How do I install the Wayback Cache skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add mearman/wayback-cache in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Wayback Cache safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Wayback Cache?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Wayback Cache free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Wayback Cache?

Mearman (@mearman) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Wayback Cache by mearman — Agent Skill

Name: Wayback Cache
Author: Mearman

File contents

Wayback Cache Management

Manage the OS tmpdir-based cache for Wayback Machine API responses.

Usage

npx tsx scripts/cache.ts <command> [options]

Commands

Command	Description
`clear`	Clear all cached Wayback data
`status`	Show cache directory location and file count

Options

Option	Description
`--no-cache`	Bypass cache for single operation

Cache Location

Cached responses are stored in the OS temporary directory:

os.tmpdir()/wayback-cache/

Cache keys are generated from URLs and parameters using SHA-256 hashing.

Cache TTL by Operation

Operation	TTL	Rationale
Availability API	24 hours	Snapshots don't change often
CDX API	1 hour	Snapshot list can change
Save status	30 seconds	Only during polling

Cached entries expire automatically and are deleted on access.

Script Execution

npx tsx scripts/cache.ts <command> [options]

Commands:

clear - Clear all cached Wayback data
status - Show cache directory location and file count

Clear Cache

Remove all cached API responses:

npx tsx scripts/cache.ts clear

This deletes all .json cache files from the cache directory.

Check Cache Status

Display cache information:

npx tsx scripts/cache.ts status

Shows:

Cache directory path
Number of cached files
Total cache size (if available)

Usage Examples

# Clear all cache before checking a URL
npx tsx scripts/cache.ts clear
npx tsx scripts/check.ts https://example.com

# Clear cache, then list snapshots
npx tsx scripts/cache.ts clear
npx tsx scripts/list.ts https://example.com 20

# Check cache status
npx tsx scripts/cache.ts status

Bypass Cache for Single Operation

Individual scripts support --no-cache to skip cache for one operation without clearing all cached data:

npx tsx scripts/check.ts https://example.com --no-cache
npx tsx scripts/list.ts https://example.com --no-cache
npx tsx scripts/screenshot.ts https://example.com --no-cache

The --no-cache flag bypasses reading from cache but still caches the fresh response for future requests.

Cache Key Format

Cache keys are 16-character hexadecimal strings:

a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8.json

Each key represents a unique URL + parameter combination.

Manual Cache Inspection

View cache directory contents:

# On macOS/Linux
ls -la $(getconf DARWIN_USER_TEMP_DIR)/wayback-cache/
# Or
ls -la /tmp/wayback-cache/

# View individual cache file
cat /tmp/wayback-cache/a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8.json | jq

Use wayback-check to verify if a URL is archived
Use wayback-list to see all captures with filtering options
Use wayback-screenshot to retrieve visual screenshots
Use wayback-submit to create a new archive

---name: wayback-cachedescription: Manage Wayback Machine API cache. Use when clearing cached data, checking cache status, or bypassing cache for fresh API responses. Applies to all wayback operations (check, list, screenshot).---# Wayback Cache ManagementManage the OS tmpdir-based cache for Wayback Machine API responses.## Usage```bashnpx tsx scripts/cache.ts <command> [options]```### Commands| Command | Description ||---------|-------------|| `clear` | Clear all cached Wayback data || `status` | Show cache directory location and file count |### Options| Option | Description ||--------|-------------|| `--no-cache` | Bypass cache for single operation |## Cache LocationCached responses are stored in the OS temporary directory:```os.tmpdir()/wayback-cache/```Cache keys are generated from URLs and parameters using SHA-256 hashing.## Cache TTL by Operation| Operation | TTL | Rationale ||-----------|-----|-----------|| Availability API | 24 hours | Snapshots don't change often || CDX API | 1 hour | Snapshot list can change || Save status | 30 seconds | Only during polling |Cached entries expire automatically and are deleted on access.## Script Execution```bashnpx tsx scripts/cache.ts <command> [options]```Commands:- `clear` - Clear all cached Wayback data- `status` - Show cache directory location and file count## Clear CacheRemove all cached API responses:```bashnpx tsx scripts/cache.ts clear```This deletes all `.json` cache files from the cache directory.## Check Cache StatusDisplay cache information:```bashnpx tsx scripts/cache.ts status```Shows:- Cache directory path- Number of cached files- Total cache size (if available)## Usage Examples```bash# Clear all cache before checking a URLnpx tsx scripts/cache.ts clearnpx tsx scripts/check.ts https://example.com# Clear cache, then list snapshotsnpx tsx scripts/cache.ts clearnpx tsx scripts/list.ts https://example.com 20# Check cache statusnpx tsx scripts/cache.ts status```## Bypass Cache for Single OperationIndividual scripts support `--no-cache` to skip cache for one operation without clearing all cached data:```bashnpx tsx scripts/check.ts https://example.com --no-cachenpx tsx scripts/list.ts https://example.com --no-cachenpx tsx scripts/screenshot.ts https://example.com --no-cache```The `--no-cache` flag bypasses reading from cache but still caches the fresh response for future requests.## Cache Key FormatCache keys are 16-character hexadecimal strings:```a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8.json```Each key represents a unique URL + parameter combination.## Manual Cache InspectionView cache directory contents:```bash# On macOS/Linuxls -la $(getconf DARWIN_USER_TEMP_DIR)/wayback-cache/# Orls -la /tmp/wayback-cache/# View individual cache filecat /tmp/wayback-cache/a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8.json | jq```## Related- Use `wayback-check` to verify if a URL is archived- Use `wayback-list` to see all captures with filtering options- Use `wayback-screenshot` to retrieve visual screenshots- Use `wayback-submit` to create a new archive

Frequently asked questions

Wayback Cache