ArchiveBox Agent Guide

ArchiveBox is the full self-hosted web archiving app. Keep this repo on the dev branch.

Shared Standards

Use uv and uv run for Python commands. Do not use system python, direct .venv/bin/python, or pip commands.
Prefer existing repo patterns, helper APIs, fixtures, scripts, and command surfaces.
Keep edits focused and minimal. Do not add wrappers, shims, aliases, or extra abstraction layers unless the current code path requires them.
Do not weaken assertions, skip tests, xfail tests, or accept flaky behavior.
No mocks, monkeypatches, fakes, simulated handlers, fake binaries, fake hooks, fake buses, or direct shortcuts around user-facing flows.
Tests and verification should use real CLI commands, REST/API calls, browser UI flows, real hooks, real installs, real subprocesses, real DB rows, real files, and existing fixtures.
Assertions must verify real correctness: exit codes, returned values, DB state, filesystem contents, field values, rendered output, and side effects.
Start behavior fixes with a red failing test when a test is requested or practical.
Trace root causes from observed behavior. Do not paper over failures with retries, wider timeouts, broad fallbacks, or looser assertions.
Read README.md for the full setup, CLI, Docker, API, and release surface.

Development Setup

uv sync --dev --all-extras
mkdir -p data
cd data
uv run --project .. archivebox init --install

Run collection commands from inside an initialized data directory:

cd data
uv run --project .. archivebox status
uv run --project .. archivebox add 'https://example.com'
uv run --project .. archivebox run

User-Facing Setup

Recommended CLI install:

uv tool install archivebox
mkdir -p ~/archivebox/data
cd ~/archivebox/data
archivebox init --install
archivebox add 'https://example.com'
archivebox server 0.0.0.0:8000

Alternative install methods:

Docker Compose / Docker
Homebrew
Debian package
pip

Basic Usage

archivebox version
archivebox help
archivebox status
archivebox install
archivebox add 'https://example.com'
archivebox add --extract=title,screenshot,pdf 'https://example.com'
archivebox list --json --with-headers
archivebox search 'example'
archivebox update --filter-type=domain example.com
archivebox remove --filter-type=exact 'https://example.com'
archivebox run

Verification

Use targeted tests for focused work:

uv run pytest archivebox/tests/test_cli_add.py -q
uv run prek run --all-files

Use the full release/deploy loop only when requested:

./bin/release_dev_stack.sh

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