---name: firecrawl-build-onboardingdescription: Optional base URL for self-hosted Firecrawl deployments.license: ISCmetadata: author: firecrawlversion: 0.1.0homepage: https://www.firecrawl.devsource: https://github.com/firecrawl/skillsinputs: - name: FIRECRAWL_API_URLrequired: falsereferences: ---

Firecrawl Build Onboarding

Use this skill for the application-integration path from Firecrawl's onboarding flow.

Install

If you haven't installed yet, one command sets up both the CLI tools (for live web work) and the build skills (for app integration):

npx -y firecrawl-cli@latest init --all --browser

This installs the Firecrawl CLI, the CLI skills, and these build skills together. It also opens browser auth so the human can sign in or create an account. No separate npx skills add step is needed.

Use This When

• a project needs FIRECRAWL_API_KEY
• the user wants Firecrawl wired into .env
• you are adding Firecrawl to an app for the first time
• you need to choose the first SDK or REST path

If the human still needs to sign up, sign in, or authorize access in the browser, use the auth flow reference in this skill.

If the project already uses Stripe Projects (a .projects/ directory, or stripe projects status succeeds), the key can come from there instead of the browser flow:

stripe projects add firecrawl/api --name firecrawl
stripe projects env --pull

--name firecrawl is what puts the key in FIRECRAWL_API_KEY; without it the CLI writes FIRECRAWL_API_API_KEY, which the SDKs do not read. Ignore the FIRECRAWL_API_BASE_URL the CLI also writes: the SDKs read FIRECRAWL_API_URL, and only for self-hosted deployments, so leave it unset for a hosted account. Paid plans are the human's call, since stripe projects upgrade firecrawl charges their card. The docs page carries the catalog and troubleshooting.

Quick Start

If the user already has an API key, place it in .env:

FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=fc-...

If the project is self-hosted, also set:

FIRECRAWL_API_URL=https://your-firecrawl-instance.example.com

Then decide which integration path applies:

• Fresh project -> choose the target stack, install the SDK, add the first Firecrawl call, and run a smoke test
• Existing project -> inspect the repo first, then integrate Firecrawl where the project already handles third-party APIs and env vars

What Do You Need?

Task	Reference
Run the browser auth flow and save FIRECRAWL_API_KEY	references/auth-flow.md
Provision the key through Stripe Projects	docs.firecrawl.dev/integrations/stripe-projects
Install the right SDK	references/sdk-installation.md
Put credentials into .env or project config	references/project-setup.md
Choose the right endpoint after setup	firecrawl-build
Need live web tooling during this task	The CLI skills are already installed from the same command
Start implementation from a known URL	firecrawl-build-scrape
Start implementation from a query	firecrawl-build-search

Docs (Source of Truth)

Read the source-of-truth page for your project language for SDK usage, schemas, and examples:

• Node / TypeScript: docs.firecrawl.dev/agent-source-of-truth/node
• Python: docs.firecrawl.dev/agent-source-of-truth/python
• Rust: docs.firecrawl.dev/agent-source-of-truth/rust
• Java: docs.firecrawl.dev/agent-source-of-truth/java
• Elixir: docs.firecrawl.dev/agent-source-of-truth/elixir
• cURL / REST: docs.firecrawl.dev/agent-source-of-truth/curl

After Setup

Once the key is present:

1. decide whether this is a fresh project or an existing codebase
2. ask what Firecrawl should do in the product
3. pick the narrowest endpoint that matches that behavior
4. read the source-of-truth page for the project language before writing code
5. add the SDK or REST call in code
6. run a smoke test that proves one real Firecrawl request succeeds
7. use the endpoint-specific skills in this repo for implementation guidance
8. if you also need live web tooling during the current task, the CLI skills are already installed — use firecrawl/cli