# Scrape Bluesky Posts: Search, Author Feed and Threads (`danielainsworth/bluesky-posts`) Actor Extract posts from Bluesky by keyword search, author feed, or full thread. Engagement metrics, images, embeds. Uses official AT Protocol API. - **URL**: https://apify.com/danielainsworth/bluesky-posts.md - **Developed by:** [Daniel Ainsworth](https://apify.com/danielainsworth) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Developer tools, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $0.003 / record scraped 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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Scrape Bluesky Posts โ€” Search, Author Feed & Threads Extract posts from Bluesky Social with full engagement metrics, images, and author data. Three scraping modes in one actor: keyword search, author feed, and full thread extraction. Built on the official AT Protocol API โ€” no browser automation, no unofficial tricks, no fragile DOM scraping. Works without authentication for author feeds and threads. Keyword search requires a free Bluesky [App Password](https://bsky.app/settings/app-passwords). --- ### What data you get Each post returns a clean JSON record: ```json { "uri": "at://did:plc:abc123/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhxxxxxxxxx", "cid": "bafyreiabc123", "url": "https://bsky.app/profile/user.bsky.social/post/3lhxxxxxxxxx", "text": "Interesting thread on B2B SaaS pricing โ€” companies that charge per seat are leaving money on the table ๐Ÿงต", "language": "en", "authorDid": "did:plc:abc123", "authorHandle": "user.bsky.social", "authorDisplayName": "User Name", "authorAvatar": "https://cdn.bsky.app/img/avatar/...", "createdAt": "2025-11-15T10:30:00.000Z", "indexedAt": "2025-11-15T10:30:12.000Z", "likeCount": 142, "repostCount": 28, "replyCount": 19, "quoteCount": 6, "images": [ { "thumb": "https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/...", "fullsize": "https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/...", "alt": "Chart showing revenue vs seat count" } ], "externalEmbed": { "uri": "https://example.com/article", "title": "The Hidden Cost of Per-Seat Pricing", "description": "Why usage-based pricing outperforms seat pricing in B2B SaaS", "thumb": "https://..." }, "quotedPostUri": null, "labels": [], "isReply": false, "replyToUri": null, "rootPostUri": null, "scrapedAt": "2026-01-15T14:22:00.000Z" } ```` *** ### Scraping modes #### 1. Search posts (`searchPosts`) Search Bluesky for any keyword, hashtag, or phrase. Returns posts in order of newest first or most-engaged first. Requires a free [Bluesky App Password](https://bsky.app/settings/app-passwords) โ€” Bluesky's search API requires authentication. Your main password is never used. **Input:** ```json { "mode": "searchPosts", "searchQuery": "#buildinpublic", "sort": "top", "since": "2025-01-01", "until": "2025-12-31", "lang": "en", "maxResults": 500, "blueskyHandle": "yourname.bsky.social", "blueskyAppPassword": "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" } ``` **Supported query syntax:** - Keywords: `SaaS pricing` - Hashtags: `#buildinpublic` - From a specific account: `from:user.bsky.social topic` - Phrase: `"exact phrase here"` #### 2. Author feed (`authorFeed`) Get all posts from one or more Bluesky accounts. Useful for monitoring competitors, tracking thought leaders, or auditing your own content. No authentication required. **Input:** ```json { "mode": "authorFeed", "handles": ["paulgraham.bsky.social", "marc.bsky.social"], "maxResults": 200, "includeReplies": false } ``` Set `includeReplies: true` to also include reply posts from the author (off by default to return only original posts). #### 3. Full thread (`thread`) Fetch a complete thread โ€” root post plus all replies โ€” from a post URL. Useful for extracting conversations, support threads, or discussion chains. No authentication required. **Input:** ```json { "mode": "thread", "threadUri": "https://bsky.app/profile/user.bsky.social/post/3lhxxxxxxxxx" } ``` Accepts either a `bsky.app` URL or an `at://` URI directly. *** ### Input parameters | Parameter | Type | Required | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `mode` | `string` | โœ… | `searchPosts`, `authorFeed`, or `thread` | | `searchQuery` | `string` | searchPosts | Keyword, hashtag, or phrase to search | | `handles` | `string[]` | authorFeed | Bluesky handles (e.g. `["user.bsky.social"]`) | | `threadUri` | `string` | thread | Post URL or `at://` URI | | `maxResults` | `number` | โ€” | Max posts to return (default: 100, max: 10,000) | | `sort` | `string` | โ€” | `latest` or `top` (searchPosts only, default: `latest`) | | `since` | `string` | โ€” | Start date, ISO format (searchPosts only) | | `until` | `string` | โ€” | End date, ISO format (searchPosts only) | | `lang` | `string` | โ€” | Language filter, e.g. `en` (searchPosts only) | | `includeReplies` | `boolean` | โ€” | Include reply posts (authorFeed only, default: `false`) | | `blueskyHandle` | `string` | searchPosts | Your Bluesky handle for auth | | `blueskyAppPassword` | `string` | searchPosts | App Password (not your main password) | *** ### Output fields | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | `uri` | `string` | AT Protocol URI of the post | | `cid` | `string` | Content identifier (cryptographic hash) | | `url` | `string` | Direct link to the post on bsky.app | | `text` | `string` | Full post text content | | `language` | `string\|null` | Language code of the post (`en`, `de`, etc.) | | `authorHandle` | `string` | Bluesky handle of the author | | `authorDisplayName` | `string\|null` | Author's display name | | `authorAvatar` | `string\|null` | URL to the author's profile picture | | `createdAt` | `string` | When the post was created (ISO 8601) | | `likeCount` | `number` | Number of likes | | `repostCount` | `number` | Number of reposts | | `replyCount` | `number` | Number of replies | | `quoteCount` | `number` | Number of quote posts | | `images` | `array` | Attached images with `thumb`, `fullsize`, `alt` URLs | | `externalEmbed` | `object\|null` | Linked article preview (`uri`, `title`, `description`, `thumb`) | | `quotedPostUri` | `string\|null` | AT URI of any quoted post | | `labels` | `string[]` | Content labels applied by moderators | | `isReply` | `boolean` | Whether this post is a reply | | `replyToUri` | `string\|null` | AT URI of the parent post (if reply) | | `rootPostUri` | `string\|null` | AT URI of the thread root (if reply) | | `scrapedAt` | `string` | Timestamp when this record was scraped | *** ### Use cases #### Brand monitoring and social listening Search for your brand name, product, or competitors across Bluesky. Track sentiment shifts over time by running the actor on a schedule and comparing engagement metrics. Bluesky's growing B2B/tech audience makes it increasingly valuable for enterprise brand monitoring alongside Twitter/X. #### Competitive intelligence Pull the last 6 months of posts from competitor accounts using `authorFeed` mode. Analyse what content generates the most engagement (likes + reposts + quotes) to identify their messaging strategy and topic focus. #### Influencer research and outreach Before reaching out to a Bluesky account for a partnership, run `authorFeed` on their handle to audit posting frequency, average engagement, and content themes. Export to CSV for your sales or marketing team. #### Lead generation and intent signals Search for posts where users describe a problem you solve โ€” `#buildinpublic struggling with`, `"looking for a tool that"`, `"anyone recommend"` + your category. These are high-intent signals from people actively seeking solutions. #### Academic research and trend analysis Track public discourse on any topic with date-range filtering. Extract posts from a specific period, export as JSON or CSV, and analyse in Python or Excel. The AT Protocol's open design means data availability is not subject to arbitrary API access changes. *** ### Pricing This actor uses **Pay Per Event (PPE)** pricing โ€” you only pay for what you scrape: | Event | Price | |---|---| | Actor startup | **$0.25** per run | | Post scraped | **$0.003** per post ($3.00 per 1,000) | **Example costs:** - 100 posts: $0.25 + $0.30 = **$0.55** - 1,000 posts: $0.25 + $3.00 = **$3.25** - 10,000 posts: $0.25 + $30.00 = **$30.25** No monthly subscription. No minimum usage. Only pay when you run the actor. *** ### Authentication setup For `searchPosts` mode, you need a **Bluesky App Password** (not your main account password): 1. Log in to [bsky.app](https://bsky.app) 2. Go to **Settings โ†’ App Passwords** 3. Click **Add App Password**, give it a name (e.g. "Apify Scraper") 4. Copy the generated password and paste it into the `blueskyAppPassword` field App Passwords are revocable and can't access your DMs or account settings. Safe to use in Apify actors. *** ### Technical notes - Built on the [AT Protocol public API](https://docs.bsky.app) โ€” no unofficial scraping - `public.api.bsky.app` endpoints have generous rate limits; the actor adds a 300ms delay between paginated requests to stay well within them - Failed requests are automatically retried up to 3 times with exponential backoff - Rate limit responses (HTTP 429) are handled with automatic back-off using the `retry-after` header - Thread mode recursively flattens the full reply tree to a depth of 6 levels ### Limitations - `searchPosts` date range filtering depends on Bluesky's search index โ€” very old posts (6+ months) may not be returned for all queries - Thread depth is limited to 6 levels of replies; deeply nested threads are truncated at that depth - Bluesky does not expose follower counts in post views โ€” if you need author follower counts, run `authorFeed` mode and cross-reference with the Bluesky user profile API separately # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): Choose what to scrape: search posts by keyword/hashtag, get all posts from specific author handles, or fetch a full thread from a post URL. ## `searchQuery` (type: `string`): Keyword or hashtag to search. Examples: 'SaaS pricing', '#buildinpublic', 'from:user.bsky.social topic'. Required for searchPosts mode. ## `handles` (type: `array`): Bluesky handles to fetch posts from. Include the .bsky.social suffix or custom domain. Required for authorFeed mode. ## `threadUri` (type: `string`): URL of the root post whose thread you want to fetch (e.g. https://bsky.app/profile/user.bsky.social/post/abc123). Required for thread mode. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of posts to return. Applies per handle in authorFeed mode. ## `sort` (type: `string`): Sort order for search results. 'latest' returns newest first; 'top' returns most-engaged first. Only applies to searchPosts mode. ## `since` (type: `string`): Only return posts from this date onwards. ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ. Only applies to searchPosts mode. ## `until` (type: `string`): Only return posts up to this date. ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ. Only applies to searchPosts mode. ## `lang` (type: `string`): Filter posts by language code (e.g. 'en', 'de', 'ja', 'fr'). Leave empty for all languages. Only applies to searchPosts mode. ## `includeReplies` (type: `boolean`): Whether to include reply posts in the author's feed. Default is false (only original posts and reposts). Only applies to authorFeed mode. ## `blueskyHandle` (type: `string`): Your Bluesky handle (e.g. yourname.bsky.social). Required for searchPosts mode โ€” Bluesky's search API requires authentication. Create a free App Password at bsky.app/settings/app-passwords. ## `blueskyAppPassword` (type: `string`): App Password from your Bluesky account settings (NOT your main account password). Go to bsky.app โ†’ Settings โ†’ App Passwords โ†’ Add App Password. Required for searchPosts mode. ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "searchPosts", "searchQuery": "#buildinpublic", "handles": [ "paulgraham.bsky.social", "Naval.bsky.social" ], "threadUri": "https://bsky.app/profile/user.bsky.social/post/3lhxxxxxxxxx", "maxResults": 100, "sort": "latest", "since": "2024-01-01", "until": "2024-12-31", "lang": "en", "includeReplies": false, "blueskyHandle": "yourname.bsky.social", "blueskyAppPassword": "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" } ``` # 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 = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("danielainsworth/bluesky-posts").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`๐Ÿ’พ 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); }); // ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? Go to โ†’ 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 = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("danielainsworth/bluesky-posts").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("๐Ÿ’พ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # ๐Ÿ“š Want to learn more ๐Ÿ“–? Go to โ†’ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call danielainsworth/bluesky-posts --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=danielainsworth/bluesky-posts", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Scrape Bluesky Posts: Search, Author Feed and Threads", "description": "Extract posts from Bluesky by keyword search, author feed, or full thread. Engagement metrics, images, embeds. Uses official AT Protocol API.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "ilIUdBbYPr3TZjjAa" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/danielainsworth~bluesky-posts/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-danielainsworth-bluesky-posts", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/danielainsworth~bluesky-posts/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-danielainsworth-bluesky-posts", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/danielainsworth~bluesky-posts/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-danielainsworth-bluesky-posts", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "mode" ], "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Scraping mode", "enum": [ "searchPosts", "authorFeed", "thread" ], "type": "string", "description": "Choose what to scrape: search posts by keyword/hashtag, get all posts from specific author handles, or fetch a full thread from a post URL.", "default": "searchPosts" }, "searchQuery": { "title": "Search query", "type": "string", "description": "Keyword or hashtag to search. Examples: 'SaaS pricing', '#buildinpublic', 'from:user.bsky.social topic'. Required for searchPosts mode." }, "handles": { "title": "Author handles", "type": "array", "description": "Bluesky handles to fetch posts from. Include the .bsky.social suffix or custom domain. Required for authorFeed mode.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "threadUri": { "title": "Thread post URL or URI", "type": "string", "description": "URL of the root post whose thread you want to fetch (e.g. https://bsky.app/profile/user.bsky.social/post/abc123). Required for thread mode." }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max results", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of posts to return. Applies per handle in authorFeed mode.", "default": 100 }, "sort": { "title": "Sort order", "enum": [ "latest", "top" ], "type": "string", "description": "Sort order for search results. 'latest' returns newest first; 'top' returns most-engaged first. Only applies to searchPosts mode.", "default": "latest" }, "since": { "title": "From date", "type": "string", "description": "Only return posts from this date onwards. ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ. Only applies to searchPosts mode." }, "until": { "title": "To date", "type": "string", "description": "Only return posts up to this date. ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ. Only applies to searchPosts mode." }, "lang": { "title": "Language filter", "type": "string", "description": "Filter posts by language code (e.g. 'en', 'de', 'ja', 'fr'). Leave empty for all languages. Only applies to searchPosts mode." }, "includeReplies": { "title": "Include replies", "type": "boolean", "description": "Whether to include reply posts in the author's feed. Default is false (only original posts and reposts). Only applies to authorFeed mode.", "default": false }, "blueskyHandle": { "title": "Bluesky handle (for authentication)", "type": "string", "description": "Your Bluesky handle (e.g. yourname.bsky.social). Required for searchPosts mode โ€” Bluesky's search API requires authentication. Create a free App Password at bsky.app/settings/app-passwords." }, "blueskyAppPassword": { "title": "Bluesky App Password (for authentication)", "type": "string", "description": "App Password from your Bluesky account settings (NOT your main account password). Go to bsky.app โ†’ Settings โ†’ App Passwords โ†’ Add App Password. Required for searchPosts mode." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```