## TL;DR

ScrapingBee's transparent_status_code gives you the target's real status and body instead of the API's - but it bills every request, so do not leave it on in production loops. Two more defaults to know: block_resources defaults to true and can silently break pages whose JS needs those assets, so disable it if a rendered page comes back wrong. And file downloads need render_js=false - non-HTML downloads are capped at 2 MB, and rendering a PDF wastes credits for nothing.

## Fix

1. ScrapingBee's transparent_status_code gives you the target's real status and body instead of the API's - but it bills every request, so do not leave it on in production loops.
   Expected: You get the expected result; the problem is gone.
2. Two more defaults to know: block_resources defaults to true and can silently break pages whose JS needs those assets, so disable it if a rendered page comes back wrong.
   Expected: You get the expected result; the problem is gone.

## When to use

- You are dealing with this situation.
- The symptom matches: ScrapingBee transparent_status_code bills every request - and block_resources can silently break pages.

## When NOT to use

- Unrelated issues with a different cause.
- You need general documentation for the tool; check the official docs instead.

## Compatibility

Reported per the linked source.

## Variant phrasings

### ScrapingBee transparent_status_code bills every request - and block_resources can silently break pages

## Why it happens

ScrapingBee docs (via de0ch/claude-env SKILL.md): transparent_status_code=true returns the target's real HTTP status and body - but it bills every request, including the ones that would otherwise be free or retried. Related: session_id reuses the same IP for 5 minutes (sticky sessions), block_resources defaults to true and can break pages that need their images/CSS/JS to render correctly, and for file downloads use render_js=false since non-HTML downloads are capped at 2 MB.

## Edge cases

- If your error message differs even slightly, this is probably a different issue; search the exact text.
- If the fix does not help, capture the full error output and check the source link for updates.