Installation

Octoparse CLI is distributed as an npm package and runs on Node.js 20 or newer.

Requirements

Before installing Octoparse CLI, make sure your environment has:

Node.js 20 or newer
npm 8 or newer
A terminal or command-line shell

Check your Node.js and npm versions:

node -v
npm -v

If your Node.js version is lower than 20, upgrade before continuing.

Download Node.js

Install Node.js 20 or newer for your operating system.

Supported platforms for local extraction

Local extraction uses an independent Chrome runtime. Supported platforms:

macOS (x64 and arm64)
Windows (x64)
Linux (x64)

Linux arm64 is not supported for local extraction. Chrome for Testing does not provide a Linux arm64 package. If you are running on an ARM server or an Apple Silicon container with a Linux arm64 image, local run and detect commands will fail. Cloud extraction (octoparse cloud start) works on any platform.

Install with npm

Install Octoparse CLI globally:

npm install -g @octoparse-cli/octoparse-cli

After installation, the octoparse command is available globally.

Verify the installation

Quick checks

Check the installed version:

octoparse --version

Open the help output:

octoparse --help

Understand doctor output

Run diagnostics:

octoparse doctor

octoparse doctor checks Node.js, the embedded Octoparse engine, runtime extensions, Chrome availability, and browser mode. A successful result returns "ok": true:

{
  "ok": true,
  "checks": [
    { "name": "node", "ok": true, "message": "v24.0.0" },
    { "name": "engine", "ok": true, "message": "..." },
    { "name": "electron-client", "ok": true, "message": "not required" },
    { "name": "browser-mode", "ok": true, "message": "independent Chrome only" }
  ]
}

electron-client: not required — the Octoparse desktop app is not required for CLI execution.
browser-mode: independent Chrome only — local extraction uses an independent Chrome runtime, not the desktop client’s browser.

If chrome shows ok: false, see Troubleshooting below. Use a custom Chrome path if needed:

octoparse doctor --chrome-path /path/to/chrome

Check browser diagnostics

octoparse browser doctor

Use JSON output for structured diagnostics:

octoparse doctor --json
octoparse browser doctor --json

Manage your installation

Update Octoparse CLI

Run the npm install command again to update:

npm install -g @octoparse-cli/octoparse-cli
octoparse --version

Uninstall Octoparse CLI

npm uninstall -g @octoparse-cli/octoparse-cli

If the shell returns octoparse: command not found, the command has been removed.

Troubleshooting

Issue	What to check
`octoparse: command not found`	Confirm the npm global binary directory is in your `PATH`
Permission error during installation	Check npm global package permissions or use a Node.js version manager. See npm guide →
Node.js version is too old	Upgrade to Node.js 20 or newer
npm install times out	Check your npm registry, proxy, VPN, or firewall settings
Chrome fails to download	Check your network access to the Chrome for Testing CDN. Try `--chrome-path` to use a locally installed Chrome
Linux arm64 unsupported	Use a Linux x64 environment, or switch to cloud extraction with `octoparse cloud start`
`doctor` shows a failed check	Fix the flagged dependency (Node.js, Chrome, engine files), then run `octoparse doctor` again. Share the `ok: false` output with Octoparse support if the issue persists

What’s next

Get an API key and log in

Create an Octoparse API key and authenticate the CLI.

Run your first task

List tasks, inspect a task, run it locally, and export data.

Browse all commands

Review common CLI commands for tasks, local runs, cloud runs, and exports.

OVERVIEW

GET STARTED

GUIDES

REFERENCE

Requirements

Download Node.js

Supported platforms for local extraction

Install with npm

Verify the installation

Quick checks

Understand doctor output

Check browser diagnostics

Manage your installation

Update Octoparse CLI

Uninstall Octoparse CLI

Troubleshooting

What’s next

Get an API key and log in

Run your first task

Browse all commands

​Requirements

Download Node.js

​Supported platforms for local extraction

​Install with npm

​Verify the installation

​Quick checks

​Understand doctor output

​Check browser diagnostics

​Manage your installation

​Update Octoparse CLI

​Uninstall Octoparse CLI

​Troubleshooting

​What’s next

Get an API key and log in

Run your first task

Browse all commands

Requirements

Supported platforms for local extraction

Install with npm

Verify the installation

Quick checks

Understand doctor output

Check browser diagnostics

Manage your installation

Update Octoparse CLI

Uninstall Octoparse CLI

Troubleshooting

What’s next