# WordPress Plugin Directory Scraper (`brightpath-data/wordpress-plugin-directory`) Actor

WordPress agencies and plugin researchers get structured plugin data, version, ratings, active installs and compatibility, from the official directory.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/brightpath-data/wordpress-plugin-directory.md
- **Developed by:** [Nick Randall](https://apify.com/brightpath-data) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, SEO tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 plugin records

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

## WordPress Plugin Directory Scraper

WordPress agencies and plugin researchers get structured plugin data, version, ratings, active installs and compatibility, from the official directory, instead of scraping wordpress.org pages by hand. Search by keyword or browse curated listings (popular, new, updated, featured) and get the same fields every time.

Get structured plugin metadata, ratings and install stats from WordPress.org as JSON, CSV or Excel, or call it as a tool from Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT or any MCP client. Built on the official API that powers the WordPress.org plugin directory and the "Add Plugins" screen inside WordPress itself, so it does not break when the website changes. Pay only for the plugins you receive.

### What you get

One record per plugin with the fields people actually use: name, slug and link, version, plain-text author name, required and tested-up-to WordPress versions, required PHP version, rating (0 to 100) and number of ratings, the 1 to 5 star rating breakdown, support thread counts and how many are resolved, active installs, total downloads, last updated and added dates, homepage, a plain-text short description, the download link, tags, donate link and icons. Optionally include the full plain-text description.

Every result is a flat record with stable field names, so it drops straight into a spreadsheet, a database or an AI agent's context.

### Why use this instead of the website

- Search by keyword or browse popular, new, recently updated or featured plugins, filtered by tag or author
- Pagination handled for you, with automatic retries and polite rate limiting
- HTML stripped from author names and descriptions so fields are clean plain text
- Results in JSON, CSV, Excel or via API, or piped into Zapier, Make, n8n and Google Sheets
- Works as an MCP tool, so AI agents can look up plugin data on demand
- No browser, no proxies, no personal data: fast runs and a tiny cost per result

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Meaning |
|-------|------|---------|---------|
| `mode` | string | `search` | `search` for a keyword search, `browse` for a curated listing |
| `search` | string | | Keyword to search plugin names, descriptions and tags for (mode `search`) |
| `browse` | string | `popular` | `popular`, `new`, `updated` or `featured` (mode `browse`) |
| `tag` | string | | Only plugins with this tag slug, e.g. "e-commerce" |
| `author` | string | | Only plugins by this WordPress.org author username |
| `includeDescription` | boolean | false | Include the full plain-text description (larger records) |
| `maxResults` | integer | 100 | Cap on plugins saved. You are charged per plugin, so this caps your cost. |

Example input:

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "search": "seo",
  "maxResults": 30
}
```

### Output

Sample rows from a live run:

| name | version | rating | active installs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominat… | 1.0.278 | 96 | 4000000 |
| Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with rea… | 28.5 | 96 | 10000000 |
| All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost… | 5.0.1.1 | 94 | 2000000 |

Full example result:

```json
{
  "name": "Yoast SEO",
  "slug": "wordpress-seo",
  "url": "https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/",
  "version": "23.0",
  "author": "Team Yoast",
  "requires": "6.3",
  "tested": "6.6.2",
  "requiresPhp": "7.2.5",
  "rating": 84,
  "numRatings": 3200,
  "ratings": { "1": 100, "2": 20, "3": 40, "4": 200, "5": 2840 },
  "supportThreads": 50,
  "supportThreadsResolved": 40,
  "activeInstalls": 5000000,
  "downloaded": 400000000,
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-01 3:00pm GMT",
  "added": "2008-08-25",
  "homepage": "https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/",
  "shortDescription": "Improve your WordPress SEO: write better content with the Yoast SEO plugin.",
  "downloadLink": "https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/wordpress-seo.23.0.zip",
  "tags": ["SEO", "sitemap"],
  "donateLink": "https://yoast.com/donate/",
  "icons": { "1x": "https://ps.w.org/wordpress-seo/assets/icon.svg" }
}
```

Field reference: `name`, `slug`, `url`, `version`, `author`, `requires`, `tested`, `requiresPhp`, `rating`, `numRatings`, `ratings` (object keyed 1 to 5), `supportThreads`, `supportThreadsResolved`, `activeInstalls`, `downloaded`, `lastUpdated`, `added`, `homepage`, `shortDescription`, `downloadLink`, `tags[]`, `donateLink`, `icons`, and `description` (plain text, only when `includeDescription` is true).

### Pricing

Pay per event. You are charged **$1.00 per 1,000 plugins** saved to the dataset, plus a fraction of a cent per run start. Nothing is charged for results you do not receive. Set "Max total charge per run" in the run options to cap spending on any run. When a run reaches your cap it stops cleanly and keeps everything it already saved.

Rough guide: 1,000 plugins cost $1.00 and take about 6 seconds.

### Use it from an AI agent (MCP)

This Actor is available as an MCP tool through the Apify MCP server. Add it to your client, then ask the agent for the data in plain language.

Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor (`mcp.json` / `claude_desktop_config.json`):

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?actors=brightpath-data/wordpress-plugin-directory",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}
```

ChatGPT and other clients that support remote MCP servers: add `https://mcp.apify.com/?actors=brightpath-data/wordpress-plugin-directory` as a connector with your Apify token.

Example prompt once connected: "Find the 20 most popular WordPress SEO plugins and list their active installs and rating."

### Use it from code

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/brightpath-data~wordpress-plugin-directory/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"search","search":"seo","maxResults":30}'
```

Python:

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("brightpath-data/wordpress-plugin-directory").call(run_input={"mode": "search", "search": "seo", "maxResults": 30})
items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items
```

### Limits and fair use

- Up to 10,000 plugins per run. For larger exports, split by tag, author or search term.
- Requests are paced at one every 300 milliseconds to stay well within the API's informal limits.
- The plugin directory does not expose personal reviewer data through this endpoint; only the plugin author's public display name is included, with markup stripped.
- `includeDescription` adds the long description to every record, which increases dataset size; leave it off for a leaner export.

### Data source and legal

Data comes from the official WordPress.org Plugin API (`api.wordpress.org/plugins/info/1.2/`), the same public, unauthenticated API that WordPress itself uses for its "Add Plugins" screen. Plugin listings are public and non-personal. This Actor collects public, non-personal data only and does not bypass logins, paywalls or access controls. You are responsible for how you use the data.

### Support

Found a problem or need a field added? Open an issue on the Actor's Issues tab. Fixes for broken runs are prioritized.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Search by keyword, or browse a curated listing (popular, new, updated, featured).

## `search` (type: `string`):

Keyword to search plugin names, descriptions and tags for. Used when Mode is "search".

## `browse` (type: `string`):

Which curated listing to browse. Used when Mode is "browse".

## `tag` (type: `string`):

Only include plugins with this tag slug, e.g. "e-commerce".

## `author` (type: `string`):

Only include plugins by this WordPress.org author username.

## `includeDescription` (type: `boolean`):

Include the plugin's long description (HTML stripped to plain text). Off by default for smaller, faster runs.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of plugins to save. You are charged per plugin saved, so this also caps the cost of a run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "search": "seo",
  "browse": "popular",
  "includeDescription": false,
  "maxResults": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

The dataset with one flat record per result. Append ?format=csv or ?format=xlsx to the URL for other formats.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

OUTPUT record in the key-value store: counts of results pushed and charged, requests, retries and duration.

# 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 = {
    "search": "seo"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("brightpath-data/wordpress-plugin-directory").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 = { "search": "seo" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("brightpath-data/wordpress-plugin-directory").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 '{
  "search": "seo"
}' |
apify call brightpath-data/wordpress-plugin-directory --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,brightpath-data/wordpress-plugin-directory"
        }
    }
}
```

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/skSxmdPIRbezIdPhF/builds/6uu3rjzvf0b01kjGG/openapi.json