Chrome Extension Version History Scraper

This Actor extracts the public version and release-history evidence exposed on each Chrome Web Store extension listing. It distinguishes the current listing version from older public entries, keeps the raw release text, records honest date precision, and reports whether multiple releases were actually observed.

The record is expanded with canonical identity, full description and Overview text plus sanitized HTML, category, publisher contacts and address, trader status, ratings/reviews/users, current/latest version fields, release-history entries, website/support/privacy links, size, languages, features, screenshots, related IDs, and media metadata. The public Chrome Web Store detail page normally exposes only the current version and update date; older releases are emitted only when explicit version entries are present in the fetched source. Otherwise the output says current_version_only rather than fabricating older releases.

The Actor also saves its own observations between runs. Later runs compare the same extension with its earlier version and update date using previousVersion, previousUpdatedAt, versionChanged, and versionComparison. The first run establishes the starting point; future runs can report whether the observed version is unchanged or has changed. This comparison begins with the first run and does not recreate releases from before that observation. Saved history is limited to the 100 most recent observed versions per extension; avoid overlapping runs for the same extension.

Inputs

Use extensionIds or official Chrome Web Store detail URLs for known extensions, or use startUrls, sourceUrls, or urls with search/category pages. queries, query, searchQuery, and category support public discovery. maxItems, maxRequests, and maxDetailRequests limit the amount collected. Only the first public listing batch is supported, so page and maxPages are fixed at 1.

Only public Chrome Web Store pages are in scope. The Actor does not sign in, solve CAPTCHA challenges, use private publisher data, or infer release history not exposed by the source. A listing’s full description is retained as plain text and safe HTML.

Output

Each dataset row represents one extension and includes its current version, observed release entries, and cross-run comparison fields. Each versionHistory entry can include the release date and its precision, an estimated-date indicator, a source-provided change summary, and whether it is the current version. Older releases are reported only when they appear in the source or were observed in earlier runs; otherwise historyStatus is current_version_only.

The run summary is available with the dataset in the Output tab. You can download dataset records in formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel.