# Leads Finder: Public Business Contacts (`fetch_cat/leads-finder`) Actor

Find public businesses by city and business type, or supply website URLs. Export published emails, phones, social links, and source pages as CSV or JSON.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch\_cat/leads-finder.md
- **Developed by:** [Hanna Nosova](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.12 / 1,000 item processeds

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

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

## Leads Finder: Public Business Contacts

Find public business contacts by city and business type, or supply a list of company website URLs. Export published business emails, phones, social links, and source pages to JSON, CSV, or Excel.

This Actor finds companies, not people. It does not use Apollo, ZoomInfo, Lusha, private contact databases, login credentials, or guessed email addresses.

### Ready-to-run examples

Open a saved example to inspect its inputs, then adjust the limits and filters for your own run. Examples are starting points; source availability can change.

- [Export Chicago Dentist B2B Leads](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/leads-finder/examples/chicago-dentist-b2b-leads)

[View all ready-to-run examples](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/leads-finder/examples)

### Quick start

```json
{
  "sector": "dentist",
  "country": "United States",
  "cities": [
    "Chicago"
  ],
  "maxLeads": 5,
  "maxPagesPerSite": 2,
  "requireEmail": true,
  "verifyMx": true
}
```

Discovery processes the supplied cities. Start with one city and split larger searches into separate runs. Supplying `startUrls` uses those websites instead of city discovery.

### Example output

Illustrative business record; the example company and contact details are not a verified lead.

```json
{
  "companyName": "Example Dental",
  "domain": "example.com",
  "website": "https://example.com/",
  "country": "United States",
  "sector": "dentist",
  "address": "123 Main St, Chicago, IL",
  "discoveryUrl": "https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/123",
  "companyEmails": [{"email": "hello@example.com", "sourceUrl": "https://example.com/contact"}],
  "primaryEmail": "hello@example.com",
  "emailMxStatus": "mx_present",
  "phones": ["+1 555 0100"],
  "socials": {"linkedin": null, "facebook": null, "instagram": null, "twitter": null},
  "pagesScraped": ["https://example.com/", "https://example.com/contact"],
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-30T00:00:00.000Z"
}
```

### Input settings

| Setting | JSON key | Type / default | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business type | `sector` | string / not set | Business-type pattern matched against public OpenStreetMap amenity, office, shop, or craft tag values, for example dentist. This is not a universal industry directory. |
| Country | `country` | string / not set | Country used to bound OpenStreetMap city discovery. |
| Cities | `cities` | array / not set | Cities to process for public business discovery. Start with one city; split larger searches into separate runs for clearer coverage. |
| Public business website URLs | `startUrls` | array / not set | Optional direct public-site seeds. These use the independent public-site route instead of OpenStreetMap discovery. |
| Maximum businesses | `maxLeads` | integer / `5` | Hard cap on unique business rows. Minimum 1; maximum 100. |
| Maximum public pages per site | `maxPagesPerSite` | integer / `2` | Homepage plus same-site contact/about/team pages to inspect. Minimum 1; maximum 5. |
| Only keep businesses with a public email | `requireEmail` | boolean / `true` | Enabled by default so lead-discovery rows always include a visibly published public email. Disable only for public business-directory research where contact availability is optional. |
| Check email-domain MX | `verifyMx` | boolean / `true` | Checks whether the business domain has MX records. This is not a mailbox deliverability check. |
| Discovery offset | `customOffset` | integer / `0` | Skip this many discovered businesses before processing. Use to resume a bounded batch. Minimum 0; maximum 10000. |

### Pricing

The `start` event is charged once after input validation. The `item` event is charged for each business record prepared for export, immediately before the row is saved. Businesses skipped before that step, including those excluded by `requireEmail`, are not charged as results. A run can incur its start charge even when no businesses qualify.

See the [live Pricing tab](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/leads-finder/pricing) for current rates and discounts. Check the cost shown for your account before scaling a run; any applicable platform usage is shown by Apify separately.

### What you get

- City-bounded public business discovery
- Public website, phone, address, and source record URL
- Emails visibly published on the business website, with the page URL
- Optional domain MX status (not a mailbox deliverability claim)
- Linked business social links and fetched-page provenance

### Output fields

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `companyName`, `domain`, `website`, `address` | Public business identity fields. |
| `country`, `sector` | Discovery context from the requested public search. |
| `discoveryUrl`, `pagesScraped` | Source and public-page provenance. |
| `companyEmails`, `primaryEmail` | Publicly visible business email values only. |
| `emailMxStatus` | MX result for the business website domain; it does not verify an inbox or every extracted email domain. |
| `phones`, `socials` | Public source tags and explicitly linked profiles. |
| `scrapedAt` | UTC extraction timestamp. |

### Tips and limits

Start with one city and a small maximum. Not every public business has a website or publishes an email; disable `requireEmail` when you need a company-research list rather than an email-ready list. Public source availability can change or rate-limit requests, so valid partial results are retained with their provenance.

### Who is it for?

- **Local sales and outreach teams** building a source-backed company list before personal contact.
- **Agencies and researchers** who need repeatable city-and-sector discovery with exportable provenance.
- **Operations teams** that already have a list of public company sites and want to collect only visible business contacts.

### FAQ

**What data can I export with B2B leads?** Company name, public website, address, published business emails and phones, linked social profiles, and source-page provenance when available.

**Can I run this B2B leads scraper through an API, schedule, or MCP client?** Yes. Use the API JSON shown above, schedule the same input in Apify, or connect the MCP URL with this Actor selected.

**How much does it cost to use Leads Finder: Public Business Contacts?** A run-start event and each saved business are charged at the current rates in the Actor Pricing tab.

**Are emails verified?** No. The Actor returns only visibly public values; optional MX status only confirms a domain's mail routing.

**Can it find decision makers?** No. This release returns public company contacts, not person profiles or inferred titles.

**Why did a company have no email?** Public directories and websites do not consistently publish contact addresses. Keep `requireEmail` enabled to filter those rows.

### Related Actors

- [Google Maps Lead Finder](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/google-maps-lead-finder)
- [Justdial Business Leads Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/justdial-business-leads-scraper)
- [Website Contact Finder](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/website-contact-finder)
- [Website Social Profile Finder](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/website-social-profile-finder)
- [Email MX Deliverability Verifier](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/email-mx-deliverability-verifier)

### API usage

Use your Apify API token through the `APIFY_TOKEN` environment variable. Node.js and Python examples wait for the run and read its first dataset page; paginate the dataset for larger exports.

**Node.js**

```js
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/leads-finder').call({
  "sector": "dentist",
  "country": "United States",
  "cities": [
    "Chicago"
  ],
  "maxLeads": 5,
  "maxPagesPerSite": 2,
  "requireEmail": true,
  "verifyMx": true
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);
```

**Python**

```python
import json
import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"])
run_input = json.loads('''{
  "sector": "dentist",
  "country": "United States",
  "cities": [
    "Chicago"
  ],
  "maxLeads": 5,
  "maxPagesPerSite": 2,
  "requireEmail": true,
  "verifyMx": true
}''')
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/leads-finder").call(run_input=run_input)
print(client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items)
```

**cURL**

Save the quickstart JSON as `input.json`. This request starts a run asynchronously; use its returned run ID to check completion and its `defaultDatasetId` to retrieve results.

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~leads-finder/runs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data-binary @input.json
```

### MCP and AI agents

Use the official [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp), not a separate custom server. The focused URL below selects this Actor. Authenticate with Apify when your client prompts you; configuration syntax and OAuth support depend on the client.

**Claude Code**

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/leads-finder"
```

**HTTP-capable MCP client configuration**

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/leads-finder"
    }
  }
}
```

**Example prompt:** "Find up to five dentist businesses in Chicago that publish an email. Return the company, public email, phone, and supporting source page. Do not infer personal contacts."

Use the same input keys as the input table. Review the returned source URLs and any error or availability fields before using results in an automated summary.

### Support

If a run fails or output looks wrong, open an issue from the Actor page. Include the Apify run ID or run URL, non-sensitive input JSON, expected output, actual output, and one reproducible public URL (or the exact search input). Do not share tokens, cookies, passwords, or private data.

# Actor input Schema

## `sector` (type: `string`):

Exact OpenStreetMap business tag/value (for example dentist). Used with country and city discovery.

## `country` (type: `string`):

Country used to bound OpenStreetMap city discovery.

## `cities` (type: `array`):

One or more cities to bound discovery. The first city is used in this release.

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Optional direct public-site seeds. These use the independent public-site route instead of OpenStreetMap discovery.

## `maxLeads` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on unique business rows.

## `maxPagesPerSite` (type: `integer`):

Homepage plus same-site contact/about/team pages to inspect.

## `requireEmail` (type: `boolean`):

Enabled by default so lead-discovery rows always include a visibly published public email. Disable only for public business-directory research where contact availability is optional.

## `verifyMx` (type: `boolean`):

Checks whether the business domain has MX records. This is not a mailbox deliverability check.

## `customOffset` (type: `integer`):

Skip this many discovered businesses before processing. Use to resume a bounded batch.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sector": "dentist",
  "country": "United States",
  "cities": [
    "Chicago"
  ],
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.freshworksdental.com/"
    }
  ],
  "maxLeads": 2,
  "maxPagesPerSite": 2,
  "requireEmail": true,
  "verifyMx": true,
  "customOffset": 0
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

## `last_run_summary` (type: `string`):

No description

## `pending_work` (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 = {
    "sector": "dentist",
    "country": "United States",
    "cities": [
        "Chicago"
    ],
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.freshworksdental.com/"
        }
    ],
    "maxLeads": 2,
    "maxPagesPerSite": 2,
    "requireEmail": true,
    "verifyMx": true,
    "customOffset": 0
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/leads-finder").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 = {
    "sector": "dentist",
    "country": "United States",
    "cities": ["Chicago"],
    "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.freshworksdental.com/" }],
    "maxLeads": 2,
    "maxPagesPerSite": 2,
    "requireEmail": True,
    "verifyMx": True,
    "customOffset": 0,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/leads-finder").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 '{
  "sector": "dentist",
  "country": "United States",
  "cities": [
    "Chicago"
  ],
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.freshworksdental.com/"
    }
  ],
  "maxLeads": 2,
  "maxPagesPerSite": 2,
  "requireEmail": true,
  "verifyMx": true,
  "customOffset": 0
}' |
apify call fetch_cat/leads-finder --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fetch_cat/leads-finder"
        }
    }
}

```

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/Ww764AYUtrazbNw2M/builds/SFIV1BDHO6kLlaGbH/openapi.json