detectionfree · ~2-5s
2curl + Chrome headersuser-agent / basic header checksfree · ~3-7s
3Interceptor (real Chrome)JavaScript-rendered / SPA pagesfree · ~10-20s
4Bright Data MCP mcp__Brightdata__scrape_as_markdownCAPTCHA, advanced fingerprinting, residential-IP needsBright Data credits · ~5-15s

Playwright is banned across LifeOS — Tier 3 is Interceptor. Skip-ahead: explicit "use Bright Data" → Tier 4; "use browser" → Tier 3; a domain that already failed Tier 1 → start at Tier 2. The exact curl header block, Cloudflare pre-check, and Interceptor commands live in Workflows/FourTierScrape.md.

Workflows

When routing, output: Running the **WorkflowName** workflow in the **BrightData** skill to ACTION...

WorkflowTriggerFile
FourTierScrape"scrape/fetch/pull/get/retrieve [URL]", "can't access this site", "site is blocking me", "use Bright Data to fetch"Workflows/FourTierScrape.md
Crawl"crawl this site", "spider this domain", "map this website", "get all pages from", "scrape the whole site", "crawl all pages under /docs"Workflows/Crawl.md

Crawl picks Light Crawl (MCP scrape_batch + link loop, ≤50 pages, ~$0.006/page) for a section, or Full Crawl (Bright Data Crawl API api.brightdata.com/datasets/v3/trigger, $1.50/1K pages) for whole sites.

Gotchas

  • 4-tier escalation: WebFetch → curl → Interceptor → Bright Data proxy. Always start at Tier 1 and escalate only when blocked. Playwright is banned across LifeOS.
  • Bright Data proxy has usage costs. Don't use Tier 4 for sites accessible via Tier 1-3.
  • CAPTCHA-solving introduces latency. Allow extra time for Tier 4 responses.
  • Credentials in ~/.claude/.env — BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY.

Execution Log

After completing any workflow, append a single JSONL entry:

bash
echo '{"ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","skill":"BrightData","workflow":"WORKFLOW_USED","input":"8_WORD_SUMMARY","status":"ok|error","duration_s":SECONDS}' >> ~/.claude/LIFEOS/MEMORY/SKILLS/execution.jsonl

Replace WORKFLOW_USED with the workflow executed, 8_WORD_SUMMARY with a brief input description, and SECONDS with approximate wall-clock time. Log status: "error" if the workflow failed.

Bundled files

The model reads these on demand while the skill is loaded. They are exposed as readable files and are never executed.

Frequently asked questions

What does the BrightData AI skill do?

4-tier progressive web scraping that auto-escalates WebFetch to curl to Interceptor to Bright Data proxy for bot detection and CAPTCHAs, with single-URL and multi-page crawl modes, output as markdown. USE WHEN Bright Data, scrape URL, web scraping, bot detection, crawl site, CAPTCHA, can't access, site blocking, extract page content, scrape whole site, spider domain, convert URL to markdown, getting blocked. NOT FOR simple public content (use WebFetch directly), social platform scraping with named actors (use Apify), or real-Chrome bot bypass with logged-in sessions and zero CDP fingerprint...

Why use BrightData on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. BrightData is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install BrightData in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/danielmiessler/LifeOS/tree/main/LifeOS/install/skills/BrightData. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and bundles its files and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use BrightData?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with BrightData?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use BrightData with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the BrightData AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by danielmiessler under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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