ChatGPT / CustomGPT
Enable conversational web scraping with OpenAI's ChatGPT. Use our CustomGPT for natural language data collection, research automation, and AI-powered content extraction across the web.
Prerequisites
Before getting started, make sure you have the following:
- ChatGPT Plus or Team subscription (required for CustomGPTs)
- An active Scrapfly account (optional - CustomGPT works without credentials for public data)
Overview
Scrapfly provides a CustomGPT that integrates web scraping capabilities directly into ChatGPT. This enables conversational, AI-powered data collection where you simply describe what data you need, and ChatGPT handles the technical scraping details.
Available to ChatGPT Plus and Team subscribers. No additional setup required - start scraping conversationally!
What You Can Do
The Scrapfly CustomGPT enables a wide range of conversational web scraping use cases:
Research & Analysis
- Market research and competitor analysis
- Industry trend monitoring
- Academic and scientific research
- News and media monitoring
Content Extraction
- Article and blog post scraping
- Product information extraction
- Review and rating collection
- Technical documentation mining
Data Monitoring
- Price tracking and comparison
- Availability checking
- Change detection
- Alert generation
Visual Capture
- Full-page screenshots
- Multi-viewport captures
- Element-specific screenshots
- Responsive design testing
How It Works
The CustomGPT uses OpenAI's function calling to access Scrapfly's web scraping infrastructure. When you ask for data from a website:
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You describe what you need
Use natural language to explain what data you want to extract from which website.
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ChatGPT calls Scrapfly's API
The CustomGPT automatically invokes the appropriate Scrapfly scraping functions with optimal parameters.
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Data is extracted and formatted
Scrapfly scrapes the website, bypassing anti-bot protections, and returns clean data.
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ChatGPT presents results
The AI analyzes, formats, and presents the data according to your request - tables, summaries, insights, etc.
Example Conversations
Here are real-world examples of conversational scraping with the Scrapfly CustomGPT:
Research & Analysis
Market Research
Competitor Intelligence
Industry News
Content Extraction
Article Scraping
Product Data
Documentation Mining
Data Monitoring
Price Comparison
Availability Tracking
Change Detection
Screenshots & Visual Analysis
Full Page Screenshot
Responsive Design
Visual Comparison
Multi-Step Workflows
News Aggregation
Product Research
SEO Analysis
Limitations & Best Practices
Current Limitations
- Authentication: The CustomGPT works without Scrapfly credentials for most public websites, but authenticated scraping requires your own API key
- Rate Limits: Free usage has rate limits; for high-volume scraping, use your own Scrapfly API key
- Complex Scraping: For advanced scenarios (JavaScript rendering, CAPTCHA solving, session management), direct API access via Claude Desktop or OpenAI API is recommended
Best Practices
- Be Specific: Clearly describe what data you need and in what format
- Provide URLs: Include full URLs for the pages you want to scrape
- Iterate: If results aren't perfect, refine your request with additional details
- Respect Limits: For high-volume scraping, use the official API with your own credentials
More Powerful Alternatives
For advanced scraping needs, consider these alternatives with full MCP support:
Claude Desktop
Full MCP integration with OAuth2 authentication and unlimited scraping capabilities.
- Native MCP protocol support
- OAuth2 + API key authentication
- Unlimited scraping with your credits
- Advanced JavaScript rendering support
OpenAI API
Programmatic access with function calling for custom AI applications.
- Full API control and customization
- Function calling integration
- Build custom assistants and chatbots
- Production-ready scalability
Troubleshooting
Cause: CustomGPTs require ChatGPT Plus or Team subscription
Solution:
- Verify you have a ChatGPT Plus or Team subscription
- Check the CustomGPT link is not broken (click the link above)
- Try accessing from https://chat.openai.com/gpts/discovery
- If unavailable, use Claude Desktop or OpenAI API as alternatives
Cause: Rate limits, invalid URL, or website blocking
Solution:
- Verify the URL is correct and publicly accessible
- Check if you've hit rate limits (wait and retry)
- For high-volume scraping, use your own Scrapfly API key
- Some websites may require JavaScript rendering - specify this in your request
- For protected sites, consider Claude Desktop with full MCP support
Cause: Ambiguous request or complex page structure
Solution:
- Be more specific about what data you want to extract
- Provide examples of the expected output format
- Try breaking complex requests into smaller steps
- If extraction fails repeatedly, check the page source manually
- For dynamic content, specify that JavaScript rendering is needed
Cause: Large pages, slow target websites, or heavy processing
Solution:
- Request smaller chunks of data instead of entire pages
- Avoid scraping multiple pages in a single request
- For batch operations, break into separate conversations
- For time-sensitive scraping, use direct API access instead
Next Steps
- Explore available MCP tools and their capabilities
- See real-world examples of what you can build
- Learn about authentication methods in detail
- Read the FAQ for common questions