Use when adding new error messages to React, or seeing "unknown error code" warnings.
medium-paywall-bypass
16
4
# Install this skill:
npx skills add ratacat/claude-skills --skill "medium-paywall-bypass"
Install specific skill from multi-skill repository
# Description
Use when user shares a Medium article URL behind a paywall and wants to read the full content. Also use for articles on Medium-hosted publications like towardsdatascience.com, betterprogramming.pub, levelup.gitconnected.com, etc.
# SKILL.md
name: medium-paywall-bypass
description: Use when user shares a Medium article URL behind a paywall and wants to read the full content. Also use for articles on Medium-hosted publications like towardsdatascience.com, betterprogramming.pub, levelup.gitconnected.com, etc.
Medium Paywall Bypass
Overview
Fetch paywalled Medium articles using free mirror services. Try services in order until one works.
Service Priority
| Service | URL Pattern | WebFetch | curl | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedium | https://freedium.cfd/{encoded_url} |
Yes | Yes | Best option, returns content directly |
| Archive.today | https://archive.today/latest/{raw_url} |
No | Maybe | Often requires captcha |
| RemovePaywalls | https://removepaywalls.com/{raw_url} |
No | No | Redirect page only, needs browser |
| ReadMedium | https://readmedium.com/en/{encoded_url} |
No | No | Returns 403 programmatically |
{encoded_url}= URL-encoded (slashes become %2F, @ becomes %40, etc.){raw_url}= Original URL as-is
For Claude Code: Use Freedium via WebFetch. Other services require browser interaction.
Workflow
1. User provides Medium URL
2. Try Freedium first via WebFetch
3. If blocked/empty, try next service
4. Extract and present article content
Example Usage
Given: https://medium.com/@user/some-article-abc123
WebFetch (recommended):
URL: https://freedium.cfd/https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40user%2Fsome-article-abc123
Prompt: Extract the full article content
curl fallback:
curl -sL "https://freedium.cfd/https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2F%40user%2Fsome-article-abc123"
Medium-Hosted Domains
These domains use Medium's paywall system:
- medium.com, *.medium.com
- towardsdatascience.com
- betterprogramming.pub
- levelup.gitconnected.com
- javascript.plainenglish.io
- uxdesign.cc
- hackernoon.com
- codeburst.io
- itnext.io
- proandroiddev.com
- infosecwriteups.com
Common Issues
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Freedium down | Try alternative mirror: freedium-mirror.cfd |
| Article not found | Article may be too new to be cached |
| Garbled HTML | Use WebFetch with prompt: "Extract the article text and format as markdown" |
| 403/blocked | Try curl with dangerouslyDisableSandbox: true |
Quick Reference
# URL encoding in Python
from urllib.parse import quote
encoded = quote(url, safe='')
# For WebFetch tool
freedium_url = f"https://freedium.cfd/{quote(medium_url, safe='')}"
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# Supported AI Coding Agents
This skill is compatible with the SKILL.md standard and works with all major AI coding agents:
Amp
Antigravity
Claude Code
Clawdbot
Codex
Cursor
Droid
Gemini CLI
GitHub Copilot
Goose
Kilo Code
Kiro CLI
OpenCode
Roo Code
Trae
Windsurf
Learn more about the SKILL.md standard and how to use these skills with your preferred AI coding agent.