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Classification: browser-app/extension (Chrome)
Status: browser-app/extension (Chrome) Bardeen is a Chrome extension for browser automation and web scraping. It has no CLI, no npm package, and no terminal entry point. All functionality runs inside the browser. A free tier is available with monthly credits. Paid plans for more credits and team features.
Install method: Install from the Chrome Web Store. Create a free account when prompted. The extension requires Chrome and an active Bardeen account to operate.
Cost/access: Free tier available (100 credits per month on the free plan). Paid plans for more credits and advanced features.
Bardeen is a browser extension with no CLI or programmatic entry point. There is no shell command to run for a smoke test. Verification is done visually inside Chrome after installation.
Smoke test: verify the extension is installed and active
Precondition: Chrome extension installed, account created (see Install).
Step 1 - Check the toolbar icon
After installing, the Bardeen icon (a purple lightning bolt or "B" icon) should appear in the Chrome toolbar. If it is not visible, click the puzzle-piece Extensions icon and confirm Bardeen is listed and enabled (toggle should be blue/on).
Success indicator: The Bardeen icon is visible and clickable in the toolbar.
Step 2 - Open the sidebar on any page
Navigate to any publicly accessible page, for example:
https://www.producthunt.comClick the Bardeen icon. The Bardeen sidebar should slide open on the right edge of the browser window, showing your account name, credit balance (should show 100 for a new free account), and available scraper templates.
Success indicator: Sidebar opens, account name is visible, credit balance is shown, templates are listed.
Step 3 - Run a one-row test scrape
Search for "GitHub" in the Bardeen sidebar templates. Select a GitHub scraper (for example, "Scrape GitHub repositories"). With a public GitHub search page open, click Run with the row limit set to 1.
Success indicator: Bardeen returns 1 row of structured data (repo name, description, stars, URL) in the results panel, and the credit balance decreases by 1.
What failure looks like
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Sidebar does not open | Extension not installed or not enabled in Chrome |
| "Not signed in" message | Session expired; click Sign In |
| "Insufficient credits" error | Free tier credits exhausted; upgrade or wait for monthly reset |
| Scraper returns 0 rows | Site changed its HTML structure; try a different template or rebuild the scraper |
| Extension icon shows an error badge | Chrome extension conflict or update required; reload the extension from chrome://extensions |
ToS and safety notes
- Bardeen's terms of service prohibit scraping sites that explicitly forbid it in their own ToS (LinkedIn, for example, has filed legal action against scrapers). Always verify the target site's robots.txt and ToS before running at scale.
- Enrichment pulls contact data from third-party data sources. Confirm compliance with CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and CCPA before using enriched data for outreach.
- High-volume scraping (thousands of rows per session) may trigger rate limiting or IP bans on the target site. Use pagination limits and add delays when scraping large datasets.