Weibo Scraper: Hot Topics and Public Posts

Collect structured Weibo records for China-market research, social listening, and brand monitoring. Start with public hot topics for a compact trend dataset, then use an authorized Weibo session for keyword-post or user-timeline records with source URLs, public author metadata, engagement counts, media links, and collection time.

Best fit for this Actor

• Use hotTopics to monitor the public topics circulating on Weibo at collection time.
• Use searchPosts to collect posts matching a set of Chinese or English keywords from an authorized Weibo session.
• Use userPosts to collect the public timeline records for known numeric Weibo user IDs.
• Choose a modest maxResults when an agent needs a concise research brief, or schedule bounded runs when a team needs a recurring trend feed.

Focused standalone workflow

This actor is designed as a focused standalone workflow for turning a Weibo trend, keyword set, or known user ID into a structured dataset. It works well as the collection step before an analyst groups topics, compares engagement, or passes source URLs and post text into a separate approved research process.

China social-listening workflow

A market researcher starts with hotTopics to see topics receiving attention in the public feed. They then select relevant terms, use searchPosts with their authorized session, and compare the returned text, engagement fields, and source URLs. Next, they can export the dataset for a report, a dashboard, or a downstream language-analysis workflow while preserving the collection time for provenance.

Quick start input

Public hot topics:

{
  "mode": "hotTopics",
  "maxResults": 25
}

Keyword posts from an authorized Weibo session:

{
  "mode": "searchPosts",
  "searchQueries": ["特斯拉", "OpenAI"],
  "maxResults": 50,
  "maxPages": 3,
  "weiboCookie": "SUB=_2A25example; SUBP=example"
}

Input reference

Field	Type	What it controls
mode	string	Selects hotTopics, searchPosts, or userPosts. The default is hotTopics.
searchQueries	string array	One or more keyword queries for searchPosts, such as 特斯拉 or OpenAI.
userIds	string array	Numeric user IDs or public profile URLs for userPosts, such as 2803301701.
maxResults	integer	Total number of dataset records to save, from 1 through 500.
maxPages	integer	Number of mobile API pages to request for each search query or user ID, from 1 through 20.
weiboCookie	secret string	Full SUB= cookie header from a Weibo session that you are authorized to use for search and timeline routes.

What data you receive

Each dataset item represents one Weibo hot topic or public post at the time of collection. recordType identifies the item shape, and every item includes sourceUrl plus scrapedAt for inspection and provenance.

Field	Meaning
recordType	hotTopic or post.
topic, rank, query	Public hot-topic label, feed order, and decoded query.
postId, bid, sourceUrl	Stable post identifiers and a source URL.
authorName, authorId, authorVerified	Public author metadata supplied by Weibo.
text, textHtml	Post content in plain text and source HTML.
likesCount, commentsCount, repostsCount	Engagement fields supplied at collection time.
pictures, videoUrl	Public media URLs supplied by Weibo.
scrapedAt	ISO 8601 collection timestamp.

Hot-topic record:

{
  "recordType": "hotTopic",
  "sourceUrl": "https://m.weibo.cn/search?containerid=100103type%3D1%26q%3DOpenAI",
  "topic": "#OpenAI#",
  "rank": 1,
  "query": "OpenAI",
  "isHashtag": true,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-07-19T12:00:00.000Z"
}

Post record:

{
  "recordType": "post",
  "postId": "5050000000000000",
  "authorName": "People Daily",
  "text": "OpenAI 发布了新的模型更新。",
  "likesCount": 900,
  "commentsCount": 45,
  "sourceUrl": "https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5050000000000000",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-07-19T12:00:00.000Z"
}

Use through the API

curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/khadinakbar~weibo-scraper/runs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"mode":"hotTopics","maxResults":25}'

After execution completes, read the default dataset for records and the OUTPUT and RUN_SUMMARY key-value records for the terminal outcome, counts, warnings, and dataset identifier.

Use with AI agents through Apify MCP

Connect the Actor through the Apify MCP integration and ask:

Collect the top 20 public Weibo hot topics, return the topic, rank, query, source URL, and collection time, then inspect the run outcome and dataset readback before preparing a concise China-market briefing.

For a keyword or user-timeline job, an agent can use your authorized Weibo session, keep the maxResults scope aligned with the requested analysis, preserve sourceUrl and scrapedAt for provenance, and read the terminal outcome before using the dataset.

Pricing

This Actor uses Pay per event plus Apify platform usage. Open the live Pricing tab for current event details, then set an Apify run cost control that matches the number of records needed for the workflow.

Best results

• Start with hotTopics for a current public trend snapshot and use the returned query values to refine a later keyword collection.
• Provide a fresh, authorized SUB= cookie for search and user-timeline work, then keep maxPages focused on the time window that matters to the analysis.
• Schedule bounded collections when tracking a recurring topic, and use scrapedAt together with sourceUrl when comparing snapshots over time.
• Pair each dataset with the terminal OUTPUT and RUN_SUMMARY records so downstream tools can use the outcome and counts alongside the data.

Builder's note

I designed the default around the public weibo.cn hot-topic page after finding that it provides a useful compact trend surface for routine collection. My goal was to keep every returned item flat, source-linked, and timestamped so an analyst or agent can carry the data into a later research step with clear provenance.

Responsible use

Collect publicly visible data and session-backed data you are authorized to access. Use the Actor in line with applicable laws, privacy requirements, and Weibo terms.