To capture a website screenshot on a monthly schedule, use a browser automation script such as Playwright to take the image, then run it with a scheduler. Set the scheduler’s time zone explicitly, choose whether to capture the viewport, full page, or a particular element, and save each image under a date-based filename. If you would rather avoid running a browser and scheduler yourself, a hosted service can manage recurring captures.
Choose what to capture and when
Before setting up a schedule, decide what the monthly image needs to show. Playwright supports screenshots of the visible viewport, the full page, or a specific element. See the Playwright screenshot documentation for the available capture methods.
- Viewport: captures what is visible in the browser window, useful for a fixed above-the-fold view.
- Full page: captures the page beyond the visible viewport.
- Element: captures a selected component, such as a chart, banner, or product area.
Also decide what “the same time” means. A cron schedule such as 17 9 1 * * means 09:17 on the first day of each month in the scheduler’s configured time zone. If you mean a particular local time, configure that zone rather than assuming the scheduler uses it.
Set up a monthly Playwright capture
1. Install Playwright
In a new project, install Playwright for Node.js and its browser:
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npm init -y
npm install playwright
npx playwright install chromium2. Create the capture script
Save this as screenshot.mjs. It captures the full page and writes a file with the current UTC date in its name. Change targetUrl and the screenshot options to fit your needs.
import { chromium } from 'playwright';
const targetUrl = 'https://example.com';
const date = new Date().toISOString().slice(0, 10);
const browser = await chromium.launch({ headless: true });
try {
const page = await browser.newPage({ viewport: { width: 1440, height: 900 } });
await page.goto(targetUrl, { waitUntil: 'networkidle', timeout: 60000 });
await page.screenshot({ path: `screenshots/site-${date}.png`, fullPage: true });
} finally {
await browser.close();
}Create the output directory before running the script:
mkdir -p screenshots
node screenshot.mjsFor a viewport-only capture, omit fullPage: true. To capture one element instead, use a locator and screenshot it:
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await page.locator('.target-selector').screenshot({ path: `screenshots/element-${date}.png` });If the site requires sign-in, interaction, or a specific page state, add the necessary steps before the screenshot. For a page that loads a known component asynchronously, wait for that component with Playwright’s locator wait rather than relying only on a fixed delay.
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Use a scheduler that supports monthly runs. For a cron implementation, the five-field expression 17 9 1 * * selects 09:17 on day one of every month, according to that scheduler’s time zone. Check the scheduler’s time-zone behavior and daylight-saving rules; do not assume a local-time schedule if the job is configured in UTC.
GitHub Actions scheduled workflows use UTC by default and document IANA time-zone scheduling. The workflow must exist on the default branch, and scheduled runs operate against that branch. GitHub also warns that high load can delay scheduled events and, under sufficiently heavy load, queued runs can be dropped. Consult the current GitHub Actions workflow events documentation before relying on a schedule.
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4. Preserve the monthly archive
Use a date-based filename or a separate dated folder so each run keeps its own image instead of overwriting the previous month. Confirm that the destination has enough storage and that the scheduler’s runtime can write there. If the goal is change monitoring, saving the images is only the archive step; define a separate comparison process and baseline.
Keep captures comparable and recover missed runs
For meaningful visual comparisons, keep the browser version, operating system, viewport, settings, and capture mode consistent. Playwright notes that rendering can vary with the host OS, browser version, settings, hardware, power source, and headless mode; its visual comparisons documentation explains why the environment used for a baseline matters.
- Check scheduler run history after the expected date and time.
- Configure a failure notification if a missed image would matter.
- Use a storage location that persists between runs; a temporary runner filesystem may not preserve files after a job ends.
- If exact-minute delivery is essential, do not treat a scheduled workflow as a guarantee. GitHub specifically cautions that scheduled events may be delayed or dropped during high load.
Use a hosted recurring screenshot service
A hosted service can take over browser infrastructure and schedule management, and may provide saved results and delivery options. For example, Allscreenshots documents monthly schedules, time-zone selection, full-page and screen-size settings, waiting for an element, hiding dynamic elements, CSS injection, and email or webhook delivery in its recurring screenshot guide. Its guide says schedules count against a monthly screenshot quota, webhooks are available on every plan, and email is a paid feature on Starter and above; check the vendor’s current plan and delivery terms before choosing it. The cited guide describes schedule features but does not promise an exact-minute capture.
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Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo offers a screenshot API and MCP server. One GET request returns a screenshot; use this cURL example to save a WebP capture:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for options, including image formats and capture settings. A monthly scheduler can call this request in place of a locally managed browser script.
- Cookie and consent banners are accepted before capture, and 60+ known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed; each step can be turned off.
- Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing; response headers report the page verdict and billing status.
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Troubleshooting a monthly capture
The image is missing
Check the scheduler’s run history and logs first. The job may have been delayed, dropped, or failed before the script ran. Confirm that the workflow remains on the required default branch if you use GitHub Actions, and verify that the script’s output directory exists and is writable.
The image shows an incomplete page
Some pages render content after the initial navigation. Wait for a page-specific selector or state that signals the content is ready, then take the screenshot. A fixed delay can help with a known delay, but a selector-based wait is usually more targeted.
The page looks different from last month
Check whether the browser, host environment, viewport, rendering mode, or page state changed. Differences may come from the site itself or from the capture environment, so keep those conditions stable before treating a visual difference as a site change.
The run happened at the wrong local time
Compare the intended time zone with the scheduler’s configured zone. Cron syntax alone does not identify the time zone. For GitHub Actions, check whether the workflow uses the UTC default or a documented IANA zone.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the cron expression `17 9 1 * *` mean 9:17 AM every month?
Yes: it selects 09:17 on the first day of each month, interpreted in the scheduler’s configured time zone.
Can a monthly screenshot be captured without keeping a computer running?
Yes. A hosted screenshot service or a hosted workflow runner can execute the capture job on its schedule; check its schedule and storage behavior.
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