ScreenshotMachine documents an HTTP GET screenshot API and a Bash curl example—not a distinct CLI program or a provider-side batch endpoint. To make thumbnails in bulk, save one URL per line and run a local shell loop that sends one API request per URL. For an Indian directory, use a consistent size such as the documented 320x240, then check each response and output file before importing it.
What “ScreenshotMachine CLI” means here
The documented command-line method is Bash plus curl calling ScreenshotMachine’s HTTP API. The documentation shows a request for one URL at a time; looping over a file of URLs is a practical local implementation, not evidence of an official CLI binary or batch API. Each URL therefore makes its own request. See the ScreenshotMachine API documentation for the provider’s request parameters and current details.
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Prepare the directory’s URL list
Create a UTF-8 text file with one complete website URL per line, including https:// where available. Blank lines and lines beginning with # are skipped by the example below. Keep the source list separate from generated images so you can rerun the batch or investigate failures.
Before a large run, decide how the directory identifies a site and its image. A host-derived filename can collide when the input contains multiple paths or URLs that normalize to the same name. Redirects, query strings, internationalized domain names, and duplicate hosts also need an explicit policy. The sample’s filename cleanup is intentionally basic; use a stable unique ID or a collision-checked mapping in a production directory.
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Choose consistent thumbnail settings
Size and device
ScreenshotMachine explicitly gives 320x240 as a website-thumbnail dimension. Its documented width range is 100–1920 pixels and height range is 100–9999 pixels. Keep a single dimension across directory cards unless the layout needs another crop or aspect ratio. The documented device values are desktop, phone, and tablet; use a separate phone capture if the directory displays mobile previews. The documentation lists typical dimensions of 1024×768 for desktop and 480×800 for phone.
Format, delay, and cache freshness
The supported formats listed are JPG, PNG, and GIF, with JPG as the default. Choose one format for predictable imports; PNG may be more suitable where you need lossless output, while transparency requirements should be checked against the capture configuration.
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The delay setting accepts values from 0 through 10000 milliseconds. The documentation advises a longer delay, such as 2000 ms or more, for long pages with images or animation, but waiting longer adds time to every request. The cacheLimit setting accepts 0 through 14 days and defaults to 14 days. Set it to 0 when each run should request a fresh capture; otherwise a cached image within the selected age may be reused.
Language and page behavior
The API documentation describes settings for accept-language, custom user agents, CSS selector capture, clicking, hiding elements, cookies, and cropping. These may help with localized pages or overlays, but choosing a language header does not establish that a screenshot is being rendered from an Indian geographic location. Test representative sites rather than assuming regional rendering behavior.
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Run a local bulk capture loop
Save this as capture-thumbnails.sh. It follows ScreenshotMachine’s documented single-request Bash/curl pattern and repeats it locally for each URL. This is an editorial example, not a tested or official bulk script; confirm current account limits and add rate control suited to your run before processing a large directory.
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
: "${SCREENSHOTMACHINE_KEY:?Set SCREENSHOTMACHINE_KEY in the environment}"
input=${1:?Usage: ./capture-thumbnails.sh urls.txt output-directory}
outdir=${2:?Usage: ./capture-thumbnails.sh urls.txt output-directory}
mkdir -p "$outdir"
while IFS= read -r url || [[ -n "$url" ]]; do
[[ -z "$url" || "$url" == \#* ]] && continue
# Minimal host-derived naming; handle collisions and international names in production.
name=$(printf '%s' "$url" | sed -E 's#^https?://##; s#[^A-Za-z0-9._-]+#_#g')
curl --fail --silent --show-error --get 'https://api.screenshotmachine.com'
--data-urlencode "key=$SCREENSHOTMACHINE_KEY"
--data-urlencode "url=$url"
--data-urlencode 'dimension=320x240'
--data-urlencode 'device=desktop'
--data-urlencode 'format=jpg'
--data-urlencode 'cacheLimit=0'
--data-urlencode 'delay=1000'
--output "$outdir/$name.jpg"
done < "$input"Provide the key through an environment variable and pass the input file and destination directory:
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export SCREENSHOTMACHINE_KEY='YOUR_CUSTOMER_KEY'
chmod +x capture-thumbnails.sh
./capture-thumbnails.sh urls.txt thumbnailsThe --data-urlencode options preserve URLs containing reserved characters. The sample uses delay=1000 as a modest wait; increase it selectively for pages that need longer to render. Its cacheLimit=0 requests fresh captures, which can be changed if reusing recent screenshots is acceptable.
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A successful-looking file is not enough to establish that it is a usable thumbnail. Inspect HTTP outcomes, the documented X-Screenshotmachine-Response header when available, file type, dimensions, and whether the image is blank or incomplete. For production runs, record each source URL, status or response code, output path, and retry result. Avoid treating every returned response as an image.
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Common response codes
invalid_key: check that the key is correct and belongs to the account used for the request.invalid_urlormissing_url: confirm the input line contains a valid complete URL and that the encodedurlparameter is present.no_credits: check the account’s available credits before continuing the batch.invalid_selector: if using selector capture, verify that the selector exists on the rendered page.invalid_crop: review the crop coordinates and dimensions.system_error: record the affected URL and response details; retry selectively rather than silently counting it as a completed thumbnail.
Credential protection
A customer API key is required and is obtained after signup. The documentation also describes an optional secret phrase and URL-derived MD5 hash; when a secret phrase is configured, a request without the correct hash is ignored. Keep both the key and secret phrase out of public client-side code, shared URL lists, and public repositories. The provider’s Python example recommends using the secret phrase for calls made from publicly available websites.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo is an alternative website screenshot API and MCP server. Its one-call API can return an image or PDF, and the parameters used by other screenshot APIs also work, which can make switching easier. Cookie banners are accepted and removed along with 60+ known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before the shot; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server gives AI agents tools to take screenshots, inspect page information, and capture PDFs.
For a thumbnail, use the API call below and change the target URL as needed. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for options and response details.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpThe Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo’s free plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the local loop create a ScreenshotMachine batch request?
No. It sends a separate HTTP GET request for each URL; provider-side batch processing is not established by the documented single-URL pattern.
Can I use an Indian-language page setting to guarantee an India-based screenshot?
No. The documentation describes an accept-language parameter, but does not establish that it selects an Indian capture location.
Quick Recap
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