# YouTube Channel Profile Scraper (`crawlerbros/youtube-channel-profile-scraper`) Actor

Extract public YouTube channel/About metadata with optional combined playlist and Community Posts snapshots without requiring cookies or API credentials.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-channel-profile-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
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

## YouTube Channel Profile Scraper

Extract complete public channel profiles cookielessly: header and About metadata (name, handle, description, subscriber/video counts, total views, country, join date, avatar, verification, links) plus opt-in playlist and Community Posts snapshots. Every optional surface is truthful — unavailable routes are recorded in `combinedSurfaceStatus` instead of being fabricated.

### What this actor does

- **Full profile:** name, handle, description, subscriber/video/view counts, country, join date, avatar, banner, and verification
- **External links:** the channel's website and social links
- **Optional snapshots:** playlists and community posts per channel
- **Truthful surface status:** unavailable routes are recorded instead of fabricated
- **Empty fields are omitted** — records only contain values that are actually populated.

### Output

Each row is a `recordType: "channel_profile"` record with `channelId`, `channelName`, `handle`, `channelUrl`, `description`, `subscriberCount(Text)`, `videoCount(Text)`, `totalViews(Text)`, `country`, `joinedDateText`, `avatarUrl`, `isVerified`, `links[]`, and optional `playlists[]` / `communityPosts[]` / `combinedSurfaceStatus` objects.

### Input

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|-------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `channelUrls` | string\[] | Yes | - | Channel handles, URLs, or channel IDs |
| `includeLinks` | boolean | No | true | Include the channel's external links |
| `includePlaylists` | boolean | No | false | Include a playlist snapshot |
| `maxPlaylists` | integer | No | 20 | Max playlists when enabled |
| `includePosts` | boolean | No | false | Include a Community Posts snapshot |
| `maxPosts` | integer | No | 20 | Max posts when enabled |
| `includePostComments` | boolean | No | false | Include post comments |
| `maxPostComments` | integer | No | 20 | Max comments per post |
| `market` | string | No | `"US"` | Country code for localized content |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "channelUrls": ["@MrBeast"],
  "includeLinks": true,
  "includePlaylists": true,
  "maxPlaylists": 10,
  "includePosts": true,
  "maxPosts": 5
}
```

### Examples

#### Example: profile only

```json
{
  "channelUrls": ["@MrBeast"],
  "includeLinks": true
}
```

#### Example: profile with playlists and posts

```json
{
  "channelUrls": ["@MrBeast"],
  "includePlaylists": true,
  "maxPlaylists": 10,
  "includePosts": true,
  "maxPosts": 5,
  "includePostComments": true
}
```

#### Example: multiple channels

```json
{
  "channelUrls": ["@MrBeast", "@Fireship"],
  "market": "GB"
}
```

### Use cases

- **Creator discovery** — build a database of channels with contact and audience data
- **Market research** — compare subscriber and view counts across competitors
- **Outreach lists** — export channel links and descriptions for partnerships
- **Social monitoring** — track profile changes over time

### FAQ

**Which channel identifiers are supported?**

Handles (`@name`), full channel URLs, and raw `UC…` channel IDs.

**Why are some fields missing for a channel?**

The channel may not publish that surface (for example, a hidden subscriber count); the actor omits unverifiable values instead of guessing.

**What is `combinedSurfaceStatus`?**

A per-surface status that tells you which optional routes (playlists, posts, comments) were available for that channel.

**Do I need cookies?**

No. The actor reads public channel pages without authentication.

### YouTube Scraper Suite

This actor is part of a complete YouTube data extraction toolkit. Explore the full suite:

| Actor | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| [YouTube Ads Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-ads-scraper) | Google Ads Transparency ads by advertiser, keyword, and country |
| [YouTube Channel Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-channel-scraper) | Channel metadata, subscriber counts, and full video catalogs |
| [YouTube Channel Scraper Fast](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-channel-scraper-fast) | Streamlined channel scraper for high-volume and speed-sensitive workflows |
| [YouTube Comment Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-comment-scraper) | Comments, replies, likes, author info, and pinned/hearted status |
| [YouTube Community Posts Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-community-posts-scraper) | Community posts with images, polls, video attachments, and comments |
| [YouTube Email Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-email-scraper) | Creator contact emails from channel pages, Instagram, TikTok, and Linktree |
| [YouTube Hashtag Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-hashtag-scraper) | Videos and Shorts tagged with specific hashtags |
| [YouTube Live Chat Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-live-chat-scraper) | Live and replay chat messages with author and timing metadata |
| [YouTube Playlist Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-playlist-scraper) | Videos from playlists plus channel playlist discovery |
| [YouTube Search Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-search-scraper) | Search results including videos, channels, and playlists |
| [YouTube Search Suggestions Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-search-suggestions-scraper) | Autocomplete keyword suggestions with ready search URLs |
| [YouTube Shorts Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-shorts-scraper) | Shorts from channels or hashtags with full view and like metadata |
| [YouTube SponsorBlock Segments Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-sponsorblock-scraper) | SponsorBlock segments (sponsor, intro, outro, and more) for any video |
| [YouTube Transcript Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-transcript-scraper) | Timed transcripts and captions with optional Whisper AI fallback |
| [YouTube Trending Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-trending-scraper) | Ranked trending videos by category — Gaming, Music, News, Movies |
| [YouTube Video Details Scraper](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-video-details-scraper) | Comprehensive video metadata, chapters, endscreen, captions, and comments |
| [YouTube Video Downloader](https://apify.com/crawlerbros/youtube-video-downloader) | Download videos, playlists, and channels in any quality with metadata |

# Actor input Schema

## `channelUrls` (type: `array`):

Public YouTube channel URLs, handles, or channel IDs.

## `includeLinks` (type: `boolean`):

Include external links that YouTube exposes on the public About page.

## `includePlaylists` (type: `boolean`):

Add public playlist rows from the channel Playlists tab to the profile row. Use the dedicated playlist actor for larger catalogs.

## `maxPlaylists` (type: `integer`):

Maximum public playlist rows to nest in each combined profile row when includePlaylists is enabled.

## `includePosts` (type: `boolean`):

Add public Community Posts rows, including exposed media and polls, to the profile row. Use the dedicated posts actor for larger catalogs.

## `maxPosts` (type: `integer`):

Maximum public Community Posts rows to nest in each combined profile row when includePosts is enabled.

## `includePostComments` (type: `boolean`):

Include comments and exposed replies nested inside combined Community Posts rows when YouTube returns them publicly.

## `maxPostComments` (type: `integer`):

Maximum public comments and replies to retain inside each combined post when includePostComments is enabled.

## `market` (type: `string`):

Country code used for the public localized YouTube page.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "channelUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@RickAstleyYT",
    "https://www.youtube.com/@Apify"
  ],
  "includeLinks": true,
  "includePlaylists": false,
  "maxPlaylists": 10,
  "includePosts": false,
  "maxPosts": 10,
  "includePostComments": false,
  "maxPostComments": 10,
  "market": "US"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `profiles` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped channel profile rows with about data and optional surfaces.

# 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 = {
    "channelUrls": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/@RickAstleyYT",
        "https://www.youtube.com/@Apify"
    ],
    "includeLinks": true,
    "includePlaylists": false,
    "maxPlaylists": 10,
    "includePosts": false,
    "maxPosts": 10,
    "includePostComments": false,
    "maxPostComments": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/youtube-channel-profile-scraper").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 = {
    "channelUrls": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/@RickAstleyYT",
        "https://www.youtube.com/@Apify",
    ],
    "includeLinks": True,
    "includePlaylists": False,
    "maxPlaylists": 10,
    "includePosts": False,
    "maxPosts": 10,
    "includePostComments": False,
    "maxPostComments": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlerbros/youtube-channel-profile-scraper").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 '{
  "channelUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@RickAstleyYT",
    "https://www.youtube.com/@Apify"
  ],
  "includeLinks": true,
  "includePlaylists": false,
  "maxPlaylists": 10,
  "includePosts": false,
  "maxPosts": 10,
  "includePostComments": false,
  "maxPostComments": 10
}' |
apify call crawlerbros/youtube-channel-profile-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,crawlerbros/youtube-channel-profile-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

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/JYrdthwJdZs7p3J4i/builds/99dXf8v3RvzxY1txv/openapi.json