# Substack Notes Scraper (`fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper`) Actor

Collect public Substack Notes, author profiles, engagement, attachments, publication links, and thread context for monitoring and creator research.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch\_cat/substack-notes-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Hanna Nosova](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.02 / 1,000 substack notes

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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#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

## Substack Notes Scraper

This Substack scraper collects public Substack Notes for topic monitoring, creator research, and social listening. Use the Substack Notes scraper to export Note text, authors, reactions, restacks, replies, attachments, publication links, and stable thread identifiers as structured records—and access them like a practical Substack API.

### Quick start

```json
{
  "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://substack.com/notes" }],
  "queries": [],
  "maxItems": 25
}
```

A result looks like:

```json
{
  "id": "309223436",
  "entityKey": "c-309223436",
  "type": "comment",
  "url": "https://substack.com/@saribotton/note/c-309223436",
  "content": "A public Note...",
  "publishedAt": "2026-08-06T11:37:55.617Z",
  "authorName": "Sari Botton",
  "authorHandle": "saribotton",
  "reactionCount": 5,
  "restackCount": 2,
  "replyCount": 0,
  "engagementTotal": 7
}
```

### What data can you export?

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `id`, `entityKey`, `type` | Stable source identifiers and entity type |
| `url` | Canonical public Note URL |
| `content`, `contentTextLength` | Plain Note text and character count |
| `publishedAt`, `editedAt`, `scrapedAt` | Publication, edit, and collection timestamps |
| `authorId`, `authorName`, `authorHandle` | Public author identity |
| `authorUrl`, `authorPhotoUrl`, `authorBio` | Public profile links and metadata |
| `reactionCount`, `reactions` | Total and per-emoji public reactions |
| `restackCount`, `replyCount`, `engagementTotal` | Public engagement metrics and derived total |
| `attachments`, `hasAttachments` | Attached media/post metadata, URLs, and dimensions |
| `publicationId`, `publicationName`, `publicationUrl` | Linked public publication where available |
| `parentId`, `rootId`, `isReply` | Thread and reply relationships |
| `sourceUrl`, `sourceQuery` | Exact collection provenance |

### Input settings

| Input | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `startUrls` | array | Public Notes feed, profile Notes, or individual Note URLs |
| `queries` | array | Topic or author phrases to search |
| `maxItems` | integer | Global unique Note limit, 1–1,000 |
| `changedSince` | string | Inclusive ISO date-time for incremental monitoring |

### Input recipes

**Monitor newly published Notes**

```json
{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://substack.com/notes"}],"maxItems":100,"changedSince":"2026-08-01T00:00:00Z"}
```

**Collect a public author feed**

```json
{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://substack.com/@hamishmckenzie/notes"}],"maxItems":50}
```

### Pricing

This Actor charges a small start event and one `result` event for each Note successfully saved. Failed or skipped Notes are not charged. See the [live Pricing tab](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper/pricing) for current tier rates.

### Tips and limits

- Use `changedSince` for scheduled monitors and deduplicate downstream by `id`.
- Public optional fields can be `null` or empty when an author or Note does not expose them.
- Anonymous Substack surfaces can return fewer records than requested and may change without notice.
- One failed target does not discard valid output from other targets; inspect the run summary for partial failures.
- This Actor accesses public Notes only and does not log in or expose private, subscriber-only, or dashboard data.

### Who is it for?

- Social-listening teams tracking public creator conversations
- Newsletter and creator-economy researchers comparing engagement
- Content strategists discovering active authors and recurring themes
- Analysts building scheduled datasets for dashboards or alerts

### Substack API usage and integrations

**JavaScript**

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';
const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper').call({
  startUrls: [{ url: 'https://substack.com/notes' }],
  maxItems: 25,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
```

**Python**

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient
client = ApifyClient('APIFY_TOKEN')
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper').call(run_input={
    'startUrls': [{'url': 'https://substack.com/notes'}],
    'maxItems': 20,
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
```

**cURL**

```bash
curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~substack-notes-scraper/runs?token=APIFY_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://substack.com/notes"}],"maxItems":20}'
```

### MCP and AI agents

Connect through [Apify MCP](https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper) and ask your agent to collect public Notes for a monitoring workflow.

```bash
claude mcp add apify https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper
```

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper" }
  }
}
```

Example prompts:

- "Collect 20 recent public Substack Notes and summarize the most active authors."
- "Run the Substack Notes scraper for my saved topic monitor and return reaction totals."
- "Export Notes since yesterday and group them by linked publication."

### FAQ

#### What data can I export with Substack scraper?

Note text, public author profiles, engagement metrics, attachments, publication links, thread relationships, stable IDs, and collection provenance.

#### Can I run Substack Notes Scraper through an API, schedule, or MCP client?

Yes. Call it through the Apify API example above, create an Apify schedule, or connect through Apify MCP.

#### How much does it cost to use Substack Notes Scraper?

You pay for the run start and each successfully saved Note. The live Pricing tab shows current tier rates before you run it.

#### Can it scrape private or paid content?

No. It is limited to anonymous public Substack Notes surfaces.

#### How do I update a monitoring dataset?

Schedule the Actor with `changedSince`, then merge records by stable `id`.

#### Why are some publication or attachment fields empty?

Not every public Note is linked to a publication or includes media. Empty optional values reflect the source truthfully.

### Related Actors

- [Substack Posts Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-posts-scraper) — newsletter articles and post metadata
- [Medium Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/medium-scraper) — publication and author research

### Support

Open an issue from the Actor's **Issues** tab with the public target URL, input, and run ID. Do not include private credentials or cookies.

# Actor input Schema

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

Public substack.com Notes feed, profile Notes, or individual Note URLs.

## `queries` (type: `array`):

Search public Substack Notes for each phrase.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum unique Notes across all targets.

## `changedSince` (type: `string`):

Return only Notes published at or after this ISO date-time.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://substack.com/notes"
    }
  ],
  "queries": [],
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (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 = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://substack.com/notes"
        }
    ],
    "queries": [],
    "maxItems": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/substack-notes-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 = {
    "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://substack.com/notes" }],
    "queries": [],
    "maxItems": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/substack-notes-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 '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://substack.com/notes"
    }
  ],
  "queries": [],
  "maxItems": 20
}' |
apify call fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fetch_cat/substack-notes-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/HZUjn2RhUgMelKMbP/builds/Chgb4OlGrgaKDghBw/openapi.json