# GitHub Username Checker — User or Organization (`clovys/github-username-checker`) Actor

Bulk-check if GitHub usernames or organization names are available. Official API. Default mode: user. Pay only for successful checks.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/clovys/github-username-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Clovys](https://apify.com/clovys) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.00 / 1,000 results

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

### What does GitHub Username Checker do?

**GitHub Username Checker** tells you whether a GitHub **user** or **organization** login is **available** or **already taken**. Paste a list of logins (or profile URLs), pick one `entityType` per run (default **user**), and download clean JSON / CSV / Excel from the dataset.

Built for **bulk handle research** (up to **100,000** logins per run). Large lists are **auto-split** into ~3,000-item child runs on Apify, with **auto-heal** on API rate limits. Uses the **official GitHub REST API** - **256 MB**, no browser.

This Actor is **not affiliated with GitHub**. Optional personal access tokens raise rate limits; without a token, unauthenticated limits apply.

### Key features

- **Bulk checks** - up to 100,000 logins per run (invalid / duplicate inputs filtered before work starts)
- **One mode per run** - `user` or `organization` (never both in one paid call)
- **Auto-sharding** - runs above ~3,000 split into child runs; one parent dataset
- **Auto-heal** - on `429` / rate limits: backoff and lower concurrency
- **Official API** - `404` = available, `200` = taken (with display name when present)
- **Optional token** - raise GitHub API rate limits for large batches
- **Success-only billing** - only conclusive checks charge PPE `result`
- **Export anywhere** - JSON, CSV, Excel, HTML from the Apify dataset

### Why Clovys

Clovys is a nonprofit organization driven by a single mission: to make the internet safer, faster, more reliable, and universally accessible.

We believe that data should not be locked behind exorbitant paywalls or complex technical barriers. By building lightweight, highly optimized Apify Actors, we help developers, researchers, and organizations access the information they need to innovate without friction.

As a nonprofit initiative, **we do not optimize for margins**. Our pricing is kept as low as possible and is strictly calculated to cover the raw infrastructure costs of data extraction - such as Apify compute units and proxy bandwidth.

For GitHub specifically, Clovys uses the **public REST API** so results stay accurate and cheap - add a token for serious volume.

### Use cases

- **Brand / product naming** - reserve matching GitHub users or orgs
- **Open-source launch** - check org names before creating a community
- **Agency workflows** - bulk-screen client handle ideas
- **Multi-platform suites** - pair with other Clovys username checkers

### How to use

1. Open **GitHub Username Checker** in Apify Console
2. Paste logins in **Usernames**
3. Leave **entityType** as `user`, or switch to `organization` for a separate run
4. Optionally add a **GitHub token** for higher rate limits
5. Click **Start** and download the **Dataset**

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `usernames` | `string[]` | - | Logins or profile URLs (required, up to 100,000) |
| `entityType` | `string` | `user` | `user` or `organization` - single value only |
| `maxConcurrency` | `integer` | `5` | Parallel checks (1-20) |
| `maxRetries` | `integer` | `2` | Retries on network / rate-limit responses |
| `requestDelayMs` | `integer` | `100` | Pause after each check (`0` = off) |
| `githubToken` | `string` | - | Optional PAT to raise API rate limits (secret) |

### Output example

You can download the dataset in JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel.

```json
{
 "platform": "github",
 "entityType": "user",
 "username": "torvalds",
 "available": false,
 "displayName": "Linus Torvalds",
 "profileUrl": "https://github.com/torvalds",
 "method": "github_api",
 "checkedAt": "2026-09-26T01:00:00.000Z",
 "error": null
}
```

Taken **and** available rows are successful results. Rate-limited / failed rows keep `available: null` and `error` set - **they are not billed**.

### Data fields

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `platform` | Always `github` |
| `entityType` | `user` or `organization` |
| `username` | Normalized login |
| `available` | `true` = free, `false` = taken, `null` = inconclusive |
| `displayName` | Name when taken |
| `profileUrl` | Canonical GitHub URL |
| `method` | Always `github_api` |
| `checkedAt` | ISO timestamp |
| `error` | Error message if the check failed |

### Pricing

Pay-per-event pricing (platform usage is billed separately by Apify):

| Event | When charged | Price |
|---|---|---|
| **result** | Each conclusive check (`available` true **or** false) | **$0.004** (**$4 / 1,000**) |
| **Actor Start** | Once when the run starts (scaled by memory GB) | **$0.001** |

Example: **1,000 conclusive checks** ~ **$4.00** in PPE `result` (+ Actor Start + Apify platform usage).

Only conclusive results are charged as `result`. Failed / rate-limited rows are free on the PPE event. Checking both `user` and `organization` means **two runs** (billed separately).

### Recommended settings

| Goal | Settings |
|---|---|
| Production / Store | **256 MB**, concurrency **5**, delay **100 ms** |
| Large batches | Add `githubToken`, concurrency **8-15** |
| Huge lists | up to **100,000** logins - auto-shard handles the rest |

### FAQ

**How many usernames per run?** Up to **100,000**. Lists above ~3,000 are auto-split into child runs; invalid / duplicate inputs are dropped **before** sharding.

**Is "taken" billed?** Yes. Both `available: false` (taken) and `available: true` (free) are conclusive `result` events. Only `error` / inconclusive rows are free.

**Can I check users and orgs in one run?** No. `entityType` is a **single** value. Run once for `user`, once for `organization` (separate billing).

**Do I need a GitHub token?** Not for small lists. For hundreds/thousands of checks, a PAT avoids long rate-limit waits and wasted compute.

**Do I need proxies?** No. The Actor talks to `api.github.com`.

**Is this official GitHub data?** The Actor uses GitHub-s public REST API but is **not** an official GitHub product.

### Support

Questions, bugs, or feature requests: use the Actor **Issues** tab on Apify, or contact Clovys through the Store profile.

# Actor input Schema

## `usernames` (type: `array`):

GitHub logins to check (with or without URL). Up to 100 000 per run (auto-split into ~3k chunks on Apify).

## `entityType` (type: `string`):

What to check. Default user. Run organization separately (billed as another run).

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Parallel checks.

## `maxRetries` (type: `integer`):

Retries on network / ambiguous responses.

## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`):

Pause after each check (ms). 0 = off.

## `githubToken` (type: `string`):

Personal access token to raise API rate limits. Stored as secret when set in Console.

## `_shard` (type: `boolean`):

Internal self-shard marker. Do not set manually.

## `_parentDatasetId` (type: `string`):

Internal parent dataset id for self-shard children. Do not set manually.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "octocat"
  ],
  "entityType": "user",
  "maxConcurrency": 5,
  "maxRetries": 2,
  "requestDelayMs": 100,
  "_shard": false
}
```

# 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 = {
    "usernames": [
        "octocat"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("clovys/github-username-checker").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 = { "usernames": ["octocat"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("clovys/github-username-checker").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 '{
  "usernames": [
    "octocat"
  ]
}' |
apify call clovys/github-username-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,clovys/github-username-checker"
        }
    }
}
```

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/lBcmNNpWoVuZVkkHZ/builds/XZHKO1Dwf4AxMEhBs/openapi.json