# Website Change Checker — Text Diff of Any Page · $0.005/check (`ambolt/page-change-detector`) Actor

Check web pages for content changes. The first run stores a snapshot, later runs report which lines were added or removed and how similar the page is to the last check. Ignore patterns remove dates and counters. Schedule it to track prices and policies. Failed pages are not charged.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/ambolt/page-change-detector.md
- **Developed by:** [Ambolt](https://apify.com/ambolt) (community)
- **Categories:** AI, Agents, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$5.00 / 1,000 checks

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## Website Change Checker — Text Diff of Any Page · $0.005/check

Check web pages for content changes. The first run stores a snapshot, later runs report which lines were added or removed and how similar the page is to the last check. Ignore patterns remove dates and counters. Schedule it to track prices and policies. Failed pages are not charged.

Check public web pages for content changes between runs. The first run stores a snapshot; every later run reports whether the page text changed, what lines were added and removed, and how similar the page is to the last check. Ignore patterns remove timestamps and counters; a minimum change size avoids noise. Works on server-rendered HTML (no JavaScript). Failed pages are not charged.

### What you get

Structured JSON for each run, ready for spreadsheets, alerts and AI agents.

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `urls` | array |  | Public http(s) pages to check (up to 50). Run the Actor on a schedule to monitor them. |
| `ignorePatterns` | array |  | Regular expressions; matching text is removed before comparing, for example dates, view counters or "\d+ comments". |
| `minChangedLines` | integer | 1 | Report a change only when at least this many lines were added or removed. |
| `maxLinesInReport` | integer | 20 | Maximum added and removed lines listed per page. |

### Example input

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.sitemaps.org/"
  ]
}
```

### Pricing

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| check (each successful result) | $0.005 |

**Failed runs are not charged.** Free trial credits from Apify cover your first runs.

### FAQ

**Is a result guaranteed to be complete?** Each result carries the date it was read. If the upstream service is down the run fails with a clear message and no per-result charge is made.

**Can I call it from code or an AI agent?** Yes: run it through the Apify API, schedule it, or use it from MCP clients that support Apify Actors.

**Is this affiliated with the data source?** No. Source names are used descriptively; each result keeps its source attribution and licence line.

**Where do I report a problem?** Open an issue on this Actor's page; replies are written by the Ambolt service team, usually within a day.

### Review

If this Actor saved you time, a short review on its Store page helps others find it and tells us what to improve.

### Keywords

website change detection, page monitor, content change, text diff, web page watcher, changelog monitor

### Notes

Data comes from the source named in each result and keeps its licence and attribution. Informational only, not financial, legal or tax advice. Open an issue on the Actor page for questions; replies come under the product name.

# Actor input Schema

## `urls` (type: `array`):

Public http(s) pages to check (up to 50). Run the Actor on a schedule to monitor them.

## `ignorePatterns` (type: `array`):

Regular expressions; matching text is removed before comparing, for example dates, view counters or "\d+ comments".

## `minChangedLines` (type: `integer`):

Report a change only when at least this many lines were added or removed.

## `maxLinesInReport` (type: `integer`):

Maximum added and removed lines listed per page.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.sitemaps.org/"
  ],
  "minChangedLines": 1,
  "maxLinesInReport": 20
}
```

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "urls": [
        "https://www.sitemaps.org/"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("ambolt/page-change-detector").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "urls": ["https://www.sitemaps.org/"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("ambolt/page-change-detector").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 '{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.sitemaps.org/"
  ]
}' |
apify call ambolt/page-change-detector --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,ambolt/page-change-detector"
        }
    }
}
```

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 <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` 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/aacgJgQdl1EWKfnhP/builds/cd47eFgFSawA6wyy5/openapi.json