# AO3 Scraper - Archive of Our Own Fanfiction (`lulzasaur/ao3-scraper`) Actor Scrape Archive of Our Own (AO3) fanfiction data. Search works by keyword, extract titles, authors, fandoms, tags, ratings, word counts, kudos, hits, bookmarks, and more. Supports detail pages for full metadata. - **URL**: https://apify.com/lulzasaur/ao3-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [lulz bot](https://apify.com/lulzasaur) (community) - **Categories:** E-commerce - **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $10.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use 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 ## AO3 Scraper - Archive of Our Own Fanfiction Data Scrape fanfiction metadata from [Archive of Our Own (AO3)](https://archiveofourown.org), the largest open-source fanfiction archive with over 12 million works. ### What does AO3 Scraper do? This actor searches AO3 for works matching your queries and extracts structured metadata including: - **Title and authors** - **Fandoms** (Harry Potter, Marvel, Sherlock, etc.) - **Rating** (General, Teen, Mature, Explicit, Not Rated) - **Warnings** (Archive warnings applied to the work) - **Categories** (F/M, M/M, F/F, Gen, Multi, Other) - **Relationships and characters** - **Freeform tags** (community tags applied by authors) - **Stats**: word count, chapter count, kudos, hits, bookmarks, comments - **Completion status** (Complete / In Progress) - **Publication and update dates** - **Summary text** ### Input | Field | Type | Default | Description | |-------|------|---------|-------------| | `searchQueries` | string[] | `["Harry Potter"]` | Keywords to search for works | | `maxListings` | integer | `50` | Max works per query (0=unlimited, max 1000) | | `scrapeDetails` | boolean | `false` | Visit work pages for full metadata | | `sortBy` | enum | `""` | Sort by: relevance, date updated, kudos, hits, word count, bookmarks | | `proxyConfiguration` | object | `{}` | Proxy settings | ### Output Each result contains: ```json { "title": "The Debt of Time", "authors": ["ShayaLonnie"], "fandoms": ["Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling"], "rating": "Mature", "warnings": ["Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings"], "categories": ["F/M"], "relationships": ["Hermione Granger/Sirius Black"], "characters": ["Hermione Granger", "Sirius Black", "Remus Lupin"], "freeformTags": ["Time Travel", "Marauders Era", "Slow Burn"], "language": "English", "wordCount": 487823, "chapters": "154/154", "kudos": 25431, "hits": 1203847, "bookmarks": 8923, "comments": 12847, "status": "Complete", "publishedDate": "15 Mar 2015", "updatedDate": null, "summary": "Hermione Granger is sent back in time...", "sourceUrl": "https://archiveofourown.org/works/10677106", "searchQuery": "Harry Potter", "scrapedAt": "2026-04-26T12:00:00.000Z" } ```` ### Use Cases - **Fandom analytics**: Analyze the most popular fandoms, pairings, and tropes - **Trend tracking**: Monitor which tags and relationships are gaining popularity - **Academic research**: Study fan communities, transformative works, and online creativity - **Content discovery**: Find highly-rated works in specific fandoms or with specific tags - **Author analytics**: Track prolific authors and their output metrics ### Rate Limiting AO3 is a nonprofit archive run by volunteers. This scraper uses conservative rate limiting (2.5s between requests, max concurrency of 1) to be respectful of their servers. Please use responsibly. ### Notes - AO3 search results are capped at 5000 pages (100,000 results) - The `scrapeDetails` option provides full summaries and series info but is significantly slower - Works marked as "Restricted" require a logged-in account and will not appear in search results # Actor input Schema ## `searchQueries` (type: `array`): Keywords to search for works on AO3 (e.g. 'Harry Potter', 'Sherlock Holmes') ## `maxListings` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of works to scrape per search query (0 = unlimited, max 1000) ## `scrapeDetails` (type: `boolean`): Visit individual work pages for full metadata (summary, series info, full chapter count). Slower but more complete. ## `sortBy` (type: `string`): Sort search results by a specific field ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Proxy settings to avoid rate limiting ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchQueries": [ "Harry Potter" ], "maxListings": 50, "scrapeDetails": false, "sortBy": "", "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `dataset` (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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "searchQueries": [ "Harry Potter" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("lulzasaur/ao3-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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "searchQueries": ["Harry Potter"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("lulzasaur/ao3-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "searchQueries": [ "Harry Potter" ] }' | apify call lulzasaur/ao3-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=lulzasaur/ao3-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "AO3 Scraper - Archive of Our Own Fanfiction", "description": "Scrape Archive of Our Own (AO3) fanfiction data. Search works by keyword, extract titles, authors, fandoms, tags, ratings, word counts, kudos, hits, bookmarks, and more. Supports detail pages for full metadata.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "n696GCcQH4nFh5JQm" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/lulzasaur~ao3-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-lulzasaur-ao3-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/lulzasaur~ao3-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-lulzasaur-ao3-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/lulzasaur~ao3-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-lulzasaur-ao3-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "searchQueries": { "title": "Search Queries", "type": "array", "description": "Keywords to search for works on AO3 (e.g. 'Harry Potter', 'Sherlock Holmes')", "default": [ "Harry Potter" ], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxListings": { "title": "Max Listings Per Query", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 1000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of works to scrape per search query (0 = unlimited, max 1000)", "default": 50 }, "scrapeDetails": { "title": "Scrape Detail Pages", "type": "boolean", "description": "Visit individual work pages for full metadata (summary, series info, full chapter count). Slower but more complete.", "default": false }, "sortBy": { "title": "Sort By", "enum": [ "", "revised_at", "kudos_count", "hits", "word_count", "bookmarks_count" ], "type": "string", "description": "Sort search results by a specific field", "default": "" }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy settings to avoid rate limiting", "default": { "useApifyProxy": false } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```