# YouTube Shorts Scraper (`mina_safwat/youtube-shorts-scraper`) Actor Scrapes the Shorts of any YouTube channel, or single Shorts links: title, link, views, thumbnail and channel, plus optional exact views, likes, comment count, publish date, length, description and hashtags. Latest, popular or oldest first. No login or API key. - **URL**: https://apify.com/mina_safwat/youtube-shorts-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Mina](https://apify.com/mina_safwat) (community) - **Categories:** Videos, Social media, Marketing - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing $1.00 / 1,000 shorts 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/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes. 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. Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md. ## 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. Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run. For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below. Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`). # README ### What does YouTube Shorts Scraper do? **YouTube Shorts Scraper** collects the **Shorts of any [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com) channel**, or **single Shorts** from their links. For each Short you get its **title, link, view count, portrait thumbnail and channel** (name, ID, @handle and link). Turn on **exact details** to also get the **exact view count, like count, comment count, publish date and time, length, description, hashtags and category**. Paste a channel link, an @handle or a channel ID, pick **Latest**, **Popular** or **Oldest** first, and set how many Shorts you want per channel. Try it with the prefilled channel: open the Actor, click **Start**, and MrBeast's 10 latest Shorts arrive in a few seconds. It needs **no login, no API key and no YouTube Data API quota**. Because it runs on the Apify platform, you also get API access, scheduled runs, integrations (Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, webhooks), run monitoring and automatic retries through Apify Proxy when YouTube refuses a request. ### Why scrape YouTube Shorts? - **Short-form content research**: see which Shorts of a channel get the most views, likes and comments, and what they are about. - **Influencer marketing**: compare creators' Shorts performance in one table before you reach out. - **Trend and hashtag tracking**: collect hashtags, descriptions and publish dates to see what topics and formats work. - **Monitoring**: schedule a daily run with **Latest** first to catch new Shorts as soon as they appear. - **Datasets and analytics**: export clean JSON or CSV with numbers as numbers and dates as ISO 8601, ready for spreadsheets, BI tools or AI. ### How to scrape YouTube Shorts 1. Copy a channel's link from YouTube, such as `https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast`. An @handle (`@MrBeast`), a channel ID (`UC…`) or the link of a single Short works too. 2. Paste it into **YouTube channels or Shorts**, one per line. 3. Set **Max Shorts per channel** and pick the order (**Latest**, **Popular** or **Oldest** first). 4. Turn on **Add exact views, likes, comments and dates** if you need them. 5. Click **Start**, then download the results when the run finishes. ### Input Everything is set on the Input tab. In JSON, the input looks like this: ```json { "startUrls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast", "@zachking", "UCsXVk37bltHxD1rDPwtNM8Q", "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Y8IJi7iP5vk" ], "maxShortsPerChannel": 50, "sort": "popular", "includeDetails": true } ``` | Field | What it does | |---|---| | `startUrls` | Channels or Shorts, one per line. Channel links (`/@handle`, `/channel/UC…`, `/c/…`, `/user/…`, or a tab such as `/@MrBeast/shorts`), bare @handles and channel IDs give the channel's Shorts. Shorts links (`/shorts/…`, `youtu.be/…`) give that one Short with all its details. With or without `https://`; API callers can also send `{"url": "..."}` objects. Required. | | `maxShortsPerChannel` | Stops after this many Shorts for each channel. Default: 50. Set a large number such as `100000` to get all of them. | | `sort` | `latest`, `popular` or `oldest`, like the buttons on a channel's Shorts tab. Default: `latest`. | | `includeDetails` | Opens each channel Short once more for its exact views, likes, comments, publish time, length, description, hashtags and category. Slower: one extra request per Short. Default: off. Shorts links always come with these details. | | `proxyConfiguration` | Optional; leave it empty. The Actor picks the cheapest connection YouTube accepts and switches to Apify Proxy by itself whenever YouTube refuses a request. | ### Output One row per Short. Here is a real row from the prefilled run (details off): ```json { "id": "aNI2jv7lBPQ", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aNI2jv7lBPQ", "title": "Giving $10,000 To A Random Subscriber", "viewCount": 39000000, "viewCountIsExact": false, "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aNI2jv7lBPQ/sardefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEdCJUDENAFSEaQAgHyq4qpAwwIARUAAIhCcAHAAQY=&rs=AOn4CLDqSf1sM9piwyQRCuF8YItoIW73hQ", "channelId": "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA", "channelName": "MrBeast", "channelHandle": "@MrBeast", "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast", "scrapedAt": "2026-10-20T07:44:18.907795+00:00" } ``` And a real row with **exact details** on: ```json { "id": "vMGuObY8_sw", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vMGuObY8_sw", "title": "Relive NASA's Artemis II Launch", "viewCount": 2721102, "viewCountIsExact": true, "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vMGuObY8_sw/oar3.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEdCJUDENAFSEaQAgHyq4qpAwwIARUAAIhCcAHAAQY=&rs=AOn4CLDboBlnQdsm1g4-AxrYnOEp1yxhZg", "channelId": "UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ", "channelName": "NASA", "channelHandle": "@NASA", "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@NASA", "likeCount": 61684, "commentCount": null, "publishedAt": "2026-04-04T20:39:36+00:00", "durationSeconds": 32, "description": "L I F T O F F\n\n#Moon #Artemis #Launch #Astronauts", "hashtags": ["#Moon", "#Artemis", "#Launch", "#Astronauts"], "category": "Science & Technology", "scrapedAt": "2026-10-20T07:45:24.789308+00:00" } ``` (NASA turns comments off on its Shorts, so `commentCount` is `null` there.) You can download the dataset in various formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel. ### Data fields | Field | Description | |---|---| | `id`, `url` | YouTube's video ID of the Short and its `/shorts/…` link. | | `title` | The title, as YouTube shows it to English-language visitors. | | `viewCount` | Views. Rounded as the Shorts tab shows them (39M → 39000000) unless `viewCountIsExact` is `true`. | | `viewCountIsExact` | `true` when the view count is exact: with exact details on, and always for Shorts links. | | `thumbnailUrl` | The portrait cover from the Shorts tab; for Shorts links, the largest thumbnail YouTube lists for the video. | | `channelId`, `channelName`, `channelHandle`, `channelUrl` | The channel that posted the Short. | | `likeCount` | Exact likes; `null` when the channel hides them. | | `commentCount` | Exact comment count; `null` when comments are turned off. | | `publishedAt` | Exact publish date and time, in UTC (ISO 8601). | | `durationSeconds` | Length in seconds. | | `description` | The Short's description; `null` when it has none (many Shorts have none). | | `hashtags` | The #hashtags in the title and description, each once. Empty when there are none. | | `category` | YouTube's category, such as `Entertainment`. | | `scrapedAt` | When the row was saved. | `likeCount` to `category` are included with exact details on and for Shorts links. For channel Shorts with details off they are left out of the row. ### How much does it cost to scrape YouTube Shorts? YouTube Shorts Scraper uses **pay-per-event** pricing: you pay only for the rows you get, one per Short. See the **Pricing** tab for the exact price per 1,000 Shorts. Apify's free plan includes monthly credit you can use to try it. Channels without Shorts, channels that do not exist, removed Shorts and links that are neither a channel nor a Short are never saved as rows, so you are not charged for them. If you set a maximum cost for a run, the Actor stops as soon as it is reached. ### Tips for scraping YouTube Shorts - **Speed**: with details off, about 1,000 Shorts in under 10 seconds, since YouTube lists about 48 per request. Details add one request per Short: expect about 5 Shorts a second. - **The order picks the Shorts**: with a limit, **Latest** gives the newest, **Popular** the most viewed and **Oldest** the first ones. - **Only need views?** Leave details off: the rounded view count comes free with the list and runs are many times faster. - **Everything**: set **Max Shorts per channel** to a large number such as `100000` to read a channel's whole Shorts tab. - **Monitoring**: schedule a daily run with **Latest** and a small limit, and keep only rows whose `id` you have not seen before. - Each Short is saved only once per run, even when YouTube lists it twice, you give the same channel twice in different forms, or you also give its link. - If the run's time limit is close, the Actor stops paging and finishes cleanly with everything collected so far. ### FAQ, disclaimers and support **Which channels work?** Any public channel with a Shorts tab. A channel without Shorts gives no rows, and the `FAILED_INPUTS` record says so. **Can I scrape regular videos with it?** No. A link to a regular video is listed in `FAILED_INPUTS` as "this is a regular video, not a Short". For videos, use a YouTube channel or video scraper. **Why is the view count rounded?** A channel's Shorts tab only shows rounded counts such as `39M views`. Turn on **Add exact views, likes, comments and dates** for the exact count. **What happens to inputs that return nothing?** They are not saved as rows, so you are not charged for them. Each one is listed with its reason (for example `this channel has no Shorts` or `YouTube has no channel at this address`) in the `FAILED_INPUTS` record of the run's key-value store, together with channels that stopped early, inputs that repeat a channel or Short given earlier, and Shorts left out because their details were asked for but could not be loaded (a row is never saved without the details you asked for). Auto-generated topic pages (such as YouTube's "News" page) are not channels and are listed there too. The run's status message gives the counts. A run fails only when every input failed because YouTube could not be reached. **Is it legal to scrape YouTube Shorts?** This Actor collects only data that YouTube shows publicly to anyone without logging in. It does not download videos. Shorts and channels can contain personal data, such as a creator's name and handle, so you are responsible for making sure your use complies with YouTube's Terms of Service and with data protection laws such as the GDPR. Collect only what you need, and if in doubt, ask a lawyer. **Found a problem or need a custom solution?** Open an issue on the **Issues** tab and we will look into it. Custom scrapers and data feeds are available on request. # Actor input Schema ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): One per line. Channel links (https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast, /channel/UC…, /c/…, /user/… or a tab such as /@MrBeast/shorts), bare @handles (@MrBeast) and channel IDs (UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA) give the channel's Shorts. Shorts links (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/…, youtu.be/…) give that one Short with all its details. With or without https://. Anything else, including links to regular (non-Shorts) videos, is listed in the FAILED_INPUTS record. ## `maxShortsPerChannel` (type: `integer`): Stops after this many Shorts for each channel. To get every Short, set a large number such as 100000. ## `sort` (type: `string`): The order YouTube lists a channel's Shorts in, as in the Latest / Popular / Oldest buttons on its Shorts tab. Together with the limit, this picks which Shorts you get: the newest, the most viewed or the first ones. ## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`): Opens each channel Short once more to add its exact view count, like count, comment count, publish date and time, length, description, hashtags and category. Without this, a channel's Shorts come with the rounded view count the Shorts tab shows (67M). Slower: one extra request per Short. Shorts links always come with these details. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Leave this empty: YouTube answers the Actor directly, and if it ever refuses, the Actor retries through Apify's proxies on its own. Choose a proxy here only to send every request through it. ## Actor input object example ```json { "startUrls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast" ], "maxShortsPerChannel": 10, "sort": "latest", "includeDetails": false, "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 = { "startUrls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast" ], "maxShortsPerChannel": 10 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("mina_safwat/youtube-shorts-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 = { "startUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast"], "maxShortsPerChannel": 10, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("mina_safwat/youtube-shorts-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": [ "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast" ], "maxShortsPerChannel": 10 }' | apify call mina_safwat/youtube-shorts-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,mina_safwat/youtube-shorts-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 ` 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/XP0votQ74OM5wWZT8/builds/3zAoEOeo9C8u4lcr1/openapi.json