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Craigslist Monitor
by
JayJJimenez
· GitHub ↗
· v1.0.0
285
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Install in OpenClaw
/install craigslist-monitor
Description
Scrapes Craigslist NY service ads to find small owner-operated Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Bronx businesses needing more calls, ideal for lead generation.
README (SKILL.md)
Craigslist Monitor Skill
Purpose
Scrape Craigslist NY services ads to find small owner-operated businesses in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Bronx — these are Gracie AI Receptionist leads. Businesses advertising on Craigslist need more work, meaning more calls coming in, making them ideal Gracie prospects.
Location
~/StudioBrain/00_SYSTEM/skills/craigslist-monitor/
Usage
# Basic scan (all categories)
python3 ~/StudioBrain/00_SYSTEM/skills/craigslist-monitor/monitor.py
# Scan + save results to MASTER_LEAD_LIST.md
python3 ~/StudioBrain/00_SYSTEM/skills/craigslist-monitor/monitor.py --save
# Scan specific business type only
python3 ~/StudioBrain/00_SYSTEM/skills/craigslist-monitor/monitor.py --type plumber
# Also fetch individual ads to find phone numbers
python3 ~/StudioBrain/00_SYSTEM/skills/craigslist-monitor/monitor.py --save --enrich
What It Scrapes
| Category | Search URL |
|---|---|
| Plumber | newyork.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=plumber&nearby=1 |
| HVAC | newyork.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=hvac&nearby=1 |
| Auto Repair | newyork.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=auto+repair&nearby=1 |
| Dental | newyork.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=dental&nearby=1 |
| Contractor | newyork.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=contractor&nearby=1 |
Output
- Console: Formatted list with business name, phone, location, URL
- --save: Appends markdown table to
~/StudioBrain/30_INTERNAL/WLC-Services/LEADS/MASTER_LEAD_LIST.md
Filters
Leads must be in: Staten Island, Brooklyn, or Bronx (by name or zip code). Leads with phone numbers are sorted first.
Dependencies
- Scrapling venv:
~/StudioBrain/00_SYSTEM/skills/scrapling/.venv/ - scrape.py:
~/StudioBrain/00_SYSTEM/skills/scrapling/scrape.py
Cron / Scheduled Use
Run weekly on Mondays to catch fresh Craigslist posts:
openclaw cron add --schedule "0 8 * * MON" --command "python3 ~/StudioBrain/00_SYSTEM/skills/craigslist-monitor/monitor.py --save"
Why Craigslist = Hot Leads
A business posting on Craigslist is actively seeking customers. That means:
- They have call volume (or want it)
- They're spending time/money on marketing
- They likely can't afford a full-time receptionist
- Gracie solves their exact problem
Usage Guidance
This skill appears to do what it says (scrape Craigslist and save leads) but has two red flags: a hardcoded venv site-packages path (/Users/wlc-studio/...) and an implicit dependency on a local 'scrapling' package that the repository doesn't install. Before installing or running: 1) inspect the 'scrapling' package and any local scrape.py referenced by SKILL.md — do not run if you don't trust its code. 2) Replace the hardcoded VENV_SITE with a user-relative path (e.g., using Path.home()) or install dependencies into a controlled virtualenv on your machine. 3) Run the script in a sandboxed environment (container or throwaway VM) first to confirm behavior. 4) Be aware the Fetcher uses 'stealthy' headers/impersonation — this may violate Craigslist's terms of service. If you need help checking the scrapling code or changing the import path, inspect monitor.py and the scrapling package files before use.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: craigslist-monitor
Version: 1.0.0
The Craigslist Monitor skill is a lead generation tool designed to scrape public business listings from Craigslist NY for specific service categories (e.g., plumbing, HVAC) in New York City boroughs. The Python script `monitor.py` uses the `scrapling` library to fetch search results, extract contact information via regex, and optionally save findings to a local markdown file. The code follows its stated purpose without any evidence of data exfiltration, credential theft, or unauthorized system access.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
The code and SKILL.md both implement Craigslist scraping for Staten Island/Brooklyn/Bronx leads, which is coherent with the name/description. However, the skill depends on a local 'scrapling' package/venv and references local paths: SKILL.md uses ~/StudioBrain/... while monitor.py hardcodes a venv site-packages path (/Users/wlc-studio/...). That absolute path is not proportional to the stated purpose for a third-party user and will cause either import failures or unexpected imports if a different user's environment contains code at that path.
Instruction Scope
Instructions are narrowly scoped to fetching Craigslist search pages, optionally visiting ad pages to extract phone numbers, and appending results to a local MASTER_LEAD_LIST.md. There is no network communication to third-party endpoints beyond Craigslist. The code uses stealthy_headers and impersonate='chrome' in Fetcher.get (intended to avoid detection), which is a scraping tactic but not an obvious security violation by itself.
Install Mechanism
No install spec is provided, but monitor.py forcibly inserts a hardcoded site-packages path from a user-specific venv (/Users/wlc-studio/...). This is fragile and risky: it assumes a particular filesystem layout and will silently import modules from that path if present. There is no mechanism documented to install or verify the 'scrapling' dependency from a trusted source.
Credentials
The skill declares no required environment variables or credentials (appropriate for public Craigslist scraping), but it modifies sys.path to include an absolute venv path. That gives the script power to import arbitrary code from that path if present. The MASTER_LEAD_LIST path is under the user's home (~/StudioBrain/...), which is expected for local save but should be noted.
Persistence & Privilege
The skill is not always-enabled, does not request elevated privileges, and does not modify other skills or system-wide settings. Scheduling via cron is suggested in SKILL.md but is an optional action the user would take.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install craigslist-monitor - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/craigslist-monitor - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.0
Initial release of Craigslist Monitor Skill.
- Scrapes Craigslist NY service ads for owner-operated businesses in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Bronx.
- Supports filtering by business types: plumber, HVAC, auto repair, dental, contractor.
- Outputs lead data to console or saves to a master markdown list.
- Finds and prioritizes leads with phone numbers, organized by location.
- Integrates with existing Scrapling environment for scraping functionality.
- Can be scheduled to run weekly via cron for fresh leads.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Craigslist Monitor?
Scrapes Craigslist NY service ads to find small owner-operated Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Bronx businesses needing more calls, ideal for lead generation. It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 285 downloads so far.
How do I install Craigslist Monitor?
Run "/install craigslist-monitor" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Craigslist Monitor free?
Yes, Craigslist Monitor is completely free (open-source). You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Craigslist Monitor support?
Craigslist Monitor is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Craigslist Monitor?
It is built and maintained by JayJJimenez (@jayjjimenez); the current version is v1.0.0.
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