What does the wayback-range skill do?

It identifies the oldest and newest snapshots of a URL in the Wayback Machine and calculates the total time span between them in days.

Why use this skill instead of the Wayback Machine website?

It allows you to programmatically check site longevity and history directly within your terminal or Claude workspace, making it much faster for bulk research or automated workflows.

Does it support data export?

Yes, the skill includes a --json flag that formats the output as JSON for easy parsing by other developer tools or scripts.

Can I get direct links to the archived captures?

Yes, by using the --full option, the skill will output the specific archive URLs for both the oldest and newest snapshots.

Is the archive data fresh or cached?

The skill caches API responses for one hour by default, but you can use the --no-cache flag to bypass the cache and fetch fresh data.

Wayback Machine Archive Range

Name: Wayback Machine Archive Range
Author: Mearman

byMearman

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Web Scraping & Data Collection

Retrieves and calculates the full historical archive span for any URL using the Wayback Machine.

About

The wayback-range skill enables Claude to instantly identify the entire timeline of a website's presence in the Internet Archive. By fetching the absolute oldest and most recent snapshots, it provides a comprehensive view of a URL's history, including specific timestamps, the total duration of the archive span in days, and direct archive links. This is an essential tool for digital researchers, developers, and SEO professionals who need to verify domain longevity or track site evolution over years or decades without manual searching.

Key Features

Features built-in caching to optimize API performance and speed
Provides direct web.archive.org URLs using the --full display mode
Calculates the total archive span in days for immediate historical context
Supports JSON output for seamless integration into automated scripts
2 GitHub stars
Retrieves the earliest and latest available snapshots in a single command

Use Cases

Verifying the historical age and active duration of a domain or specific page
Performing digital archaeology or research on expired or changed websites
Auditing the longevity of web content for SEO and competitive analysis

About

Key Features

Features built-in caching to optimize API performance and speed
Provides direct web.archive.org URLs using the --full display mode
Calculates the total archive span in days for immediate historical context
Supports JSON output for seamless integration into automated scripts
2 GitHub stars
Retrieves the earliest and latest available snapshots in a single command

Use Cases

Verifying the historical age and active duration of a domain or specific page
Performing digital archaeology or research on expired or changed websites
Auditing the longevity of web content for SEO and competitive analysis