> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.automate.ax/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Automate.ax automations are TypeScript programs.
> Use Bun for installation and command examples.
> Use Automate.ax for the product name and automate.ax for the package, CLI, and domain.
> Treat documented public APIs as current; do not invent transitional or deprecated names.

# Start website crawl with Firecrawl

> Start a Firecrawl crawl and return its job identity immediately.

`startWebsiteCrawlWithFirecrawl` submits a crawl and returns without waiting for any pages. Use it when another system will receive the webhook or when you only need the Firecrawl job identity. Use [`crawlWebsiteWithFirecrawl`](/reference/integrations/firecrawl/actions/crawl-website) when the automation should continue after the crawl finishes.

Inputs accept literal values or compatible signals. An optional second argument `{ account }` selects the Firecrawl binding.

## Example

```ts automations/start-documentation-crawl.automation.ts theme={null}
import { automation, onHttpRequest } from "automate.ax"
import { startWebsiteCrawlWithFirecrawl } from "automate.ax/firecrawl"

export default automation("Start documentation crawl", () => {
  onHttpRequest({ scope: "automation" })

  startWebsiteCrawlWithFirecrawl({
    url: "https://docs.example.com",
    includePaths: ["guides/.*"],
    limit: 500,
  })
})
```

## Inputs

The action accepts the crawl fields documented for `crawlWebsiteWithFirecrawl`, plus:

| Input     | Type                                                                                                                                                          | Required | Default | Description                                                                                                               |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `webhook` | `string \| { url: string; events?: ('started' \| 'page' \| 'completed' \| 'failed')[]; headers?: Record<string, string>; metadata?: Record<string, string> }` | No       | None    | Callback URL or callback configuration. Firecrawl copies custom headers into each request and metadata into each payload. |

## Output

Returns `{ id, url }`, where `id` is the Firecrawl crawl job ID and `url` is its provider status URL. The action does not poll the job or retrieve pages.