Stack Exchange Questions Scraper

Stack Exchange Questions Scraper exports public Stack Overflow and Stack Exchange questions for developer research, documentation planning and support analysis. Collect titles, links, tags, scores, views and activity dates in a structured dataset. Optional answers contain metadata, not answer text.

Quick start

1. Choose a Stack Exchange site, such as stackoverflow.
2. Add a tag or keyword and start with a small question limit.
3. Run the Actor and open its dataset to review or export the results.

{"sites":["stackoverflow"],"tags":["python"],"maxItems":10,"includeAnswers":false}

Prefer a video guide? This short Apify walkthrough shows you how to set up and run an Actor. It uses a different Actor, but the setup steps are the same.

Ready-to-run examples

Choose an example to start with a small, preconfigured input.

• Scrape Stack Overflow Python Questions — Recent Python questions for documentation and support research.
• Stack Overflow AI Questions With Answers — AI question rows with available answer metadata, not answer bodies.
• Scrape Server Fault DevOps Questions — A bounded Kubernetes keyword search on Server Fault.

What you get

• Public question records from Stack Overflow, Server Fault, Super User, Ask Ubuntu and other Stack Exchange sites.
• Focused searches by site, tags, keywords, creation dates and minimum score.
• Question context including views, answer counts, accepted answer IDs and content licenses.
• Optional answer metadata including IDs, scores, accepted status, dates and public owner details.

Who is it for?

• DevRel teams: find recurring developer questions around APIs and libraries.
• Documentation and content teams: identify topics for tutorials and troubleshooting guides.
• Support analysts: review question language, scores and answer availability.
• Researchers: export public question metadata for further analysis.

Input settings

Setting	JSON key	Purpose
Stack Exchange sites	sites	Site names such as stackoverflow or serverfault. Default: Stack Overflow.
Keyword query	query	Optional free-text search. Omit to browse questions.
Sort questions by	sort	Default: activity. Use relevance only with a query.
Maximum questions	maxItems	Total saved rows across sites. Default: 20, maximum: 10,000.
From date	fromDate	Optional creation-date lower bound, such as 2026-01-01.
To date	toDate	Optional creation-date upper bound.
Tags	tags	Multiple tags narrow results by intersection. The form supplies python.
Minimum score	minScore	Save questions at or above this score. Omission applies no score filter.
Include answer summaries	includeAnswers	Add available answer metadata. Default: false. No answer text.

With a keyword query, supported sorts are activity, votes, creation and relevance. Choosing hot, week or month with a query uses activity instead. Without a query, hot, week and month are also available.

API calls that omit tags search without a tag filter. The input form's Python tag is a starting point you can remove. Sites are processed in input order until the shared question limit is reached.

Output data

Each dataset row represents one public question. Fields unavailable from the source are null. The answers field is omitted when no answer metadata is attached.

Field	Description
site	Stack Exchange site name used for the question
questionId	Stack Exchange question identifier
title	Question title
url	Public question URL
tags	Question tags
ownerDisplayName	Display name of the question owner when available
ownerUrl	Public profile URL when available
score	Question score
answerCount	Number of answers
viewCount	Number of views
isAnswered	Whether the question is considered answered
acceptedAnswerId	Accepted answer ID when present
creationDate	Question creation date
lastActivityDate	Last activity date
lastEditDate	Last edit date when present
contentLicense	Content license shown by Stack Exchange
answers	Available answer metadata when enabled

An answer entry can contain answerId, isAccepted, score, creationDate, lastActivityDate, ownerDisplayName and ownerUrl. It does not contain body text or snippets.

Illustrative shape only, not a captured question:

{"site":"stackoverflow","questionId":null,"title":null,"url":null,"tags":[],"ownerDisplayName":null,"ownerUrl":null,"score":null,"answerCount":null,"viewCount":null,"isAnswered":null,"acceptedAnswerId":null,"creationDate":null,"lastActivityDate":null,"lastEditDate":null,"contentLicense":null}

Download your results

Open your run's dataset, choose Export and select JSON, CSV or Excel. JSON keeps nested fields together. CSV and Excel are useful when you want to review the records in a spreadsheet.

See Apify's download and export guide for the available formats and field options.

Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. The start event is charged once after input validation, including searches that find no matches.

The result event is charged per question saved to the dataset. Optional answer metadata is included in the question row, not charged as separate answer rows. Error messages and run summaries are not question results.

See the live Pricing tab for current rates and discounts.

Tips for best results

• Start small. Try 10 questions before increasing the limit.
• Use exact site names. For example, use serverfault rather than a full website URL.
• Combine tags carefully. Multiple tags require matching all selected tags.
• Add a keyword for relevance sorting. Otherwise choose activity, votes or creation.
• Enable answers only when useful. This takes longer and returns metadata rather than full answers.

Limits and caveats

• Public data only. Private Teams, deleted posts and moderator-only content are unavailable.
• Results depend on Stack Exchange availability, quotas and filters. A valid search can return no matches.
• The question limit is a ceiling, not a promised result count. Source limits or the run time limit can produce fewer rows.
• Answer metadata is limited to available returned answers and is not a complete answer archive. Questions can be retained even if optional answer lookup fails.
• Some sites may fail while other sites return useful records. An entirely failed request sequence fails the run.
• Question and answer bodies are not collected. This is not a full-text knowledge-base export.
• This scraper is not affiliated with Stack Exchange.

Automation and integrations

Save your settings for next time

Once you have an input that works for you, save it as an Apify task. This keeps your settings together so you can use them again without filling in the form from scratch.

Run on a schedule

Need fresh results regularly? You can schedule the Actor or a saved task to run at a time that suits you.

Each scheduled run collects the data again. If you want to compare results or highlight changes, add that step in your own workflow.

Send results to your other tools

Use n8n, Make or Zapier to connect this scraper to the rest of your workflow. For example, you could pass its results to an AI assistant or add records to a spreadsheet. Follow the Apify integration guides for your chosen tool.

For a custom connection, an Apify webhook can notify your app when a run finishes or fails. Your app can then fetch the results or handle the failure.

API usage

Want to collect this data from your own app or automation? The examples below send input to the scraper and show how to collect its results.

The Node.js and Python examples wait for the run to finish before reading its results. The cURL example starts the run and returns its details. Wait for that run to finish, then use its defaultDatasetId to fetch the results.

For setup instructions, see Apify's JavaScript client guide, Python client guide and Actor runs API reference.

cURL

curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~stack-exchange-questions-scraper/runs' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"sites":["stackoverflow"],"tags":["python"],"maxItems":10,"includeAnswers":false}'

Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/stack-exchange-questions-scraper').call({"sites":["stackoverflow"],"tags":["python"],"maxItems":10,"includeAnswers":false});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Python

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/stack-exchange-questions-scraper').call(
    run_input={'sites': ['stackoverflow'], 'tags': ['python'], 'maxItems': 10, 'includeAnswers': False}
)
for item in client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).iterate_items():
    print(item)

MCP and AI agents

You can ask your AI assistant to collect data with Stack Exchange Questions Scraper and help you work with the results. The scraper returns the data, and your assistant can then summarize it, compare records or prepare notes.

Connect your assistant through the Apify MCP server. MCP gives your assistant a way to find this scraper, run it and read the results. Follow the official setup and sign-in guide for your app.

Easier setup with an Apify plugin

If you use a supported coding assistant, the official Apify plugin can set up the connection for you. It connects your assistant to Apify and includes instructions for common tasks. Follow the guide for your particular app.

Use Apify AI in Console

Prefer to keep everything in Apify? Open Apify AI in Console and ask it to find Fetch Cat's Stack Exchange Questions Scraper. You can describe the data you want and ask questions about the results.

Apify AI is currently in beta. It asks for confirmation before starting an Actor, and normal run charges apply.

Choose your assistant

• Claude and Claude Code (Anthropic): Apify setup guide.
• ChatGPT and Codex (OpenAI): Apify setup guides.
• Grok Bot (xAI): Apify plugin guide.
• Gemini CLI (Google): MCP server setup guide. Use the server URL below with the HTTP configuration supported by Gemini CLI.

Connect just this scraper

To keep your setup focused on this scraper, add this server configuration to a compatible MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/stack-exchange-questions-scraper"
    }
  }
}

Sign in to Apify when your client asks. If your client uses a Bearer token instead, follow its setup guide and keep the token in its secure configuration. Configuration formats vary by app, so use the linked guide if your client needs a different format.

Use Apify's general server

Already connected to the general Apify MCP server at https://mcp.apify.com? You can use it to find this scraper without adding another server. Ask your assistant to use Stack Exchange Questions Scraper by Fetch Cat, or give it the identifier fetch_cat/stack-exchange-questions-scraper.

Your assistant can check the available settings and retrieve the results from the returned run. If the run is still working, it should follow that run rather than start it again. Both connection options use Apify's hosted service.

Example requests

• “Get ten recent Python questions from Stack Overflow and group their titles by topic.”
• “Find Kubernetes questions on Server Fault and prepare a spreadsheet of their links, scores and answer counts.”
• “Collect a small set of AI questions from Stack Overflow with available answer metadata and summarize which have accepted answers.”

Normal Apify charges apply. Check the live Pricing tab before asking your assistant to run a larger batch.

Pay with x402

If your AI agent has a funded wallet, it can pay for Apify usage through x402. This experimental option lets an agent use Apify without a conventional account.

Apify AGI provides a prepaid API token with a spending cap after payment. Your agent can use that token to run this scraper through the Apify API or an authenticated MCP connection.

Some MCP setups also support paying for each request directly. That is a different payment option, so check the official guide for its availability.

Follow the official guide for wallet setup, supported payment options and current terms. Apify handles the payments. Keep wallet keys and payment tokens in your agent's secure configuration.

Other ways for agents to pay

Apify also supports MPP for prepaid access through AGI and Skyfire for eligible Actors. If your agent already uses one of these, see the agentic payment guide to choose the right setup.

FAQ

Can I scrape Stack Overflow questions without logging in?

Yes. Use the stackoverflow site name. No login, cookies or Stack Exchange API key are required.

Does this include full answers?

No. Optional answer summaries contain metadata such as scores and accepted status, not answer bodies or snippets.

Is this an alternative to using the Stack Exchange API myself?

It packages public question searches into Apify runs and downloadable datasets. It remains subject to the source's availability and limits.

Can I use the data in an AI assistant or export it to Excel?

Yes. Use the API or MCP instructions above to retrieve results. Dataset export supports spreadsheet workflows. The assistant performs any later analysis.

What if my search returns nothing?

Try fewer tags, a broader keyword or a lower minimum score. No matching questions means an empty dataset, not a guaranteed source failure.

How are runs charged?

A validated run incurs the start event, and saved questions incur result events. Check the live Pricing tab before increasing volume.

Related Actors

• GitHub Repositories Search Scraper — Collect public GitHub repository search metadata and available repository details.
• Hacker News Search Scraper — Collect public Hacker News story and comment search records with source links.
• Reddit Scraper — Collect public Reddit posts and optional comments from supported community, search or post inputs.
• Google Autocomplete Scraper — Collect Google search autocomplete suggestions for supplied query prefixes, rather than question answers.
• Website Contact Finder — Collect contact details explicitly published on public websites, with source pages.

Support and feedback

For custom additions or integrations, email hello@fetchcat.dev.

Found an error or have a feature request? Open an issue with the run URL, a non-sensitive input example and what you expected.

Need help sharing it? See Apify’s guide to sharing a run when reporting an issue. Sharing a run can give the developer access to its input, logs and results, so use a run that contains no sensitive data. Please leave out API tokens, passwords, cookies, private documents and personal data. Use a public sample URL or a redacted example instead.

Tried this scraper? We'd love to hear how it worked for you. Leave a review to help others choose the right tool and help us improve it. Your feedback means a lot to us.

Made with care for curious people, AI agents and the possibilities in data. ♥