Open-source web scraper for AI agents with scrape, crawl, and map tools
curl -fsSL https://fastcrw.com/install | sh
Runs local and free, no account needed. To use the Cloud, paste your key into the same command and it installs the binary, connects the key, and registers the MCP server with the AI coding tools you already have:
curl -fsSL https://fastcrw.com/install | CRW_API_KEY=crw_live_... sh
crw search "rust tutorials"
Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and Windsurf are picked up
automatically when they are already set up; nothing else is touched, and your
key stays in ~/.config/crw/config.toml rather than being copied into each
tool. Add CRW_NO_AGENTS=1 to skip that step, or run crw setup on its own to
choose interactively.
1000 free credits, no credit card. Managed proxies, JS rendering and search, with nothing to run or keep up to date. Get my free key →
macOS and Linux, Intel and ARM. More install options →
| Operation | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Scrape | One URL to markdown, HTML, links, screenshots, or schema JSON |
| Crawl | Follow a bounded site crawl and collect its pages |
| Map | Discover URLs without scraping every page |
| Search | Search the web and optionally scrape selected results |
| Extract | Produce structured fields from one or many URLs |
On Firecrawl's own public 1,000-URL dataset, fastCRW recovered more truth than Crawl4AI and Firecrawl, matched the fastest median latency, and idled at ~14 MB RAM.
On a different benchmark entirely, answer accuracy rather than scrape recall, fastCRW answers 90.0% of the 600 AA-Omniscience questions correctly. Every product listed on the Artificial Analysis Search Index sits below it.
crw https://example.com # scrape, works right after install
crw search "rust async runtime" # search, after `crw setup`
Using Cloud? Get an API key, then export it once:
export CRW_API_KEY="crw_live_..."
pip install crw
from crw import CrwClient
client = CrwClient()
page = client.scrape("https://example.com", formats=["markdown"])
print(page["markdown"])
npm install crw-sdk
import { CrwClient } from "crw-sdk";
const client = new CrwClient();
const page = await client.scrape("https://example.com", {
formats: ["markdown"],
});
console.log(page.markdown);
Local mode and more SDK examples → · REST API →
npx -y crw-mcp@latest install
Installs the CRW skill and MCP server in your detected AI tools. crw setup can
also do this step, so either path is enough.
Manual setup →
| Managed API | Local / self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Zero infrastructure and managed scaling | Data control, private networks, or custom infrastructure |
| Start | Create an API key, then crw setup | Install and run crw <URL> |
| Operations | Managed proxies, billing, and hosted capabilities | You choose renderers, search, auth, proxies, and capacity |
Capabilities and response shapes can differ by deployment:
/v1/capabilities · response shapes
The workspace requires Rust 1.85 or newer:
git clone https://github.com/fastcrw/crw
cd crw
make check-fast
crw is better because of these people. Thank you, all of you:
Engine and MCP server: AGPL-3.0. Python and TypeScript SDKs: MIT. Embedding license: hello@fastcrw.com.
Please respect website policies. Crawl and map follow robots.txt by default.
Source-derived launch command. Check the maintainer’s required arguments and credentials before running:
docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/fastcrw/crw:latestMerge this template into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Keep existing servers. Add any arguments, credentials, and permissions required by the maintainer; this template has not been install-tested.
{
"mcpServers": {
"io-github-fastcrw-crw": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"ghcr.io/fastcrw/crw:latest"
]
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect. Confirm the server appears connected in the client’s tool list, then try a read-only example from its documentation.
Claude Desktop setup referenceghcr.io/fastcrw/crw:latestdockerCRW Web Scraper works with any MCP-compatible client. Copy the config snippet from the Configuration section above and add it to the file shown for your client, then restart the application.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.~/.cursor/mcp.jsonRestart Cursor for changes to take effect..vscode/mcp.jsonReload VS Code window for changes to take effect.~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonRestart Windsurf for changes to take effect..mcp.jsonSave at the project root, then start Claude Code in that project and review the MCP server approval prompt. Keep real credentials out of shared files.