Network Commands

Intercept, block, mock, and inspect network requests using the CDP Fetch domain.

Overview

bash

zchrome network <subcommand> [options]

Subcommand	Description
`route`	Intercept requests matching a URL pattern
`unroute`	Remove all active routes
`requests`	View tracked network requests

network route

Intercept requests matching a URL pattern. Uses wildcard matching (*).

bash

zchrome network route <pattern> [options]

Options

Option	Description
`--abort`	Block matching requests (responds with `BlockedByClient`)
`--body <json>`	Mock response with the given JSON body (HTTP 200, `application/json`)
`--file <path>`	Mock response from a file (reads file contents as response body)
`--redirect <url>`	Redirect matching requests to a different host

Log Intercepted Requests

bash

zchrome connect
zchrome navigate https://example.com

# Intercept and log all API calls (continue them normally)
zchrome network route "*api/*"

Output:

Route added: *api/* (continue/log)
Waiting for requests... (Ctrl+C to stop)
  INTERCEPTED: https://example.com/api/users
  INTERCEPTED: https://example.com/api/config

Block Requests

Block matching requests entirely — useful for disabling analytics, ads, or heavy resources.

bash

# Block all PNG images
zchrome network route "*.png" --abort

# Block analytics
zchrome network route "*google-analytics*" --abort

# Block ads
zchrome network route "*doubleclick.net*" --abort

Output:

Route added: *.png (abort)
Waiting for requests... (Ctrl+C to stop)
  BLOCKED: https://example.com/images/hero.png
  BLOCKED: https://example.com/images/logo.png

Mock Responses

Return custom JSON instead of making real network requests — useful for testing, prototyping, or offline development.

bash

# Mock a user API endpoint
zchrome network route "*api/user*" --body '{"name":"Test User","id":42}'

# Mock a config endpoint
zchrome network route "*api/config*" --body '{"feature_flag":true}'

# Mock from a file (reads file contents as response body)
zchrome network route "*api/config*" --file mock.json

Output:

Route added: *api/user* (mock response)
Waiting for requests... (Ctrl+C to stop)
  MOCKED: https://example.com/api/user/profile

Mock responses are returned with HTTP 200 and Content-Type: application/json.

Redirect Requests

Redirect matching requests to a different host — useful for pointing production API calls to a local dev server or staging environment.

bash

# Redirect all API calls to local dev server
zchrome network route "*api/*" --redirect "http://localhost:3000"

# Redirect to staging with a base path
zchrome network route "*api/v1/*" --redirect "http://staging.internal:8080/v2"

Output:

Route added: *api/* (redirect → http://localhost:3000)
Waiting for requests... (Ctrl+C to stop)
  REDIRECT: https://prod.example.com/api/users → http://localhost:3000/api/users

The original URL's path and query string are preserved; only the origin (and optional base path) is replaced.

network unroute

Remove all active intercept routes by disabling the Fetch domain.

bash

zchrome network unroute

Output:

All routes removed

This stops all request interception and returns the browser to normal operation.

network requests

View tracked network requests using the Performance Resource Timing API.

bash

zchrome network requests [options]

Options

Option	Description
`--filter <pattern>`	Only show requests whose URL contains the pattern
`--clear`	Clear the request log

List All Requests

bash

zchrome network requests

Output:

METHOD   URL                                                          STATUS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
fetch    https://api.example.com/v1/users                             45ms 1234B
script   https://cdn.example.com/app.js                               120ms 45678B
css      https://cdn.example.com/styles.css                           30ms 8901B

Total: 3 request(s)

Filter by URL Pattern

bash

# Show only API requests
zchrome network requests --filter "api"

# Show only image requests
zchrome network requests --filter ".png"

Clear Request Log

bash

zchrome network requests --clear

URL Pattern Syntax

URL patterns use wildcard matching:

Pattern	Matches
`api`	Any URL containing "api"
`*.png`	URLs ending in ".png"
`example.com/api/`	API paths on example.com
`google-analytics`	Google Analytics requests
`/v1/users`	Specific API endpoint path

Interactive REPL

All network commands work in the interactive REPL (also available as net):

zchrome> network route "*api*"
Route added: *api* (continue/log)
Waiting for requests... (Ctrl+C to stop)
  INTERCEPTED: https://example.com/api/data

zchrome> network unroute
All routes removed

zchrome> network requests --filter "cdn"
METHOD   URL                                                          STATUS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
script   https://cdn.example.com/app.js                               85ms 12345B

Total: 1 request(s)

Use Cases

Block Heavy Resources for Faster Scraping

bash

# Block images to speed up page loads
zchrome network route "*.png" --abort
zchrome network route "*.jpg" --abort
zchrome network route "*.gif" --abort

# Navigate and scrape (much faster without images)
zchrome navigate https://example.com
zchrome get text "#content"

# Remove routes when done
zchrome network unroute

Test API Error Handling

bash

# Mock an error response
zchrome network route "*api/checkout*" --body '{"error":"payment_failed"}'

# Navigate and observe the UI error handling
zchrome navigate https://shop.example.com/checkout
zchrome snapshot -i

Debug API Calls

bash

# Watch what API calls a page makes
zchrome network route "*api*"
# Output shows each intercepted URL in real-time

# Or check what already loaded
zchrome network requests --filter "api"

Offline Testing

bash

# Block all external requests
zchrome network route "*" --abort

# Only local/cached content will load
zchrome navigate https://example.com

A/B Test Feature Flags

bash

# Mock feature flag endpoint
zchrome network route "*api/features*" --body '{"new_checkout":true,"dark_mode":false}'

# Navigate to see the app with different flags
zchrome navigate https://app.example.com

Local Development Redirect

bash

# Redirect production API to local dev server
zchrome network route "*api/*" --redirect "http://localhost:3000"

# Navigate to production site, but API calls go to local server
zchrome navigate https://app.example.com

Tips

Route is blocking — the route command enters a live loop. Press Ctrl+C to stop.
One route at a time — each route command sets up a new Fetch pattern. Use unroute between different routes.
Requests shows completed resources — it uses performance.getEntriesByType('resource'), so it only shows requests that already finished loading.
Mock body is raw JSON — no base64 encoding needed. The body is sent directly as the response.
Use in scripts — combine with navigate, wait, and get commands for automated testing workflows.

Network Commands ​

Overview ​

network route ​

Options ​

Log Intercepted Requests ​

Block Requests ​

Mock Responses ​

Redirect Requests ​

network unroute ​

network requests ​

Options ​

List All Requests ​

Filter by URL Pattern ​

Clear Request Log ​

URL Pattern Syntax ​

Interactive REPL ​

Use Cases ​

Block Heavy Resources for Faster Scraping ​

Test API Error Handling ​

Debug API Calls ​

Offline Testing ​

A/B Test Feature Flags ​

Local Development Redirect ​

Tips ​

See Also ​

Network Commands

Overview

network route

Options

Log Intercepted Requests

Block Requests

Mock Responses

Redirect Requests

network unroute

network requests

Options

List All Requests

Filter by URL Pattern

Clear Request Log

URL Pattern Syntax

Interactive REPL

Use Cases

Block Heavy Resources for Faster Scraping

Test API Error Handling

Debug API Calls

Offline Testing

A/B Test Feature Flags

Local Development Redirect

Tips

See Also