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Start by checking whether Urlwatch can retrieve the authenticated page with a session cookie. If the page’s content is only produced after JavaScript runs, consider a Browser job; if the page gets its data from a suitable API, monitoring that response may be simpler. The right method depends on the site’s authentication and rendering, so verify that Urlwatch sees the real page—not a login screen—before trusting alerts.
Choose the retrieval method that matches the page
Urlwatch compares retrieved output with earlier output and can notify you when it changes. Authentication is not one universal setup: the site may accept a session cookie, require a particular API request, or expose the content only after browser-side JavaScript runs. Urlwatch’s Jobs documentation describes URL and Browser jobs and recommends considering an API when it provides the information you need.
| Approach | Best fit | What it involves | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| URL job with cookies | The server returns the wanted content when sent a valid session cookie. | A regular URL job with the required cookie values. | Expired or rotated sessions can make the job retrieve a login page instead. |
| URL job against an API | A permitted, suitable API endpoint returns the information to monitor. | Identify the endpoint and supply the request details it requires. | Authentication, permission, and endpoint stability depend on the site. |
| Browser job | The content appears only after JavaScript runs in a browser. | Use Urlwatch’s Browser job with Playwright and installed browser software. | It uses substantially more resources than an ordinary URL job, and may need waits or selectors. |
| Custom hook or job | The site’s login workflow is not covered by the standard approaches and you can maintain custom code. | Implement and enable a hook-based job. | Requires site-specific development and maintenance; the example in Urlwatch’s sample configuration is illustrative, not turnkey. |
Try a URL job with a session cookie first
When the server returns the protected document in response to a valid session cookie, a standard URL job is usually the simplest starting point. Urlwatch URL jobs support cookies, along with HTTP methods and request data. The following is a configuration-shape example only; it has not been tested against a real site.
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name: "Authenticated page"
url: "https://example.invalid/private-page"
cookies:
SESSION_COOKIE_NAME: "<session-cookie-value>"
filter:
- css: "main"- Sign in through the site using an account you are authorized to use, and determine which cookie or cookies the site requires for the session.
- Configure the URL job with the protected page URL and the required cookie values. The cookie names, value format, expiry, and whether cookies alone are sufficient are site-dependent.
- Run the job and inspect its retrieved and filtered output. Confirm it contains the authenticated page’s content rather than a login form, redirect result, or expired-session message.
- Adjust the filter to keep the part of the page whose changes matter. Urlwatch’s example configuration documents filters and a
--test-filterworkflow for checking them. - Only rely on notifications after confirming the output and resulting changes are meaningful. Routine page noise or session expiry can otherwise look like a content change.
Do not put real credentials or session values in a public repository or shared configuration. A session cookie can grant access to an account; protect it as a secret and follow the site’s terms and access rules.
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Use an API when it provides the needed data
Some pages retrieve their content from an API. If the site provides a suitable and permitted endpoint, monitoring its response can avoid rendering the whole page; Urlwatch’s documentation notes that an API can often be faster than a Browser job. You can inspect the browser’s network requests as a diagnostic to learn where page data comes from, but that does not establish that an endpoint is public, stable, or authorized for your use.
Urlwatch supports request methods and data for URL jobs, but there is no universal API-authentication recipe for every site. Work out the endpoint’s required request details and authentication from the site’s own permitted interfaces, then inspect Urlwatch’s output to confirm it is receiving the intended data.
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Use a Browser job only when browser rendering is necessary
If the server response does not contain the content and JavaScript creates it in the browser, a Browser job may be appropriate. In the current Urlwatch 2.29 documentation, Browser jobs use Playwright, require the optional Playwright package and installed browsers, and provide options including navigation, load waiting, selectors to wait for, and browser choice.
The documented job key for the destination is navigate. Configure the Browser job for the page and wait condition the site needs, then inspect its output just as you would a URL job. Browser automation is more resource-intensive than a regular URL job, so do not use it merely because a page requires login if a cookie-based request or suitable API already returns the content.
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Know when a custom login flow needs custom code
Urlwatch’s sample configuration includes a commented-out custom-login illustration with username and password parameters. It says the job kind is defined in hooks.py and must be enabled. This is an example of extensibility, not a built-in general-purpose form-login feature.
A username and password alone do not prove that a login can be automated. The site may also rely on CSRF tokens, OAuth, multifactor checks, CAPTCHA, or rotating sessions. The documentation does not establish a universal Urlwatch method for handling those flows; any custom integration needs to be designed for the site and maintained appropriately.
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Troubleshoot misleading or failed results
- The output is a login page: The cookie may be missing, invalid, expired, or insufficient. Refresh the authorized session details and run the job again; verify the response before treating it as the protected page.
- The page loads but the content is missing: Check whether the server response actually contains the content. If JavaScript adds it, consider a Browser job; if an API supplies it, consider whether monitoring that permitted endpoint is more suitable.
- The Browser job finishes before content appears: Use the documented waiting options, such as waiting for a relevant selector, and inspect whether the selected condition corresponds to the content you need.
- Every run reports a change: Filter out irrelevant page sections and test the filter with Urlwatch’s
--test-filterworkflow. Verify that the remaining output reflects meaningful content rather than timestamps, navigation, or session-state noise. - A custom login example does not work as copied: The sample is commented out and depends on a custom hook defined in
hooks.py; it is not enabled as a standard login feature. - Authentication fails despite a valid-looking cookie: The target may need additional cookies, request data, or a site-specific authentication flow. The available documentation does not guarantee that cookie forwarding handles every login system.
Set up notifications after retrieval is reliable
Notifications are downstream of retrieval: an email, chat, or other reporter does not make a protected page accessible. Once the job produces stable, correctly filtered output, configure the reporter that fits your workflow. The Urlwatch handbook lists integrations including email, Slack, Matrix, Discord, Telegram, and ntfy.
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is to capture a page visually rather than track Urlwatch diffs, ScreenshotNeo is a screenshot API and MCP server. Its request can return an image or PDF, but it does not replace Urlwatch’s change-comparison and notification workflow.
For example, this cURL request captures a page in WebP format:
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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 request options. Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots, and 1,000 screenshots a month are free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Sign up for free.
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