Pithom Labs Scraper — Getting Started

Pithom Labs Scraper is a tool that extracts data from websites and saves it in a structured format (like a spreadsheet). It runs entirely on your computer — no account or sign-up required. You just need an internet connection and Google Chrome.

This guide will walk you through every step to get it running, even if you have never used a command line before.

---

Table of Contents

1. What You Need
2. Download the Right File
3. Setup — Windows
4. Setup — macOS (Apple)
5. Setup — Linux (Debian / Ubuntu)
6. Common Issues
7. Get Help

---

What You Need

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

• Google Chrome — the scraper uses Chrome to visit websites. If you don't have it, download it for free at google.com/chrome.
• An internet connection — the scraper needs to visit websites to extract data from them.

That's it. No other software is required.

---

Download the Right File

Go to the releases page to download the scraper:

https://github.com/PithomLabs/extract.github.io/releases

Download the file that matches your computer:

Your Computer	Download This File
Windows (most PCs and laptops)	scraper-windows-amd64.exe
Mac with Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4, or newer)	scraper-darwin-arm64
Mac with Intel chip (older Macs, before 2021)	scraper-darwin-amd64
Linux (Debian or Ubuntu, 64-bit)	scraper-linux-amd64

Also download this README.md file if you haven't already — you're reading it!

How do I know which Mac I have?

1. Click the Apple menu (🍎) in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Click About This Mac.
3. Look for the Chip or Processor line:
   • If it says Apple M1, M2, M3, or M4 → download scraper-darwin-arm64
   • If it says Intel → download scraper-darwin-amd64

---

Setup — Windows

Follow these steps one at a time. Each step explains exactly what to do and where to click.

Step 1: Find the downloaded file

Open File Explorer (the yellow folder icon on your taskbar at the bottom of the screen). Navigate to your Downloads folder. You should see a file named scraper-windows-amd64.exe.

Step 2: Create a folder for the scraper

You can put the scraper anywhere you like. Here is one easy option:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click on This PC in the left sidebar.
3. Double-click on your C: drive (usually called "Local Disk (C:)").
4. Right-click in an empty area → click New → click Folder.
5. Name the folder Scraper and press Enter.

You now have a folder at C:\Scraper.

Step 3: Move and rename the file

1. Go back to your Downloads folder.
2. Right-click on scraper-windows-amd64.exe → click Cut (or press Ctrl+X).
3. Navigate to the C:\Scraper folder you just created.
4. Right-click in the empty area → click Paste (or press Ctrl+V).
5. Right-click on the file → click Rename.
6. Change the name to scraper.exe and press Enter.

Step 4: Open Command Prompt

The Command Prompt is a text-based window where you type instructions for your computer. Here's how to open it:

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard (the key with the Windows logo, usually between Ctrl and Alt).
2. Type cmd — you will see Command Prompt appear in the search results.
3. Click on Command Prompt to open it.

A black window will appear with some text and a blinking cursor. This is where you will type commands.

Step 5: Navigate to the scraper folder

In the Command Prompt window, type the following and press Enter:

cd C:\Scraper

This tells your computer to "go to" the Scraper folder. You should see the prompt change to show C:\Scraper>.

Step 6: Launch the scraper

Type the following and press Enter:

scraper.exe ui

What happens next: Google Chrome will open automatically with the Pithom Labs Scraper dashboard. You can now start using the scraper from that browser window.

Tip: Keep the Command Prompt window open while you are using the scraper. Closing it will shut down the scraper.

---

Setup — macOS (Apple)

Follow these steps one at a time.

Step 1: Find the downloaded file

Open Finder (the blue-and-white smiley face icon in your Dock at the bottom of the screen). Click on Downloads in the left sidebar. You should see a file named either scraper-darwin-arm64 or scraper-darwin-amd64 (depending on which one you downloaded).

Step 2: Create a folder for the scraper

1. In Finder, click on Desktop in the left sidebar (or any location you prefer).
2. Right-click (or Control-click) in an empty area → click New Folder.
3. Name it Scraper and press Return.

Step 3: Move and rename the file

1. Go back to your Downloads in Finder.
2. Drag the downloaded file into the Scraper folder you just created on your Desktop.
3. Right-click on the file → click Rename.
4. Change the name to scraper (remove everything after "scraper") and press Return.

Step 4: Open Terminal

The Terminal is a text-based window where you type instructions for your Mac. Here's how to open it:

1. Press Cmd + Space (hold down the Command key and press Space). This opens Spotlight Search.
2. Type Terminal and press Return.

A white (or black) window will appear with some text and a blinking cursor. This is where you will type commands.

Step 5: Navigate to the scraper folder

In the Terminal window, type the following and press Return:

cd ~/Desktop/Scraper

This tells your Mac to "go to" the Scraper folder on your Desktop. If you put the folder somewhere else, adjust the path accordingly.

Step 6: Make the file executable

Your Mac needs permission to run the scraper. Type the following and press Return:

chmod +x scraper

This gives your computer permission to run the scraper file. You only need to do this once.

Step 7: Launch the scraper

Type the following and press Return:

./scraper ui

The ./ at the beginning tells your Mac to run the file in the current folder.

What happens next: Google Chrome will open automatically with the Pithom Labs Scraper dashboard. You can now start using the scraper from that browser window.

Tip: Keep the Terminal window open while you are using the scraper. Closing it will shut down the scraper.

---

Setup — Linux (Debian / Ubuntu)

These instructions are for Debian-based distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, etc.).

Step 1: Find the downloaded file

Open your file manager and navigate to your Downloads folder. You should see a file named scraper-linux-amd64.

Step 2: Create a folder and move the file

Open a terminal (you can usually find it by searching "Terminal" in your application launcher, or press Ctrl + Alt + T).

Create a folder, move the file into it, and rename it:

mkdir -p ~/Scraper
mv ~/Downloads/scraper-linux-amd64 ~/Scraper/scraper

Step 3: Make the file executable

chmod +x ~/Scraper/scraper

Step 4: Navigate to the folder and launch

cd ~/Scraper
./scraper ui

What happens next: Google Chrome will open automatically with the Pithom Labs Scraper dashboard.

Tip: Keep the terminal window open while you are using the scraper. Closing it will shut down the scraper.

---

Common Issues

Windows: "Windows protected your PC"

What you see: A blue window appears saying "Windows protected your PC" or "Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting."

Why this happens: Windows shows this warning for any software it hasn't seen before. It does not mean the file is dangerous.

How to fix it:

1. Click More info (this text link appears below the warning message).
2. A Run anyway button will appear at the bottom.
3. Click Run anyway.

You only need to do this the first time you run the scraper.

---

macOS: "cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer"

What you see: A popup saying the file "can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software" or "it is from an unidentified developer."

Why this happens: macOS blocks software that isn't downloaded from the App Store or from a known developer. This is a standard security feature.

How to fix it (Method 1 — easiest):

1. Open Finder and navigate to your Scraper folder.
2. Right-click (or Control-click) on the scraper file.
3. Click Open from the menu.
4. A dialog will appear — click Open again.

macOS will remember your choice, and you won't see this warning again for this file.

How to fix it (Method 2 — if Method 1 doesn't work):

1. Click the Apple menu (🍎) → System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS).
2. Click Privacy & Security.
3. Scroll down. You should see a message about the scraper being blocked.
4. Click Allow Anyway (or Open Anyway).
5. Go back to Terminal and try ./scraper ui again.

---

macOS: "Permission denied"

What you see: The Terminal shows permission denied when you try to run ./scraper ui.

Why this happens: You haven't given your Mac permission to run the file yet.

How to fix it: Run the following command in Terminal, then try launching again:

chmod +x scraper

---

Nothing happens / Chrome doesn't open

What you see: You typed the command, but Chrome didn't open and nothing visible happened.

Check the following:

1. Is Google Chrome installed? The scraper needs Chrome to work. Download it from google.com/chrome if you haven't already.

2. Did you see an error message? Look at the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac/Linux) window. If there is an error message, take note of it — you can share it with support.

3. Try running the command again. Sometimes the first attempt may fail if Chrome was still starting up. Close everything and try the launch command once more.

---

Windows: "is not recognized as an internal or external command"

What you see: Command Prompt shows 'scraper.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

Why this happens: You are not in the correct folder, or the file was not renamed correctly.

How to fix it:

1. Make sure you navigated to the right folder. Type cd C:\Scraper (or wherever you put the file) and press Enter.
2. Type dir and press Enter to list the files in the folder. Verify that scraper.exe appears in the list.
3. If the file has a different name (like scraper-windows-amd64.exe), rename it to scraper.exe and try again.

---

Linux: Chrome opens but the page won't load

What you see: Chrome opens but shows a blank page or a connection error.

How to fix it: Wait a few seconds and refresh the page. The scraper server may still be starting up. If the problem persists, check the terminal for error messages.

---

The scraper stopped working / the dashboard is gone

What happened: You closed the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac/Linux) window.

How to fix it: The scraper runs inside that window. When you close it, the scraper stops. Re-open Command Prompt or Terminal, navigate to your folder, and run the launch command again:

• Windows: scraper.exe ui
• macOS / Linux: ./scraper ui

---

Get Help

If you are stuck on any step or encounter an issue not listed above, we are happy to help.

Visit our support page:

https://ekstract.tech/support

When reaching out, it helps if you can share:

• Which step you are on
• What operating system you are using (Windows, Mac, or Linux)
• Any error message you see in the Command Prompt or Terminal window (you can copy text from there and paste it into your message)

Pithom Labs

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright

© Pithom Labs