Python SDK | Firecrawl

Installation

To install the Firecrawl Python SDK, you can use pip:

Python

# pip install firecrawl-py

from firecrawl import Firecrawl

firecrawl = Firecrawl(
  # No API key needed to get started — add one for higher rate limits:
  # api_key="fc-YOUR-API-KEY",
)

Usage

Get an API key from firecrawl.dev, then either set it as the FIRECRAWL_API_KEY environment variable or pass it directly to the Firecrawl class.

No API key? You can construct Firecrawl without a key and use scrape, search, and interact on the keyless free tier (rate-limited per IP — see Rate Limits). All other methods require a key.

Python

from firecrawl import Firecrawl

firecrawl = Firecrawl(api_key="fc-YOUR_API_KEY")

# Scrape a website:
scrape_status = firecrawl.scrape(
  'https://firecrawl.dev', 
  formats=['markdown', 'html']
)
print(scrape_status)

# Crawl a website:
crawl_status = firecrawl.crawl(
  'https://firecrawl.dev', 
  limit=100, 
  scrape_options={
    'formats': ['markdown', 'html']
  }
)
print(crawl_status)

Scraping a URL

Scrape a single URL with the scrape method. It returns the page content as structured data, including markdown, metadata, and any other formats you request.

Python

# Scrape a website:
scrape_result = firecrawl.scrape('firecrawl.dev', formats=['markdown', 'html'])
print(scrape_result)

The Python SDK converts all response field names from camelCase to snake_case. For example, metadata fields like ogImage, ogTitle, and sourceURL from the API become og_image, og_title, and source_url in the SDK response.

Parsing uploaded files

Use parse to upload local files (html, pdf, docx, xlsx, etc.) directly to /v2/parse. parse does not support changeTracking or browser-only options like actions, wait_for, location, mobile, screenshot, and branding.

Python

from firecrawl.v2.types import ParseOptions

parsed = firecrawl.parse(
    b"<!DOCTYPE html><html><body><h1>Python Parse</h1></body></html>",
    filename="upload.html",
    content_type="text/html",
    options=ParseOptions(formats=["markdown"]),
)

print(parsed.markdown)

Crawl a Website

To crawl a website, use the crawl method. It takes the starting URL and optional options as arguments. The options allow you to specify additional settings for the crawl job, such as the maximum number of pages to crawl, allowed domains, and the output format. See Pagination for auto/manual pagination and limiting.

Python

job = firecrawl.crawl(url="https://docs.firecrawl.dev", limit=5, poll_interval=1, timeout=120)
print(job)

Sitemap-Only Crawl

Use sitemap="only" to crawl sitemap URLs only (the start URL is always included, and HTML link discovery is skipped).

Python

job = firecrawl.crawl(url="https://docs.firecrawl.dev", sitemap="only", limit=25)
print(job.status, len(job.data))

Start a Crawl

Prefer non-blocking? Check out the Async Class section below.

Start a job without waiting using start_crawl. It returns a job ID you can use to check status. Use crawl when you want a waiter that blocks until completion. See Pagination for paging behavior and limits.

Python

job = firecrawl.start_crawl(url="https://docs.firecrawl.dev", limit=10)
print(job)

Checking Crawl Status

Check the status of a crawl job with get_crawl_status. Pass the job ID and receive the current status along with any results collected so far.

Python

status = firecrawl.get_crawl_status("<crawl-id>")
print(status)

Cancelling a Crawl

Cancel a crawl job with the cancel_crawl method. Pass the job ID returned by start_crawl to receive the cancellation status.

Python

ok = firecrawl.cancel_crawl("<crawl-id>")
print("Cancelled:", ok)

Map a Website

Use map to generate a list of URLs from a website. The options let you customize the mapping process, including excluding subdomains or utilizing the sitemap.

Python

res = firecrawl.map(url="https://firecrawl.dev", limit=10)
print(res)

Crawling a Website with WebSockets

To crawl a website with WebSockets, start the job with start_crawl and subscribe using the watcher helper. Create a watcher with the job ID and attach handlers (e.g., for page, completed, failed) before calling start().

Python

import asyncio
from firecrawl import AsyncFirecrawl

async def main():
    firecrawl = AsyncFirecrawl(api_key="fc-YOUR-API-KEY")

    # Start a crawl first
    started = await firecrawl.start_crawl("https://firecrawl.dev", limit=5)

    # Watch updates (snapshots) until terminal status
    async for snapshot in firecrawl.watcher(started.id, kind="crawl", poll_interval=2, timeout=120):
        if snapshot.status == "completed":
            print("DONE", snapshot.status)
            for doc in snapshot.data:
                print("DOC", doc.metadata.source_url if doc.metadata else None)
        elif snapshot.status == "failed":
            print("ERR", snapshot.status)
        else:
            print("STATUS", snapshot.status, snapshot.completed, "/", snapshot.total)

asyncio.run(main())

Pagination

Firecrawl endpoints for crawl and batch scrape return a next URL when more data is available. The Python SDK auto-paginates by default and aggregates all documents; in that case next will be None. You can disable auto-pagination or set limits to control pagination behavior.

PaginationConfig

Use PaginationConfig to control pagination behavior when calling get_crawl_status or get_batch_scrape_status:

Python

from firecrawl.v2.types import PaginationConfig

Option	Type	Default	Description
`auto_paginate`	`bool`	`True`	When `True`, automatically fetches all pages and aggregates results. Set to `False` to fetch one page at a time.
`max_pages`	`int`	`None`	Stop after fetching this many pages (only applies when `auto_paginate=True`).
`max_results`	`int`	`None`	Stop after collecting this many documents (only applies when `auto_paginate=True`).
`max_wait_time`	`int`	`None`	Stop after this many seconds (only applies when `auto_paginate=True`).

Manual Pagination Helpers

When auto_paginate=False, the response includes a next URL if more data is available. Use these helper methods to fetch subsequent pages:

get_crawl_status_page(next_url) - Fetch the next page of crawl results using the opaque next URL from a previous response.
get_batch_scrape_status_page(next_url) - Fetch the next page of batch scrape results using the opaque next URL from a previous response.

These methods return the same response type as the original status call, including a new next URL if more pages remain.

Crawl

Use the waiter method crawl for the simplest experience, or start a job and page manually.

Simple crawl (auto-pagination, default)

See the default flow in Crawl a Website.

Manual crawl with pagination control

Start a job, then fetch one page at a time with auto_paginate=False. Use get_crawl_status_page to fetch subsequent pages:

Python

crawl_job = client.start_crawl("https://example.com", limit=100)

# Fetch first page
status = client.get_crawl_status(
    crawl_job.id,
    pagination_config=PaginationConfig(auto_paginate=False)
)
print("First page:", len(status.data), "docs")

# Fetch subsequent pages using get_crawl_status_page
while status.next:
    status = client.get_crawl_status_page(status.next)
    print("Next page:", len(status.data), "docs")

Manual crawl with limits (auto-pagination + early stop)

Keep auto-pagination on but stop early with max_pages, max_results, or max_wait_time:

Python

status = client.get_crawl_status(
    crawl_job.id,
    pagination_config=PaginationConfig(max_pages=2, max_results=50, max_wait_time=15),
)
print("crawl limited:", status.status, "docs:", len(status.data), "next:", status.next)

Batch Scrape

Use the waiter method batch_scrape, or start a job and page manually.

Simple batch scrape (auto-pagination, default)

See the default flow in Batch Scrape.

Manual batch scrape with pagination control

Start a job, then fetch one page at a time with auto_paginate=False. Use get_batch_scrape_status_page to fetch subsequent pages:

Python

batch_job = client.start_batch_scrape(urls)

# Fetch first page
status = client.get_batch_scrape_status(
    batch_job.id,
    pagination_config=PaginationConfig(auto_paginate=False)
)
print("First page:", len(status.data), "docs")

# Fetch subsequent pages using get_batch_scrape_status_page
while status.next:
    status = client.get_batch_scrape_status_page(status.next)
    print("Next page:", len(status.data), "docs")

Manual batch scrape with limits (auto-pagination + early stop)

Keep auto-pagination on but stop early with max_pages, max_results, or max_wait_time:

Python

status = client.get_batch_scrape_status(
    batch_job.id,
    pagination_config=PaginationConfig(max_pages=2, max_results=100, max_wait_time=20),
)
print("batch limited:", status.status, "docs:", len(status.data), "next:", status.next)

Error Handling

When a request fails, the SDK raises an exception with a descriptive message explaining what went wrong. Wrap calls in try/except to catch these exceptions and handle failures in your application.

Async Class

For async operations, use the AsyncFirecrawl class. Its methods mirror Firecrawl, but they don’t block the main thread.

Python

import asyncio
from firecrawl import AsyncFirecrawl

async def main():
    firecrawl = AsyncFirecrawl(api_key="fc-YOUR-API-KEY")

    # Scrape
    doc = await firecrawl.scrape("https://firecrawl.dev", formats=["markdown"])  # type: ignore[arg-type]
    print(doc.get("markdown"))

    # Search
    results = await firecrawl.search("firecrawl", limit=2)
    print(results.get("web", []))

    # Crawl (start + status)
    started = await firecrawl.start_crawl("https://docs.firecrawl.dev", limit=3)
    status = await firecrawl.get_crawl_status(started.id)
    print(status.status)

    # Batch scrape (wait)
    job = await firecrawl.batch_scrape([
        "https://firecrawl.dev",
        "https://docs.firecrawl.dev",
    ], formats=["markdown"], poll_interval=1, timeout=60)
    print(job.status, job.completed, job.total)

asyncio.run(main())

Python

from firecrawl import AsyncFirecrawl

async_firecrawl = AsyncFirecrawl(api_key="fc-YOUR-API-KEY")

parsed = await async_firecrawl.parse(
    b"<!DOCTYPE html><html><body><h1>Async Parse</h1></body></html>",
    filename="upload.html",
    content_type="text/html",
)

Browser

Launch cloud browser sessions and execute code remotely.

Create a Session

Python

from firecrawl import Firecrawl

app = Firecrawl(api_key="fc-YOUR-API-KEY")

session = app.browser()
print(session.id)             # session ID
print(session.cdp_url)        # wss://cdp-proxy.firecrawl.dev/cdp/...
print(session.live_view_url)  # https://liveview.firecrawl.dev/...

Execute Code

Python

result = app.browser_execute(
    session.id,
    code='await page.goto("https://news.ycombinator.com")\ntitle = await page.title()\nprint(title)',
    language="python",
)
print(result.result)  # "Hacker News"

Execute JavaScript instead of Python:

Python

result = app.browser_execute(
    session.id,
    code='await page.goto("https://example.com"); const t = await page.title(); console.log(t);',
    language="node",
)

Profiles

Save and reuse browser state (cookies, localStorage, etc.) across sessions:

Python

session = app.browser(
    ttl=600,
    profile={
        "name": "my-profile",
        "save_changes": True,
    },
)

Connect via CDP

For full Playwright control, connect directly using the CDP URL:

Python

from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

with sync_playwright() as p:
    browser = p.chromium.connect_over_cdp(session.cdp_url)
    context = browser.contexts[0]
    page = context.pages[0] if context.pages else context.new_page()

    page.goto("https://example.com")
    print(page.title())

    browser.close()

List & Close Sessions

Python

# List active sessions
sessions = app.list_browsers(status="active")
for s in sessions.sessions:
    print(s.id, s.status, s.created_at)

# Close a session
app.delete_browser(session.id)

Scrape-Bound Interactive Session

Use a scrape job ID to keep interacting with the replayed page context from that scrape:

interact(job_id, ...) runs code in the scrape-bound browser session.
The first interact call auto-initializes the session from the scrape context.
Additional interact calls on the same job ID reuse that live browser state.
stop_interaction(job_id) stops the interactive session when you are done.

Python

doc = app.scrape(
    "https://example.com",
    actions=[{"type": "click", "selector": "a[href='/pricing']"}],
)

scrape_job_id = doc.metadata_typed.scrape_id
if not scrape_job_id:
    raise RuntimeError("Missing scrape job id")

run = app.interact(
    scrape_job_id,
    code="print(await page.url())",
    language="python",
    timeout=60,
)
print(run.stdout)

app.stop_interaction(scrape_job_id)

Are you an AI agent that needs a Firecrawl API key? See firecrawl.dev/agent-onboarding/SKILL.md for automated onboarding instructions.

Overall

Official

Python

Installation

Usage

Scraping a URL

Parsing uploaded files

Crawl a Website

Sitemap-Only Crawl

Start a Crawl

Checking Crawl Status

Cancelling a Crawl

Map a Website

Crawling a Website with WebSockets

PaginationConfig

Crawl

Simple crawl (auto-pagination, default)

Manual crawl with pagination control

Manual crawl with limits (auto-pagination + early stop)

Batch Scrape

Simple batch scrape (auto-pagination, default)

Manual batch scrape with pagination control

Manual batch scrape with limits (auto-pagination + early stop)

Error Handling

Async Class

Browser

Create a Session

Execute Code

Profiles

Connect via CDP

List & Close Sessions

Scrape-Bound Interactive Session

​Installation

​Usage

​Scraping a URL

​Parsing uploaded files

​Crawl a Website

​Sitemap-Only Crawl

​Start a Crawl

​Checking Crawl Status

​Cancelling a Crawl

​Map a Website

​Crawling a Website with WebSockets

​Pagination

​PaginationConfig

​Manual Pagination Helpers

​Crawl

Simple crawl (auto-pagination, default)

Manual crawl with pagination control

Manual crawl with limits (auto-pagination + early stop)

​Batch Scrape

Simple batch scrape (auto-pagination, default)

Manual batch scrape with pagination control

Manual batch scrape with limits (auto-pagination + early stop)

​Error Handling

​Async Class

​Browser

​Create a Session

​Execute Code

​Profiles

​Connect via CDP

​List & Close Sessions

​Scrape-Bound Interactive Session

Installation

Usage

Scraping a URL

Parsing uploaded files

Crawl a Website

Sitemap-Only Crawl

Start a Crawl

Checking Crawl Status

Cancelling a Crawl

Map a Website

Crawling a Website with WebSockets

Pagination

PaginationConfig

Manual Pagination Helpers

Crawl

Batch Scrape

Error Handling

Async Class

Browser

Create a Session

Execute Code

Profiles

Connect via CDP

List & Close Sessions

Scrape-Bound Interactive Session