•2 min read

Getting Started with CrawlPilot: The Local-First AI Web Scraper

Learn how to set up CrawlPilot and start extracting structured data from any website using AI, all while keeping your data private and local.

In today's data-driven world, web scraping has become an essential tool for developers, researchers, and businesses alike. However, traditional scraping methods often require complex configurations, constant maintenance, and frequently raise privacy concerns. Enter CrawlPilot—the privacy-first, open-source infrastructure for AI-powered web scraping.

Why CrawlPilot?

CrawlPilot is designed with a "local-first" philosophy. Unlike many cloud-based scrapers, CrawlPilot runs your data extraction tasks directly within your browser. By leveraging modern AI models, it can understand the structure of any webpage and turn it into clean, JSON-ready data without you having to write a single CSS selector.

Key Features

  1. AI-Powered Extraction: No more brittle selectors. Tell CrawlPilot what data you want, and the AI finds it.
  2. Local-First & Privacy-Focused: Your data stays where it belongs—with you. Your extraction logic and keys never leave your machine.
  3. No-Code Interface: Use our intuitive browser extension to select data points visually.
  4. Open Source: Built by the community, for the community.

Your First Extraction

Setting up CrawlPilot is straightforward. Everything happens right in your Chrome-based browser.

  1. Install the Extension: Download and install the Crawl Pilot Extension from the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Navigate & Open: Go to any website you want to scrape and open the CrawlPilot sidebar by clicking the extension icon.
  3. Select Data Visually: Click on the items you want to extract. For example, if you're on a product list, click the title of the first product.
  4. Confirm the Pattern: Our AI will automatically suggest similar items. Confirm the pattern, and watch the entire list get highlighted.
  5. Export Your Data: Review the extracted data in the preview table and export it as JSON or CSV with a single click.

Conclusion

CrawlPilot is more than just a scraper; it's a new way to interact with the web's vast information. By combining the power of AI with a commitment to privacy, we're making data extraction accessible and secure for everyone.

Stay tuned for more tutorials and deep dives into the advanced features of CrawlPilot!

CP

CrawlPilot Team

The privacy-first infrastructure for AI scraping.