Documentation

Command line

Run crawls and exports from scripts and build servers without opening the window.

Crawl without the window

BumbleCrawl can run a crawl from the command line: it crawls the site, writes the exports you choose into a folder and exits, without opening a window. Use it in scripts, on a build server after a deployment, or with your system's task scheduler.

The crawl uses the crawl configuration and the integrations saved in the app.

Run a crawl

Windows

"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\BumbleCrawl\BumbleCrawl.exe" --output-folder C:\reports --crawl https://www.example.com/

To wait until the crawl is done, e.g. in a batch file, start it with start /wait "" in front.

macOS

/Applications/BumbleCrawl.app/Contents/MacOS/BumbleCrawl --output-folder ~/reports --crawl https://www.example.com/

Put --crawl <url> last, or write it as --crawl=<url>. On Windows the app refuses to start when options follow an address that begins with https://.

Options

--output-folder <dir>
Where to write the files. Default: the current folder.
--export <list>
Comma-separated: internal, issues, links, brokenLinks, report. Default: internal,issues,brokenLinks.
--format csv|xlsx
Table format. Default: csv. The report is always a PDF.
--javascript
Render pages with JavaScript, whatever the saved configuration says.
--max-urls <n>
Stop after n URLs.
--help
Show the options.

What it writes

  • One file per export, named after the site, date and time: www.example.com_2026-10-23_0600_issues.csv.
  • summary.json: the result in a form scripts can read, such as the health score and the number of errors.
  • bumblecrawl.log: the progress of the run.
  • The crawl itself is saved like any other, so you can open it in the app later.

Exit codes

0
Done.
1
The crawl failed.
2
Wrong arguments, or BumbleCrawl is already open. Close the app first: only one BumbleCrawl runs at a time.

For crawls on a schedule while you work, scheduled crawls in the app are simpler.