🏛️ SEC 8-K Material-Event Watch

Turn newly filed SEC Form 8-K / 8-K/A material-event filings on the issuers you watch into a seed-zero, deterministic delta feed — with the official 8-K item codes preserved and a per-issuer source receipt on every run. First run seeds a private baseline and emits zero alerts; later runs emit one delta per newly filed 8-K. No historical dump, no inferred event beyond the issuer-reported item codes.

Output is one issuer_8k_filing row per result; billing is pay-per-event, the value event being one 8-k material-event alert (a $0.02 start fee per run, then $0.05 per 8-k material-event alert).

No login, no API key and no CAPTCHA solving are involved: the source is read logged-out.

Who buys this

• Event-driven analysts — catch 8-K item 2.02 (results), 1.01 (material agreements), 5.02 (officer/director changes), 1.05 (cyber incidents) as they file.
• IR / comms monitoring — watch a peer set and get every new material event.

Use with

SEC 8-K Material-Event Watch → your alerting / IR dashboard → an LLM summarizer. Pairs with SEC Form D Funding Leads Watch and SEC Form ADV Adviser Watch.

📊 Sample Output

Real rows from run jYdm3WumrCchVAzlb on build 0.1.15 (2026-09-17), the same input as the Quick start below — every value is as the source published it (emails masked, long text shortened):

accession_number	composite_key	issuer_name	tickers	exchanges	sic_description
0001140361-26-035325	0001140361-26-035325	Apple Inc.	["AAPL"]	["Nasdaq"]	Electronic Computers
0001193125-26-380280	0001193125-26-380280	MICROSOFT CORP	["MSFT"]	["Nasdaq"]	Services-Prepackaged Software

The run finished with the status message: NORMAL: emitted=2; dates_complete=6/6

✅ What you get

One of three record types, discriminated by record_type: issuer_8k_filing, material_event_delta, or source_receipt. Every item carries source_url and observed_at.

Each row is flat JSON with these fields (from the dataset schema and the sample run; a field the source does not publish for a given row is null):

• record_type (string) — Discriminator.
• accession_number (string/null) — SEC accession number (filing composite key).
• composite_key (string/null) — Immutable composite key = SEC accession number.
• cik (string/null) — Issuer CIK (no leading zeros).
• issuer_name (string/null) — Registrant name.
• tickers (array/null) — Issuer exchange tickers.
• exchanges — e.g. ["Nasdaq"]
• sic — e.g. 3571
• sic_description — e.g. Electronic Computers
• form_type (string/null) — 8-K filing type.
• filed_date (string/null) — SEC filing date.
• report_date (string/null) — 8-K period-of-report date, or null when omitted.
• acceptance_datetime — e.g. 2026-09-01T20:30:35.000Z
• item_codes (array/null) — Filed 8-K item codes (preserved).
• items (array/null) — Item code + official SEC item title (title null when unknown).
• file_number — e.g. 001-36743
• primary_document (string/null) — Primary document filename.
• primary_doc_description — e.g. 8-K/A
• primary_doc_url (string/null) — Public URL of the primary 8-K document.
• filing_index_url — e.g. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000114036126035325/0001140361-26-
• parse_warnings (array/null) — Non-fatal parse warnings (e.g. unknown item codes).
• source_url (string) — Exact public SEC request URL supporting this item.
• observed_at (string) — RFC3339 UTC time after shape validation.
• source_hash (string/null) — SHA-256 over buyer-visible filing fields.
• delta_type (string/null) — material_event_delta only.
• qualification_reasons (array/null) — Why this filing qualified as a material event.
• terminal_state (string/null) — source_receipt only.
• canary_passed (boolean/null) — Whether the source-shape canary passed.
• reason_code (string/null) — Stable terminal reason code.

What you get

• material_event_delta (watch mode) — one per newly filed 8-K/8-K/A: delta_type (MATERIAL_EVENT / MATERIAL_EVENT_AMENDMENT), accession_number (= composite_key), cik, issuer_name, tickers, filed_date, report_date, item_codes + items (code → official SEC item title), primary_doc_url.
• issuer_8k_filing (snapshot mode, watchMode=false) — the same record shape without baseline diffing.
• source_receipt — per-issuer terminal (NORMAL / GENUINE_EMPTY / PARTIAL / BLOCKED), request counters, canary status. Always pushed, never billed.

Every run also writes a RUN_RECEIPT record to its key-value store with the source checks it made and the counts it charged — diagnostics never land in the paid dataset.

⚙️ Sample inputs

1. Quick start — the Store example (this is what the sample above came from)

{
  "watchedIssuers": [
    "AAPL",
    "MSFT",
    "TSLA",
    "JPM",
    "GS"
  ],
  "maxFilingsPerIssuer": 10,
  "lookbackDays": 30,
  "maxIssuers": 10,
  "watchMode": false
}

The sample run charged exactly: 1 × $0.02 apify-actor-start + 2 × $0.05 material_event_alert + 5 × $0.10 issuer_check = $0.62 on the Free tier — every delivered row was billed.

2. A smaller, narrowed run

{
  "watchedIssuers": [
    "AAPL",
    "MSFT",
    "TSLA",
    "JPM",
    "GS"
  ],
  "maxFilingsPerIssuer": 10,
  "lookbackDays": 30,
  "maxIssuers": 10,
  "watchMode": false
}

A bounded run for checking the field shape before scheduling.

3. Watch mode on a schedule

{
  "watchedIssuers": [
    "AAPL",
    "MSFT",
    "TSLA",
    "JPM",
    "GS"
  ],
  "maxFilingsPerIssuer": 10,
  "lookbackDays": 30,
  "maxIssuers": 10,
  "watchMode": true
}

The first run seeds a private baseline and emits zero deltas; every later run emits one row per change, billed at $0.05 each.

🧾 JSON sample record

One real record from run jYdm3WumrCchVAzlb, exactly as it lands in the dataset (emails masked, long text shortened):

{
  "record_type": "issuer_8k_filing",
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "accession_number": "0001140361-26-035325",
  "composite_key": "0001140361-26-035325",
  "cik": "320193",
  "issuer_name": "Apple Inc.",
  "tickers": [
    "AAPL"
  ],
  "exchanges": [
    "Nasdaq"
  ],
  "sic": "3571",
  "sic_description": "Electronic Computers",
  "form_type": "8-K/A",
  "filed_date": "2026-09-01",
  "report_date": "2026-04-17",
  "acceptance_datetime": "2026-09-01T20:30:35.000Z",
  "item_codes": [
    "5.02"
  ],
  "items": [
    {
      "item_code": "5.02",
      "item_title": "Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers"
    }
  ],
  "file_number": "001-36743",
  "primary_document": "ef20081427_8ka.htm",
  "primary_doc_description": "8-K/A",
  "primary_doc_url": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000114036126035325/ef20081427_8ka.htm",
  "filing_index_url": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000114036126035325/0001140361-26-035325-index.htm",
  "parse_warnings": [],
  "source_url": "https://data.sec.gov/submissions/CIK0000320193.json",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-17T17:49:33Z",
  "source_hash": "79410fc31550b9c8e440108141911e441226813291c5fe12179aef8facb2fcd3"
}

🔧 How it works

Transport. Plain HTTPS from the Apify platform, no proxy.

Watch semantics. Snapshot mode (watch_mode: false) returns a preview. Watch mode keys every record on a source-native id, stores a private baseline in a named key-value store, and on each later run emits one delta row per change (new / changed / removed). A blocked fetch is never diffed, so a source outage cannot show up as a mass removal.

Terminal states. A run ends NORMAL, CAPPED (your cap was reached), PARTIAL (something was withheld and the message says what), GENUINE_EMPTY (the source was read and truly had nothing in scope) or BLOCKED (the source refused or changed shape — the run FAILS loud and bills nothing). A zero-row run is never reported as a silent success.

Charging. Each 8-k material-event alert is charged at the moment it is pushed (material_event_alert); a row that fails to charge is not delivered, so the dataset count always equals the charged count.

Limits & compliance

• Source: SEC EDGAR public, logged-out JSON (data.sec.gov/submissions, www.sec.gov/files/company_tickers.json). No key, no login, no CAPTCHA.
• SEC fair-access: a descriptive User-Agent with a contact is required (secUserAgent), self-throttled well below SEC's rate ceiling.
• 8-K filings are records, not investment advice. Item codes are preserved verbatim; an unknown code keeps a null title rather than a guess. A blocked or partial issuer never advances the baseline and never implies an absence.

What is not done. No login, no cookie or CAPTCHA bypass, no private or personal-account data, no browser automation.

⏰ Set it on a schedule

A single run is a snapshot. The value is the feed: open the actor in Apify Console → Schedules → Create new, add this actor with input 3 above (watch_mode: true), and pick a cadence:

• Daily — 0 7 * * * (07:00 UTC): catch changes within a day.
• Weekly — 0 7 * * 1: a Monday digest.

Each run is independent; keep the same input on the schedule so the results stay comparable. Schedules can also POST results to a webhook (Console → Integrations).

💰 Pricing example

Event	Free	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Actor Start (apify-actor-start)	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02
8-K material-event alert (material_event_alert)	$0.05	$0.04	$0.04	$0.03
Issuer surface check (issuer_check)	$0.10	$0.09	$0.08	$0.07

Worked at the live Free-tier price (watch mode, one delta per change):

• 2 8-k material-event alerts: $0.02 start + 2 × $0.05 = $0.12
• 25 8-k material-event alerts: $0.02 start + 25 × $0.05 = $1.27
• 100 8-k material-event alerts: $0.02 start + 100 × $0.05 = $5.02

A run that delivers zero rows charges the $0.02 start fee only. A BLOCKED run (source refused) fails loud and charges no value event. The start fee is charged once per GB of run memory; the default run memory is 512 MB.

Yield on the sample run: NORMAL: emitted=2; dates_complete=6/6.

⚖️ Legal & ToS

This actor reads public data only. It collects only what the source publishes to any visitor, identifies itself, and does not access accounts, private data or anything behind authentication. Use the output in line with the source's terms and your local law; the intended use is B2B research and monitoring.

❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need an API key or a login?
A: No. the input schema has no key field and the actor carries no secrets.

Q: Why did my run return 0 rows?
A: Read the run's status message. GENUINE_EMPTY means the source was read and had nothing in scope for your input (in watch mode the first run always seeds the baseline and returns zero deltas); BLOCKED means the source refused and the run failed without billing a value event — retry later or narrow the input. A zero-row run bills the start fee only.

Q: What does watch mode remember between runs?
A: A private baseline of source-native record ids in a named key-value store. Each later run diffs the live source against it and emits only changes.

Q: How fresh is the data?
A: Every run reads the source live at run time; nothing is cached between runs except the watch baseline. Put it on a schedule for a continuous feed.

Q: What formats can I export?
A: The dataset downloads as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or RSS from the run's Dataset tab or the Apify API, and any run can push to a webhook or integration.

Q: How is this different from the other SEC filing watches actors?
A: Same output shape and billing model; this one covers SEC 8-K Material-Event Watch. The siblings under Related Actors cover the other sources or slices — run several on one schedule for a combined feed.

Q: Are there rate limits?
A: The actor paces itself against the source; there is no per-buyer limit beyond your Apify plan's concurrency.

🆘 Troubleshooting

• Run FAILED with BLOCKED → the source refused the request or changed its page shape → nothing was billed beyond the start fee; retry after a while, and if it persists open an Issue with the run id.
• Fewer rows than expected → the source had fewer items in scope → widen the input.
• Input validation error on start → a field is outside the schema's allowed values → start from the Quick start block and change one field at a time.
• Run TIMED-OUT → a very wide request on a slow day → raise the run timeout in Run options or narrow the input; what was delivered before the timeout is still in the dataset.
• First watch run shows no deltas → expected: it seeds the baseline; changes appear from the second run.

🔗 Related Actors

• 🏛️ SEC Form ADV Adviser Watch — RIA Change Feed — SEC Form ADV / IAPD watch — new and changed investment advisers (RIA/ERA): registrations, AUM bands, status changes. Delta feed
• SEC 13F Portfolio Change Watch — Institutional 13F holdings reports, amendments and notice filings
• SEC 13D/13G Beneficial Ownership Watch — Schedule 13D/13G beneficial-ownership filings and amendments
• SEC Form 4 Insider Transaction Watch — Insider-transaction filings (Form 4) as they hit the EDGAR daily index
• 🏢 About NexGenData — NexGen Watch is NexGenData's fleet of 256 public monitoring and lookup actors built on official sources, pay-per-result. Browse the catalog at apify.com/nexgenwatch.

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