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To archive a page that requires sign-in, import a dedicated logged-in Chromium profile into an ArchiveBox persona, then add the URL using that persona. This makes the browser profile available to Chromium-based capture methods and exports cookies for extractors that use a cookies.txt file. Treat both the profile and resulting archive as sensitive: authenticated snapshots can retain personal data and reusable session tokens.
Import a logged-in browser profile into an ArchiveBox persona
ArchiveBox’s documented authenticated-archiving workflow uses a persona to keep the imported Chromium profile and exported cookies together. Use a separate browser profile for archiving rather than importing the profile you use for everyday browsing.
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Sign in to the target site in a dedicated browser profile. The documented import workflow supports Chrome, Chromium, Brave, and Edge, and can target profiles such as
DefaultorProfile 1.Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
From your ArchiveBox directory, create a persona and import that browser profile. For Chrome’s default profile, the documented example is:
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archivebox persona create --import=chrome personal -
Add the protected URL with the persona selected:
archivebox add --persona=personal 'https://members.example.com/' -
Inspect the saved output and confirm that the capture methods you need actually accessed the authenticated page. A successful result from one method does not establish that every extractor used the same login state.
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Replace personal and the example URL with your persona name and target. For a non-default browser profile, specify the appropriate profile when importing it; the usage documentation describes profile targets including Default and Profile 1. See the ArchiveBox usage documentation for the current import syntax and supported browsers.
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Authentication is not shared identically across all ArchiveBox extractors. An imported persona contains a Chromium profile and an exported cookies.txt. Cookie-aware tools can use the cookie file, while Chromium-based tools can reuse the browser profile.
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| Extractor group | How it gets authentication | Examples documented by ArchiveBox |
|---|---|---|
| Chromium-based extractors | Reuse the Chromium profile. | Screenshot, PDF, DOM, and SingleFile |
| Cookie-file consumers and other non-Chromium extractors | Use the exported cookies.txt when supported; they do not use the Chrome profile itself. |
wget, curl, and yt-dlp use cookies; Mercury and media are also listed as non-Chrome examples |
If you log in directly to a Chrome profile managed by ArchiveBox, that gives Chrome-based extractors the browser session but does not itself create a cookies.txt for non-Chromium extractors. The imported-persona workflow is the documented option for making authentication available across both extractor families. If automatic cookie extraction fails, ArchiveBox documents placing a Netscape-format cookies.txt in the persona directory. Confirm the result for each capture method you rely on. See the Chromium setup guidance.
Protect the account and archive
ArchiveBox warns that archived responses and snapshots may preserve private data, tokens, or session cookies. Its Chromium setup documentation cautions: “Future viewers of your archive may be able to use any reflected archived session tokens to log in as you.” Use burner credentials where possible, and secure the archive directory and any snapshots as sensitive data.
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- Use a dedicated account or burner credentials. Avoid importing a normal personal account when a lower-privilege account can access the pages you need.
- Restrict exposure. Do not publicly serve authenticated captures unless access is restricted and you understand what the files contain.
- Review visibility settings. ArchiveBox documents settings including
PUBLIC_INDEX=False,PERMISSIONS=private, andPUBLIC_ADD_VIEW=False. The security overview also demonstrates disabling the Archive.org integration before creating an imported persona and adding a private URL. - Remember that access controls do not sanitize stored files. The authentication documentation describes
PERMISSIONSas per-snapshot and says custom permissions for non-admin users and groups are not currently supported. UI restrictions do not remove sensitive data or tokens from the archive files themselves.
Consult the security overview, configuration reference, and authentication documentation before exposing an archive or changing permissions.
Troubleshoot failed authenticated captures
- The page redirects to sign-in or shows logged-out content: verify that the imported profile is the one signed in to the target site, then confirm that the URL was added with the intended
--personaoption. - Chromium captures work but wget, curl, or media extraction does not: those extractors need cookies rather than the browser profile. Confirm the persona has a usable Netscape-format
cookies.txt; if automatic extraction failed, place the file in the persona directory as documented. - One output is authenticated but another is not: check the extractor family. Chromium-based extractors reuse the browser profile; non-Chromium tools may use cookies or may not support the same login flow. Inspect each output you need rather than assuming one success applies to all.
- A private capture is visible more widely than intended: review the configured index, permission, and add-view settings, and restrict access to the archive. These settings control access, not the sensitivity of the files already saved.
Or skip the browser setup
If you only need a screenshot or PDF rather than an ArchiveBox collection, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. A single GET request captures a URL; the service accepts cookie or consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture. Those cleanup steps can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and responses identify the page verdict and billing status in headers. AI agents can use its MCP server tools, including take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf. This is not a substitute for archiving authenticated pages: do not send private URLs or credentials unless your use case and access permissions allow it.
cURL example, saving a WebP capture:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://members.example.com/ -o shot.webp
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