---
canonical: 'https://htmlcsstoimage.com/agents'
title: 'Screenshots for AI Agents | HTML/CSS to Image'
description: 'Take website screenshots with ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, and other AI agents. Review designs, compare mobile layouts, and create images or PDFs from a prompt.'
---

# Website screenshots for AI agents

Ask your assistant to capture a webpage, check a mobile layout, or turn a design into an image. HTML/CSS to Image handles the browser and returns a file you can use.

## Let your agent keep an eye on your website

Ask your agent to check your site on phones, tablets, and desktops. Have it look for cut-off text, overlapping sections, or a signup button that has disappeared.

Your agent handles the daily check and reviews the screenshots from HTML/CSS to Image. You get the images and a clear explanation of anything that needs attention.

Natural Language:

> Take screenshots of my website at different device sizes every day and let me know if anything looks wrong.

Get Technical:

> Use HCTI to screenshot [public URL] with viewport_width=1440, viewport_height=900, device_scale=1, and format=png. Repeat at 390×844 with viewport_mobile=true. Schedule daily runs in the agent and report layout issues.

## What will you ask your agent to capture?

Replace bracketed URLs, selectors, and content in these prompts with your own.

### Review a page before you ship

Give a vision-capable coding agent a fresh view of your deployed preview. Check spacing, clipped text, and missing content against the design you intended.

> Use HCTI to screenshot [public preview URL] at 1440 × 900 and 390 × 844. Open both images and flag any clipped text or overlapping elements.

[Explore website screenshots](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/features/url-screenshots)

### Check mobile and dark-mode layouts

Capture the same page with consistent browser settings. Compare desktop and mobile layouts, or check how a site responds to a dark color-scheme preference.

> Capture [your public URL] at a 390 × 844 mobile viewport in light and dark mode. Use HTML/CSS to Image and return a labeled image URL for each.

[See screenshot controls](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/getting-started/url-to-image/)

### Build a visual research brief

Collect current screenshots of product pages, pricing pages, or campaign landing pages. Keep the source URLs beside the images so your team can follow the research.

> Use HCTI to take a full-page screenshot of each URL in this list. Return the source page and screenshot URL together for my research brief: [public URLs].

[Read the screenshot guide](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/use-cases/screenshots/)

### Create screenshots for documentation

Turn a live product page or a single component into an image for a guide, launch note, or support reply. A CSS selector keeps the capture focused on the relevant section.

> Screenshot [your public URL] with HCTI. Capture only the element matching [CSS selector from the page], and return a PNG image URL for our guide.

[Learn about element capture](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/parameters/selector/)

### Turn a draft into a finished visual

Ask your agent to design with HTML and CSS, render the result, and refine it. Create social cards, product announcements, or a set of variations from a saved template.

> Create a 1200 × 630 launch card for [product name] using [brand colors] and this headline: [headline]. Render the HTML/CSS with HCTI and return the image URL.

[Explore HTML to image](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/features/html-to-image)

### Deliver a report as a PDF

Give your assistant the content, then ask it to lay out a readable document. Export research summaries, proposals, and reports as PDFs you can download and share.

> Format this report as HTML/CSS with clear headings and a readable table. Render it as a PDF with HTML/CSS to Image and return the PDF URL: [report content].

[Explore HTML to PDF](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/features/html-to-pdf)

## Use the agent you already work with

Connect your HCTI account once, then ask for screenshots in your conversation or coding task. Sign in through your browser; there is no API key to paste into a prompt.

### ChatGPT & Codex

Capture a page in a conversation or bring screenshots and rendered assets into a coding task.

[Get the official plugin](https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6a4d168031448191abcd6540497efb7b) · [Setup guide](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/chatgpt-codex/)

### Claude & Claude Code

Use the Claude connector for conversations, or connect Claude Code for rendering alongside your project.

[Open the Claude connector](https://claude.ai/directory/html-css-to-image-mcp) · [Setup guide](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/claude/)

### Cursor

Ask your coding agent to capture a deployed preview or render HTML/CSS from the project you are editing.

[Get the official plugin](https://cursor.com/marketplace/html-css-to-image) · [Setup guide](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/cursor/)

### Gemini CLI

Add screenshots, image generation, and reusable template workflows to your terminal tasks.

[Official extension](https://github.com/htmlcsstoimage/agent-plugins#gemini-cli) · [Setup guide](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/gemini/)

### GitHub Copilot

Capture public pages and generate visual assets while working through a coding task with Copilot.

[Plugin source](https://github.com/htmlcsstoimage/agent-plugins#github-copilot) · [Setup guide](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/github-copilot/)

### OpenCode

Connect HCTI's rendering tools to your OpenCode agent and return screenshots or PDFs from a prompt.

[Setup guide](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/opencode/)

### Grok Build

Install the official HTML/CSS to Image plugin from Grok Build's marketplace. Capture webpages, render images and PDFs, and work with saved templates.

[Get the official plugin](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/grok/#install-through-the-plugin-marketplace) · [Setup guide](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/grok/)

### Other agents

Use VS Code, Cline, Windsurf, or another compatible assistant. Find your client in the connection guides.

[Official plugin source](https://github.com/htmlcsstoimage/agent-plugins) · [Setup guide](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/)

## Why use a hosted service when I can run Puppeteer?

You can take screenshots with Puppeteer. The choice is whether your agent needs to operate a browser or needs a rendered file. HCTI handles the browser infrastructure and makes the capture a request with explicit inputs and a hosted result.

### Keep rendering separate from your working browser

HCTI captures the URL or markup you provide in its own hosted browser. Your agent never touches your everyday browser profile or its signed-in sessions.

You authorize the HCTI organization and permissions the connection needs through OAuth. Rendering access and management actions such as editing templates or configuring storage have their own permissions. You can give a screenshot workflow the access it needs without handing it your local browsing session or pasting API credentials into the conversation.

### Make the capture settings explicit

Viewport, device scale, color scheme, timezone, and timing travel with the request, so a mobile screenshot means the same thing from Claude, a coding agent, or a teammate.

HCTI handles the rendering environment and returns a hosted image URL, so you do not need a separate browser installation and file-upload workflow for each agent. Explicit settings make captures easier to compare. Live websites can still change between requests; keep the source URL and capture context with any image used as evidence.

### Constraints keep the task focused

The agent picks a URL, size, crop, and format, then gets an image URL back. There are no debugging ports, local Chrome processes, or upload steps to manage.

For screenshot jobs, those constraints reduce how much browser state the agent has to manage and make the requested action easier to inspect. The boundary is deliberate: HCTI captures supplied URLs and renders HTML/CSS; it is not an interactive browser session for clicking through workflows. Use browser tools when you need that control, and rendering tools when you need an image or PDF.

### Choose the browser setup that fits the task

| Your task | Hosted rendering with HCTI | A browser you operate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capture a public page or supplied HTML/CSS | Send the input and capture options; receive a hosted image or PDF URL. | Write or run browser automation and decide where to save or upload the result. |
| Repeat a capture across agents or teammates | Use the same capture settings, HCTI organization, and saved templates. | Keep browser dependencies, runtime settings, and output handling aligned yourself. |
| Navigate, click, or inspect a local application | Use a separate browser tool for interaction; HCTI can capture a publicly reachable preview. | Use the browser's interactive controls and access to your local environment. |

### Keep a local browser for tasks that need interaction

Puppeteer and browser MCP tools are useful when an agent needs to click through an application, fill in a form, inspect network requests, or debug a local page. Those tasks need an interactive browser and access to the relevant environment.

For that workflow, start with an isolated browser profile and keep access scoped to the task. Our Puppeteer MCP tutorial walks through a local demo and explains why a temporary profile separates session data without restricting the sites an agent can visit or the controls it can use.

[How to Automate Puppeteer with MCP](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/blog/automate-puppeteer-with-mcp)

[HCTI access controls](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/features/security)

## Frequently asked questions

### How do AI agents take website screenshots?

Connect HTML/CSS to Image to your assistant, provide a publicly reachable URL, and ask for a screenshot. HCTI renders the page in Chrome and returns an image URL. Your agent can open or download the image when its tools support that.

### Can an agent capture a full page or just one element?

Yes. Ask for a full-page screenshot, a specific viewport, or an element matching a CSS selector. Your agent can also choose desktop or mobile settings, a light or dark color-scheme preference, and a delay for JavaScript-rendered content.

### Can I screenshot a local development server?

HCTI renders in its hosted browser and cannot reach localhost on your computer. Use a publicly reachable preview URL, or ask your coding agent to supply self-contained HTML and CSS with accessible assets.

### Does HCTI use my existing browser session?

HCTI uses its own rendering browser. It does not inherit your local browser's tabs or signed-in session. For pages that require authentication, see the URL screenshot docs for supported request headers and access requirements.

### Why use HCTI instead of running Puppeteer?

Use HCTI when the result you need is a screenshot, image, or PDF and you want the browser infrastructure and hosted output handled for you. Capture settings are explicit, and the rendering tools do not connect to your local browser session. Puppeteer is useful when the task needs interactive browser control or access to a local application.

### Can I start for free?

Yes. The HCTI free plan includes 50 images per month and works with the agent integrations. Requests use your HCTI organization's image allowance; your assistant subscription is separate. Some rendering options use additional credits or require a paid HCTI plan.

### Do I need to understand MCP to use this?

No. Use an official plugin or connector, sign in, and describe the result you want. MCP connects the assistant to HCTI behind the scenes. If you are building your own agent, you can also use the REST API directly.

## Get started

The free plan includes 50 images each month. Create an HCTI account, connect your agent, and ask for your first screenshot.

- [Create a free account](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/join)
- [Plans and pricing](https://htmlcsstoimage.com/pricing)
- [Agent setup guides](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/integrations/mcp/)
- [URL screenshot documentation](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/getting-started/url-to-image/)
- [REST API documentation](https://docs.htmlcsstoimage.com/getting-started/using-the-api/)