
crw
Fast, lightweight Firecrawl/Tavily alternative in Rust. Web scraper, crawler & search API with MCP server for AI agents. Drop-in Firecrawl-compatible API (/s…
Install with your AI
Paste into Claude Code, Cursor, or any agent — it reads the repo and wires the tool into your project.
Install and set up crw (claude-plugin project) into my current project. Found on https://claudeers.com/crw Repo: https://github.com/us/crw Homepage/docs: https://fastcrw.com Detected install method: claude-plugin → /plugin install crw@us/crw Category: mcp-servers. Platforms: cli, api, web. Read the repo's README for exact setup and env vars, then install it and wire it into my project. Claudeers Health Verdict: active; community-verified: false. Confirm the source before running anything.
/plugin marketplace add us/crw /plugin install crw@us/crw
git clone https://github.com/us/crw
// compatibility
| Platforms | cli, api, web |
|---|---|
| Operating systems | — |
| AI compatibility | claude |
| License | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | open-source |
| Language | Rust |
fastCRW
Turn URLs into clean markdown or structured JSON with one engine for search, scrape, map, crawl, and extract.
Run it locally as a small Rust binary or use the managed API.
Get 1000 free credits → · Install · Docs
No credit card. Continue with GitHub.
One-command install
curl -fsSL https://fastcrw.com/install | sh
Runs local and free, no account needed. To use the Cloud, paste your key into the same command and it installs the binary, connects the key, and registers the MCP server with the AI coding tools you already have:
curl -fsSL https://fastcrw.com/install | CRW_API_KEY=crw_live_... sh
crw search "rust tutorials"
Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode and Windsurf are picked up
automatically when they are already set up; nothing else is touched, and your
key stays in ~/.config/crw/config.toml rather than being copied into each
tool. Add CRW_NO_AGENTS=1 to skip that step, or run crw setup on its own to
choose interactively.
1000 free credits, no credit card. Managed proxies, JS rendering and search, with nothing to run or keep up to date. Get my free key →
macOS and Linux, Intel and ARM. More install options →
What it does
| Operation | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Scrape | One URL to markdown, HTML, links, screenshots, or schema JSON |
| Crawl | Follow a bounded site crawl and collect its pages |
| Map | Discover URLs without scraping every page |
| Search | Search the web and optionally scrape selected results |
| Extract | Produce structured fields from one or many URLs |
Why fastCRW
On Firecrawl's own public 1,000-URL dataset, fastCRW recovered more truth than Crawl4AI and Firecrawl, matched the fastest median latency, and idled at ~14 MB RAM.
Methodology, full numbers, and how to reproduce it
Choose how you use it
CLI
crw https://example.com # scrape, works right after install
crw search "rust async runtime" # search, after `crw setup`
Python SDK
Using Cloud? Get an API key, then export it once:
export CRW_API_KEY="crw_live_..."
pip install crw
from crw import CrwClient
client = CrwClient()
page = client.scrape("https://example.com", formats=["markdown"])
print(page["markdown"])
Node.js
npm install crw-sdk
import { CrwClient } from "crw-sdk";
const client = new CrwClient();
const page = await client.scrape("https://example.com", {
formats: ["markdown"],
});
console.log(page.markdown);
Local mode and more SDK examples → · REST API →
MCP for AI agents
npx -y crw-mcp@latest install
Installs the CRW skill and MCP server in your detected AI tools. crw setup can
also do this step, so either path is enough.
Manual setup →
Choose where it runs
| Managed API | Local / self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Zero infrastructure and managed scaling | Data control, private networks, or custom infrastructure |
| Start | Create an API key, then crw setup | Install and run crw <URL> |
| Operations | Managed proxies, billing, and hosted capabilities | You choose renderers, search, auth, proxies, and capacity |
Capabilities and response shapes can differ by deployment:
/v1/capabilities · response shapes
Learn more
Contributing
The workspace requires Rust 1.85 or newer:
git clone https://github.com/us/crw
cd crw
make check-fast
Engine and MCP server: AGPL-3.0. Python and TypeScript SDKs: MIT. Embedding license: [email protected].
Star History
Please respect website policies. Crawl and map follow robots.txt by default.
// faq
What is crw?
Fast, lightweight Firecrawl/Tavily alternative in Rust. Web scraper, crawler & search API with MCP server for AI agents. Drop-in Firecrawl-compatible API (/scrape, /crawl, /search). 2.3x faster than Tavily, 1.5x faster than Firecrawl in 1K-URL benchmarks. 6 MB RAM, single binary. Self-host or use managed cloud.. It is open-source on GitHub.
Is crw free to use?
crw is open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license, so it is free to use.
What category does crw belong to?
crw is listed under mcp-servers in the Claudeers registry of Claude-compatible tools.
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[](https://claudeers.com/crw)
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[](https://claudeers.com/crw)
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