The Tool Desk
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If Chromium creates no PNG or PDF on Ubuntu, first confirm the binary and version, run it from a writable directory with an explicit output path, and inspect stderr and the exit status. The commands below provide a known-good baseline. Most failures come from an unwritable current directory, content that has not finished loading, sandbox problems in a container, or a browser update that changed which headless implementation is available.
Start with a known-good capture
Use a dedicated directory so the output location and permissions are unambiguous:
mkdir -p /tmp/chromium-capture
cd /tmp/chromium-capture
chromium --headless --screenshot=shot.png --window-size=1280,800
--timeout=5000 https://example.com
chromium --headless --print-to-pdf=example.pdf
--no-pdf-header-footer --timeout=5000 https://example.com
ls -lh shot.png example.pdfReplace chromium with the executable installed on your system, such as google-chrome. A successful run should leave shot.png and example.pdf in the directory. Without an explicit filename, Chromium traditionally writes screenshot.png and output.pdf in the current working directory. Automation should always use an absolute, writable output path.
Verify which browser you are actually running
Ubuntu systems may use a distro Chromium package, a Google Chrome package, a snap, a container image, or the separate chrome-headless-shell artifact. Their command names and supported flags can differ. Record the executable and milestone before changing anything:
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chromium --version
google-chrome --version
command -v chromium
echo "$PWD"
idRun only the version command that matches an installed executable. If the command is missing, install or invoke the browser that your image actually contains; changing flags cannot repair a nonexistent binary. In CI, print this information in every job so an automatic package update is visible in logs.
Use the right flags for screenshots and PDFs
PNG screenshots
--screenshot captures a PNG. Add a filename when the job needs a predictable artifact, and use --window-size=WIDTH,HEIGHT to set the viewport:
chromium --headless
--screenshot=/tmp/chromium-capture/home.png
--window-size=1440,900
--timeout=10000
https://example.comThe window size controls the screenshot dimensions. It is not a substitute for full-page behavior or responsive breakpoints; choose dimensions that exercise the layout you want to test.
PDF output
--print-to-pdf writes a PDF. Give it an explicit filename and remove Chromium’s generated date, URL, and page-number furniture with --no-pdf-header-footer:
chromium --headless
--print-to-pdf=/tmp/chromium-capture/report.pdf
--no-pdf-header-footer
--timeout=10000
https://example.comOlder Chromium releases used --print-to-pdf-no-header instead. If the current spelling is rejected, check the installed browser’s help output and use the spelling supported by that version rather than copying a flag from an older script.
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Wait for late content
--timeout=milliseconds gives the page more time to load. It does not guarantee that every JavaScript application, web font, image, or third-party request will finish. For pages that update themselves with timers, --virtual-time-budget=milliseconds advances virtual time before capture:
chromium --headless
--screenshot=timed.png
--window-size=1280,800
--timeout=15000
--virtual-time-budget=10000
https://example.comUse both when appropriate: the timeout controls how long Chromium waits, while the virtual-time budget lets timer-driven page code progress. Confirm that the Ubuntu host or container can reach the URL; no flag can load a page when DNS, routing, authentication, or a proxy is failing.
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Check the exit status and stderr
Immediately capture diagnostics:
chromium --headless --screenshot=/tmp/chromium-capture/test.png
--window-size=1280,800 https://example.com
>/tmp/chromium-capture/stdout.log
2>/tmp/chromium-capture/stderr.log
echo "exit=$?"
cat /tmp/chromium-capture/stderr.logAn absent file with a nonzero exit status points to startup, navigation, or output errors. A zero status with an unexpected location usually means the relative path was resolved against a different working directory than you assumed.
Fix the output directory and user permissions
Ensure the directory exists and is writable by the account that launches Chromium:
mkdir -p /var/tmp/my-captures
chmod u+rwx /var/tmp/my-captures
chromium --headless
--screenshot=/var/tmp/my-captures/page.png
https://example.comIn a service or container, the runtime user may not be your interactive shell user. Check ownership and mount permissions, and avoid writing to a read-only workspace. An absolute filename also prevents a job runner from hiding the artifact in an unexpected current directory.
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Distinguish a blank page from a failed capture
A file can exist yet contain a blank or incomplete page. Increase the timeout, add a virtual-time budget for timer-based interfaces, and test the same URL with a simple public page. Missing fonts or images generally indicate network access, certificate, proxy, or resource-blocking problems in the runtime. Capture stderr and verify connectivity from inside the same container or VM.
Resolve sandbox and container errors safely
Messages mentioning setuid helpers, namespaces, or the sandbox usually describe the runtime rather than the web page. The durable fix is to run Chromium as a non-root user and repair the package or container prerequisites so the sandbox can initialize.
- Use a dedicated non-root account for the capture process.
- Install the browser package and its sandbox components in the image that actually runs the command.
- Verify that required user namespaces and filesystem permissions are available in the container or CI executor.
- Keep the browser profile and output directory writable by that account.
--no-sandbox disables a security boundary. It can be a short diagnostic in an isolated environment: if the capture works only with that switch, the runtime setup is the problem. Do not make it the routine production solution; remove it after repairing the user, image, or namespace configuration.
Account for headless changes after browser updates
M132 and the end of old headless in the Chrome binary
Chromium’s current headless documentation states that, from milestone 132, the old headless implementation is no longer part of the Chrome binary, so --headless=old has no effect. Workflows that specifically depend on old headless should migrate to the supported chrome-headless-shell artifact instead of relying on that flag.
Before and after an upgrade, compare the recorded milestone, executable path, and package source. A script that silently switches from a full browser package to another binary can appear to fail even though the URL and command did not change.
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Use historical regressions as clues, not permanent fixes
A 2024 issue documented a regression in which headless PDF output stopped after an update and was temporarily worked around with --headless=old. That issue is marked fixed. Treat it as a version-diagnosis clue: reproduce the failure with a minimal URL, record the milestone, and test a supported browser build or chrome-headless-shell. Do not assume the historical workaround is a current universal answer.
Choose an implementation for your workload
| Approach | Best fit | Important trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Current Chrome/Chromium headless CLI | Simple one-off PNG or PDF jobs and shell-based CI | Output timing, browser packaging, and filesystem permissions are your responsibility. |
chrome-headless-shell |
Workflows that require the old-headless architecture after M132 | You must package and pin a separate artifact and track its supported flags. |
| Puppeteer or the DevTools Protocol | Multi-step automation, DOM waits, interactions, and detailed error handling | More application code and browser lifecycle management than a single CLI invocation. |
| ScreenshotNeo API | Remote, repeatable captures without maintaining a browser installation | Requires an API key and an HTTP request; output and page controls are configured through request parameters. |
For reproducible CLI jobs, pin the browser build, record its version, run a smoke-test URL, use a dedicated writable directory, and archive stderr alongside generated files. These practices make package, sandbox, and page-load failures distinguishable.
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ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. It accepts one GET request and returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. Before capture it accepts cookie or consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and whether the request was billed.
Using the API avoids installing Chromium in Ubuntu or CI. The following requests target the same example URL; replace it with your page and use the parameter names documented at the ScreenshotNeo documentation.
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cURL
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://example.com"},
timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://example.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${res.statusText}`);
const fs = await import('node:fs/promises');
await fs.writeFile('shot.webp', Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()));Controls available on every plan
ScreenshotNeo supports full-page captures with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element captures, dark mode, 12 device presets plus custom viewports, retina scale, PDF paper size, margins, landscape mode and page ranges, HTML/CSS-to-image, custom CSS and JavaScript, pre-capture clicks, hidden selectors, waits for a selector, delay or network idle, blocking for ads, trackers, requests or resource types, custom headers, cookies, user agents and Authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, image resizing, cache TTLs, signed links for public <img> tags, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work, which simplifies migration.
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Every feature is included on every plan, and yearly billing gives two months free. The MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients, so an AI agent can request captures without managing a local browser.
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CI reliability checklist
- Pin and record the exact browser build and package source.
- Run
--versionand a minimal smoke capture on every image change. - Use an absolute output path in a directory writable by the runtime user.
- Set a timeout appropriate to the page and add a virtual-time budget for timer-driven content.
- Archive stderr, the exit status, the browser version, and the resulting PNG or PDF.
- Keep the sandbox enabled in production; investigate the image or user setup when it fails.
- When behavior changes after an upgrade, check the milestone, M132 headless architecture, and whether the job should use
chrome-headless-shell.
FAQ
Does a longer timeout guarantee that a single-page app is fully rendered?
No. It only gives Chromium more wall-clock time. The page may still depend on blocked requests, authentication, timers, or conditions that never resolve. Combine a suitable timeout with a virtual-time budget where needed and verify the runtime’s network access.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat should I do if an old script still contains --headless=old?
Check the browser milestone first. From M132 that mode is no longer in the Chrome binary. If the workflow truly requires old-headless behavior, migrate to the supported chrome-headless-shell artifact and pin the build rather than depending on the obsolete switch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a longer timeout guarantee that a single-page app is fully rendered?
No. It only gives Chromium more wall-clock time. The page may still depend on blocked requests, authentication, timers, or conditions that never resolve. Combine a suitable timeout with a virtual-time budget where needed and verify the runtime’s network access.
What should I do if an old script still contains –headless=old?
Check the browser milestone first. From M132 that mode is no longer in the Chrome binary. If the workflow truly requires old-headless behavior, migrate to the supported chrome-headless-shell artifact and pin the build rather than depending on the obsolete switch.
Quick Recap
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