Agent skill · Browserbase

Browserbase Fetch skill for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor

Retrieves a URL's HTML or JSON, headers and redirects without opening a full browser.

Officialname: fetch★ 3.7k (repo)pushed 2026-09-29MITSKILL.md on GitHubchecked 2026-11-07

What it does, in the publisher's words

Use this skill when the user wants to retrieve a URL without a full browser session: fetch HTML or JSON from static pages, inspect status codes or headers, follow redirects, or get page source for simple scraping. Prefer it over a browser when JavaScript rendering and page interaction are not needed. Supports proxies and redirect control.

The description field of the SKILL.md. The agent reads only this at startup and decides from it when to load the full skill.

Install Browserbase Fetch

The skills CLI copies the skill into the folder of each agent you pick (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Windsurf...). Add -g for all projects. Needs Node.js 22.20+. docs

npx skills add browserbase/skills --skill fetch

This repo is a plugin marketplace. Inside Claude Code, add it and install the plugin that holds the skill (browse, functions, browser-trace, safe-browser...), or copy only this skill into ~/.claude/skills. docs

/plugin marketplace add browserbase/skills
/plugin install <plugin>@browserbase

# or only this skill:
npx skills add browserbase/skills --skill fetch -a claude-code

Download the skill folder, zip it, then Customize > Skills > + > Create skill > Upload a skill. Code execution must be on (Settings > Capabilities). docs

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/browserbase/skills.git /tmp/fetch-src
cp -r /tmp/fetch-src/skills/fetch ./fetch
zip -r fetch.zip fetch

Codex reads skills from .agents/skills in the repo or ~/.agents/skills. Type $ in Codex to use one. docs

npx skills add browserbase/skills --skill fetch -a codex

gh skill (GitHub CLI 2.90+, preview) installs it for Copilot in VS Code, the CLI and the cloud agent. Copilot also reads .github/skills and ~/.copilot/skills. docs

gh skill install browserbase/skills fetch

Cursor reads .cursor/skills, .agents/skills and ~/.cursor/skills (and .claude/skills). It does not install loose skills from a GitHub URL, so copy it in. docs

npx skills add browserbase/skills --skill fetch -a cursor

Installs from the GitHub repo; --path picks this skill out of the repo. Default scope is user (all projects). docs

gemini skills install https://github.com/browserbase/skills.git --path skills/fetch

OpenCode reads .opencode/skills, ~/.config/opencode/skills and the Claude and .agents folders. docs

npx skills add browserbase/skills --skill fetch -a opencode

Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) reads .devin/skills, .windsurf/skills and ~/.codeium/windsurf/skills. docs

npx skills add browserbase/skills --skill fetch -a windsurf

Works with

Claude Code, Claude.ai and Claude Desktop, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Windsurf and other agents that read the open Agent Skills format.

The SKILL.md says: "Requires BROWSERBASE_API_KEY. Examples use `curl` (or the Node SDK via `npm install @browserbasehq/sdk`); no browser session or CLI install needed."
Pre-approves these tools (allowed-tools, experimental in the spec): Bash.

What's in the SKILL.md

14 sections

Prerequisites
When to Use Fetch vs Browser
Safety Notes
Using with cURL
Request Options
Response
Using with the SDK
Node.js (TypeScript)
Python
Common Options
Follow redirects
Enable proxies
Error Handling
Best Practices

Bundled files

EXAMPLES.md
LICENSE.txt
REFERENCE.md

Loaded only when the instructions point to them.

Facts

Skill name: fetch
Publisher: Browserbase (official)
Repo: browserbase/skills
License: MIT
SKILL.md size: 480 words, 147 lines
Bundled files: 3, 2 docs
Repo stars: 3.7k (as of 2026-10-24)
SKILL.md checked: 2026-11-07

More skills from browserbase/skills

Browserbase Browser: Controls a browser through CLI commands to browse sites, fill forms and extract data.
Adversarial UI Test: Tests what changed in a git diff through a browser: functionality, accessibility, layout, UX.

Related integrations skills

FAQ

What does the fetch skill do?+

Retrieves a URL's HTML or JSON, headers and redirects without opening a full browser. In its own SKILL.md, Browserbase describes it as: "Use this skill when the user wants to retrieve a URL without a full browser session: fetch HTML or JSON from static pages, inspect status codes or headers, follow redirects, or get page source for simple scraping."

How do I install the fetch skill?+

Run npx skills add browserbase/skills --skill fetch and pick your agents, or use the tab for your agent above. In Claude Code the skill ends up in ~/.claude/skills/fetch/SKILL.md; in Codex and Cursor in .agents/skills/fetch/.

Does Browserbase Fetch work in Codex, Cursor and Copilot, or only Claude?+

It's a standard SKILL.md, so any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use it: Claude Code, the Claude apps, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Windsurf and more. The SKILL.md notes: Requires BROWSERBASE_API_KEY. Examples use `curl` (or the Node SDK via `npm install @browserbasehq/sdk`); no browser session or CLI install needed.

Who maintains Browserbase Fetch?+

Browserbase, the company or project behind it, in the browserbase/skills repo on GitHub, last pushed 2026-09-29. License: MIT.

Read a skill's SKILL.md and scripts before you install it: skills aren't verified by any agent vendor. Claude skills marketplace · How to install skills · MCP servers