web-archiving

Archive web evidence as content-addressed MHTML snapshots and third-party copies with chain-of-custody records.

43|8|Updated Mar 25, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/buriedsignals/spotlight --skill web-archiving-buriedsignals
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: web-archiving
Source: https://github.com/buriedsignals/spotlight/tree/main/skills/web-archiving
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/buriedsignals/spotlight --skill web-archiving-buriedsignals

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Web sources cited in investigations disappear, change, or sit behind paywalls, leaving findings unverifiable and legally indefensible. This Skill preserves evidence at the moment of discovery with tamper-evident snapshots and provenance records. ## Core Features & Use Cases - First-party Tier-0 snapshots: Capture pages as content-addressed MHTML archives plus full-page screenshots and response headers via the dev-browser CLI, with SHA-256 filenames for deduplication and integrity. - Third-party archiving: Submit URLs to the Wayback Machine and Archive.today for independent verifiability, including CDX API lookups for existing snapshots and dead-page recovery. - Chain of custody: Embed a provenance header in every archived file and record snapshots in evidence-bundle.json so hashes flow into a C2PA-signed provenance manifest. - Use Case: An investigator finds a key article supporting a claim. The Skill validates the URL, captures an MHTML snapshot and screenshot, submits the page to Wayback, and writes an archived copy with a chain-of-custody block before the URL is ever cited in findings.json. ## Quick Start Archive this URL before I cite it in my investigation: https://example.com/article.

Frequently Asked Questions about web-archiving

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I archive a web page as evidence for an investigation?▼

Validate the URL with the shell-safety script, then capture a first-party MHTML snapshot and full-page screenshot via the dev-browser CLI. The artifacts are stored under evidence/snapshots named by their SHA-256 hash, and a chain-of-custody block is written with the archived copy.

What is the difference between Wayback Machine and Archive.today archiving?▼

Both are third-party tiers used for independent verifiability after the first-party snapshot. Wayback offers an availability API and CDX search for existing snapshots, while Archive.today is submitted via a form POST and often captures pages Wayback misses.

Can I archive a page that is behind a paywall or login?▼

A headless capture of a paywalled page records the access wall, not the content. The skill detects this via HTTP status and page-text markers, sets access_wall and human_verification_required flags, and the capture must not be presented as content evidence.

How do I recover a source that returns 404?▼

Query the Wayback CDX API for existing snapshots of the dead URL, then fetch the most recent snapshot from web.archive.org using its timestamp. Only mark a source as unavailable after checking all archive services.

Why is the archived filename a SHA-256 hash?▼

Content addressing makes the filename itself an integrity hash, so identical bytes deduplicate to one file and any tampering is detectable. The build-provenance-manifest script re-hashes the files, making both the MHTML and screenshot tamper-evident in the signed manifest.