# Mastodon Lookup: Hashtag Posts and Account Profiles (`accountable_eel/mastodon-lookup`) Actor Extract public posts from Mastodon hashtag timelines and retrieve account profiles, follower counts, and bios with zero API keys and built-in delta monitoring. - **URL**: https://apify.com/accountable_eel/mastodon-lookup.md - **Developed by:** [Adriana Voss](https://apify.com/accountable_eel) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $0.50 / 1,000 item returneds This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md. ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run. For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below. Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`). # README ## Mastodon Lookup: Hashtag Posts and Account Profiles **Extract public hashtag timeline posts and account profiles from Mastodon without API keys.** One row per post or account profile, newest first. Switch between hashtag timelines and account lookups with the Mode setting, and turn on delta monitoring on a schedule to get only items that are new since your last run. **Who uses it:** Social media researchers, brand monitors, fediverse community builders, and intelligence analysts tracking open-web discussions across federated Mastodon instances. **What it does not do:** It reads public federated posts and profiles only. It does not log in, cannot read private accounts or direct messages, and does not require Mastodon OAuth tokens. Missing profile fields or posts without media return null, never empty strings or zeroes. ### How to use 1. **In the Apify Console.** Open the actor page and click **Start** — the `hashtag` field is already pre-filled with a working example. Results land in the run's dataset as soon as each item is found. 2. **Via the API.** Call it directly with a POST request — no Console needed once you have an API token: ```bash curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~mastodon-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=" \ -X POST \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"hashtag":["photography"]}' ``` 3. **On a schedule.** Save this actor as an Apify **Task** with the input you want, then add a **Schedule** (hourly, daily, weekly) so it runs on its own — no server of your own required. ### Input ```json { "hashtag": [ "photography" ] } ``` In hashtag mode: enter a hashtag (e.g. photography) with or without the #. In account mode: enter account handles (e.g. Gargron@mastodon.social or Gargron). Accepted formats: photography, nature, Gargron@mastodon.social, @Gargron, https://mastodon.social/@Gargron. You can also pass `{"mode": "hashtag", "hashtag": "photography", "maxItems": 20}` or `{"mode": "account", "accounts": ["Gargron@mastodon.social"]}` directly. The actor automatically routes each request to the right endpoint. ### Output One row per post in hashtag mode, or one row per profile in account mode: | query | found | status | mode | hashtag | postId | postUrl | content | createdAt | authorUsername | authorAcct | authorDisplayName | authorUrl | repliesCount | reblogsCount | favouritesCount | mediaUrls | tags | language | sensitive | account | accountId | username | acct | displayName | accountUrl | note | followersCount | followingCount | statusesCount | lastStatusAt | bot | locked | avatar | header | fields | sourceUrl | monitorStatus | isNew | firstSeenAt | scrapedAt | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | photography | true | OK | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | \ | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | Sample hashtag post output: ```json { "mode": "hashtag", "hashtag": "photography", "postId": "117423507967870319", "postUrl": "https://pixelfed.social/p/keadamander/1014953352112089741", "content": "Between the Beats\n\n#photography #MusicPhotography #DrumPhotography", "createdAt": "2026-10-11T17:42:16.000Z", "authorUsername": "keadamander", "authorAcct": "keadamander@pixelfed.social", "authorDisplayName": "keadamander", "authorUrl": "https://pixelfed.social/keadamander", "repliesCount": 0, "reblogsCount": 2, "favouritesCount": 0, "mediaUrls": null, "tags": ["photography", "musicphotography"], "language": null, "sensitive": false, "sourceUrl": "https://pixelfed.social/p/keadamander/1014953352112089741", "scrapedAt": "2026-10-11T17:45:00.000Z" } ``` Sample account profile output: ```json { "mode": "account", "account": "Gargron@mastodon.social", "accountId": "1", "username": "Gargron", "acct": "Gargron", "displayName": "Eugen Rochko", "accountUrl": "https://mastodon.social/@Gargron", "note": "Executive Strategy & Product Advisor, Founder of @Mastodon.", "createdAt": "2016-03-16T00:00:00.000Z", "followersCount": 383095, "followingCount": 748, "statusesCount": 82458, "lastStatusAt": "2026-10-11", "bot": false, "locked": false, "sourceUrl": "https://mastodon.social/@Gargron", "scrapedAt": "2026-10-11T17:45:00.000Z" } ``` A not-found input returns a row with `"found": false` and is never charged. In monitoring mode, a run with no new posts returns a quiet status row with `monitorStatus: "NO_NEW_ITEMS"` and is also never charged. ### Pricing - **Item returned**: $1.00 per 1,000 items Plus a $0.003 start fee per run. Charged per post or account profile returned. Misses and quiet monitoring runs are never charged. ### Example runs Paste any of these into the Input tab and press Start. All three run keyless with no setup needed. **Hashtag posts timeline (default mode).** Fetches public posts for a hashtag. ```json { "mode": "hashtag", "hashtag": "photography", "maxItems": 20 } ``` **Account profile lookup.** Fetches public follower counts, bio, and metadata for a handle. ```json { "mode": "account", "accounts": [ "Gargron@mastodon.social" ] } ``` **Hashtag monitoring alert.** Schedule this on Apify to receive only posts published since your last run. ```json { "mode": "hashtag", "hashtag": "photography", "onlyNewSinceLastRun": true, "deltaName": "photography-watch" } ``` ### Related actors - [Mastodon Hashtag Monitor: New Public Posts Since Last Run](https://apify.com/accountable_eel/mastodon-hashtag-monitor): run a hashtag on a schedule and get only the posts since the last run. ### Use it from Clay, n8n, Make, or an AI agent This actor runs synchronously over plain HTTP — call it directly from a script, a workflow tool, or an AI agent, no Apify Console needed once you have an API token. ```bash curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~mastodon-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=" \ -X POST \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"hashtag":["photography"]}' ``` **n8n.** Add an HTTP Request node: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~mastodon-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=`, Body Content Type `JSON`, JSON Body `{"hashtag":["photography"]}` (swap in an expression from an earlier node for a real value). **Clay.** Add an "HTTP API" column: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~mastodon-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=`, Body `{"hashtag":["{{hashtag or account}}"]}`, mapping the row's hashtag or account into the `hashtag` array. **MCP.** In Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client with the Apify MCP server, ask for "mastodon scraper hashtags and accounts" — the agent will find and run this actor. # Actor input Schema ## `hashtag` (type: `array`): In hashtag mode: enter a hashtag (e.g. photography) with or without the #. In account mode: enter account handles (e.g. Gargron@mastodon.social or Gargron). Accepted formats: photography, nature, Gargron@mastodon.social, @Gargron, https://mastodon.social/@Gargron. You're only charged for the ones we actually find — a miss costs nothing. ## `mode` (type: `string`): Pick the option that matches what you need — you can leave this on the recommended setting. ## `testRun` (type: `boolean`): Turn this on to test your input on a small sample before running the full list. Turn it off to process everything. ## `onlyFound` (type: `boolean`): Only keep rows where something was actually found. Misses are always free, whether or not you show them here. ## `includeKeywords` (type: `array`): Optional. Only keep results that mention at least one of these words (e.g. a job title, a city, a product name). Leave empty to keep everything. ## `excludeKeywords` (type: `array`): Optional. Drop any result that mentions one of these words. Leave empty to skip nothing. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Optional. Stop the run once this many results have been found — useful for a quick, cheap sample. Leave blank for no limit. ## `instance` (type: `string`): The Mastodon server instance to query (e.g. mastodon.social, fosstodon.org, mastodon.world). Defaults to mastodon.social. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Caps how many posts or account results to return (and pay for) in one run. ## `onlyNewSinceLastRun` (type: `boolean`): On: only items not seen on your previous run are returned and charged for. Off: every matching item is returned. ## `deltaName` (type: `string`): Optional. Name this search's monitoring memory so two schedules stay apart. Leave empty to auto-derive from your query. ## `columns` (type: `array`): Choose which pieces of information to include in each result row. All are included by default. ## `expandRows` (type: `boolean`): When on, each post found gets its own row instead of being grouped under its hashtag or account. You're still only charged once per hashtag or account, no matter how many rows it produces. ## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`): Parallel requests. Keep conservative — this target has no browser fallback, so getting blocked costs more than slow-and-steady. ## Actor input object example ```json { "hashtag": [ "photography" ], "mode": "hashtag", "testRun": false, "onlyFound": false, "includeKeywords": [], "excludeKeywords": [], "instance": "mastodon.social", "maxItems": 20, "onlyNewSinceLastRun": false, "deltaName": "", "columns": [ "mode", "hashtag", "postId", "postUrl", "content", "createdAt", "authorUsername", "authorAcct", "authorDisplayName", "authorUrl", "repliesCount", "reblogsCount", "favouritesCount", "mediaUrls", "tags", "language", "sensitive", "account", "accountId", "username", "acct", "displayName", "accountUrl", "note", "followersCount", "followingCount", "statusesCount", "lastStatusAt", "bot", "locked", "avatar", "header", "fields", "sourceUrl", "monitorStatus", "isNew", "firstSeenAt" ], "expandRows": true, "maxConcurrency": 5 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "hashtag": [ "photography" ], "includeKeywords": [], "excludeKeywords": [] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("accountable_eel/mastodon-lookup").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "hashtag": ["photography"], "includeKeywords": [], "excludeKeywords": [], } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("accountable_eel/mastodon-lookup").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}") for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "hashtag": [ "photography" ], "includeKeywords": [], "excludeKeywords": [] }' | apify call accountable_eel/mastodon-lookup --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,accountable_eel/mastodon-lookup" } } } ``` The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer ` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations). ## OpenAPI specification Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/qmiAfqRPHAfxjYoE2/builds/CFlcjGw6fAKzva2yO/openapi.json