Pipeline Patterns

JSON mode

Add --json before any command for machine-readable output:

websketch --json validate capture.json
websketch --json render capture.json
websketch --json fingerprint capture.json
websketch --json diff before.json after.json

Success: { "ok": true, ... }

Error: { "ok": false, "error": { "code": "WS_...", "message": "..." } }

Exit codes still apply in JSON mode — use $? or set -e in scripts.

CI visual regression

Use fingerprinting to detect layout regressions without maintaining pixel baselines:

# Capture the page (via extension or programmatic capture)
# Then compare fingerprints
BEFORE=$(websketch fingerprint baseline.json)
AFTER=$(websketch fingerprint current.json)

if [ "$BEFORE" != "$AFTER" ]; then
  echo "Layout changed!"
  websketch diff baseline.json current.json
  exit 1
fi

LLM agent workflows

The --llm flag on render-ascii produces output optimized for language model consumption:

websketch render-ascii --llm capture.json

This includes:

• Page URL and viewport dimensions in a header
• The ASCII wireframe
• A legend explaining the bracket notation ([BTN:label], [NAV:name], etc.)

Feed this directly into an LLM context window for UI understanding without vision capabilities.

MCP server integration

For agents that use the Model Context Protocol, websketch-mcp exposes these same operations as MCP tools — no shell access required.