Quora Space Activity & Content Change Monitor

This actor watches public Quora Spaces (topic communities) and individual Quora pages — questions, answers, profiles, topics, or posts — for content-level changes between runs. Point it at one or more Space URLs for the richer community-level view (metadata, feed, contributors), or at any other public Quora URL for a lighter title/content change check. Run it on a schedule and it only reports what actually changed.

What this actor does

• Monitors a Quora Space's metadata (name, description, follower/member/post counts, rules, topics) and reports whether it changed since the last run.
• Monitors a Space's visible feed (posts, questions, answers) and, optionally, the people with an explicitly labeled role in that Space (owner, moderator, admin, contributor).
• Monitors any other public Quora URL — a question, answer, profile, topic, or standalone post — for title/content changes via urls.
• Discovers additional Space and entity links from native Quora search queries, within a bounded cap.
• Reports an explicit status row (login-required, Cloudflare-blocked, removed, etc.) instead of guessing when a page can't be read, and every row only contains the fields this actor actually observed — nothing is filled in with a placeholder.

Output fields

Every run emits rows that share a common set of identity/status fields, plus extra fields depending on what kind of row it is (Space metadata, feed item, contributor, discovery result, generic URL event, or run/status row).

Every row

Field	Description
content_type	What kind of row this is, e.g. space, space_feed_item, space_contributor, space_discovery, monitor_event, status
record_id	Stable identifier for this row
url / source_url	The row's own URL and the URL it was observed from
final_url	URL after following any redirects
title	Unified human-readable label for the row (Space name, feed item title, contributor name, etc.)
date_precision	exact when a machine-readable date was found, relative when only a label like "3h ago" was available
access_state	What access state was observed, e.g. public, login_required, cloudflare, unavailable, network_error
http_status	HTTP status code observed
error	Error description, when the fetch failed
scrape_timestamp	When this row was captured
matched_input / matched_input_kind	The exact input URL or search query that produced this row
source_observations / source_observation_count	Bounded history of exact URLs/queries retained for this Space
source_query / source_kind	The query or source type that produced this row, when applicable
requested_depth / observed_depth	The traversal depth you asked for vs. what was actually achieved
detail_expansion_state	Whether detail-level traversal completed, was bounded, blocked, or not applicable
localized_numeric_fields	Parsed numeric values for any *_count/*_count_text field present on the row
normalized_date_fields	UTC-normalized companions for every date field present on the row
date_interpretations	Bounded interval interpretation of a relative date label, when present
field_sources / fields_present	Evidence of where each field's value came from and which fields are present on this row
parser_strategy / parser_version	Which extraction path and version produced this row
output_projection	full or selected, depending on whether outputFields filtered this row
max_items_per_source / source_cap / source_items_observed / source_items_emitted / source_cap_reached	The configured per-source cap and how it applied to this row's source

Space metadata row

Field	Description
space_url / space_id / canonical_url	The Space's URL, ID and canonical link
name / description	Space name and description
image_url	Space image URL
created_at / updated_at	Space creation/update timestamps, when shown
space_visibility / space_type	public/private/restricted/unknown, and the Space type
follower_count / follower_count_value	Follower count, as shown and as a parsed number
member_count / member_count_value	Member count, as shown and as a parsed number
post_count / post_count_value	Post count, as shown and as a parsed number
contributor_count / contributor_count_value	Contributor count, as shown and as a parsed number
owner_name / owner_url	Space owner's name and profile link
website_url	Linked external website, when shown
moderator_records	Moderators found in an explicitly labeled moderator region
topics / topic_links	Topic names, and topic name/URL pairs
rules	Space rules/guidelines text, when visible

Space settings (opt-in via includeSettings)

Field	Description
space_settings_state	Whether the settings probe was skipped, found nothing, or observed settings
space_allowed_content_types	Explicitly named content types the Space allows, e.g. posts, questions
space_comment_permission	Who can comment, when explicitly stated
space_submission_policy	Who can submit content, when explicitly stated
space_content_requirements	Raw lines describing content/link/text requirements
space_distribution_state	Distribution scope, when explicitly stated
space_contributor_request_state	Whether contributor requests are enabled or disabled
space_settings_text	Raw text from the labeled settings region

Feed item row

Field	Description
feed_url / feed_type / feed_title / feed_text	The feed item's link, type, title and visible text
feed_author_name / feed_author_url / feed_author_image_url / feed_author_id	The feed item author's identity
feed_author_credentials / author_credentials	Credential or tagline text shown next to the author, when present
feed_author_is_verified / feed_author_is_anonymous	Positive-only markers when an explicit verified badge or Anonymous label is visible
feed_created_at / feed_timestamp	The feed item's date, machine-readable or as a relative label
feed_age_days / feed_age_state	Age in days, computed only when a machine-readable date was available
media_urls / image_urls / video_urls	Media attached to the feed item, when includeMedia is on
outbound_links	Outbound links found on the feed card, when includeOutboundLinks is on
feed_tab / observed_feed_tab	The tab you requested and whether it was actually selected
space_feed_limit_reached	Whether maxFeedItems was reached

Question expansion (when maxFeedQuestionExpansions > 0)

Field	Description
question_id	The expanded question's ID
question_answer_count / question_answer_count_value	Answer count, as shown and as a parsed number
question_view_count / question_view_count_value	View count, as shown and as a parsed number
question_details	Question description/details text
question_created_at / question_updated_at	Question timestamps

Contributor row (opt-in via includeContributors)

Field	Description
contributor_url / contributor_name / contributor_image_url / contributor_id	The contributor's identity
contributor_role / role_label / role_source	Their role and where that role label was found

Discovery row (from searchQueries)

Field	Description
discovered_spaces	Space links found by the query
discovered_entities	Question/answer/profile/topic/post links found by the query
discovery_cap_reached	Whether maxDiscoveryResults was reached
observed_tabs	Tabs actually seen on the page

Change tracking (when stateStoreId is set)

Field	Description
event_type	new, unchanged, or changed
content_hash / previous_content_hash	The row's current and prior content fingerprint
previous_snapshot_available	Whether a prior snapshot existed to compare against
change_evidence	Details of the comparison that produced event_type
field_change_summary	Names of fields that changed, when diffMode includes a summary
previous_field_values / current_field_values	Before/after values of changed fields, when diffMode is field_values

Run diagnostics

Field	Description
scrape_duration_ms / run_duration_ms	Time spent on this row and on the overall run
navigation_attempts / navigation_retries / navigation_retry_delays_seconds	Navigation attempt and retry accounting
proxy_used / proxy_resolution_state	Whether proxy was used and how it resolved
session_cookie_count / session_input_state / session_cookie_expiry_state	Session/cookie accounting
request_delay_seconds / browser_locale / requested_result_types	Request pacing and locale settings applied
records_emitted / source_pages_attempted	How many rows and source pages this run covered
content_type_counts / access_state_counts	Row counts broken down by type and access state
input_accounting	How each input item was resolved
state_entries_pruned / state_retention_days / diff_mode	State-store pruning and diff settings applied
manifest_version	Version of this actor's output contract
space_scroll_attempts / space_scroll_state	Scroll traversal accounting for the feed
space_load_more_attempts / space_load_more_clicks / space_load_more_state	Load-more button traversal accounting
space_continuation_state	Combined continuation-traversal evidence
contributor_limit_reached	Whether maxContributors was reached

Projection, depth and session notes

• Compact rows. outputFields keeps only the fields you list; an empty list keeps the full row. Nested projection is supported with bounded dotted paths such as topic_links.topic_name or discovered_entities.name, and child identity/URL fields inside those collections are kept. Change evidence, state-store diagnostics, identity, access and source fields are never removed, and output_projection reports full or selected. includeFieldEvidence decides whether field_sources/fields_present stay on each row.
• Depth. scrapeDepth: "overview" captures Space metadata and status only, with no feed, contributor, scroll or load-more work; detail (default) runs the capped monitoring traversal. requested_depth, observed_depth and detail_expansion_state are on every row, and bounded means a scroll or load-more cap was reached, not that the Space's whole history was read.
• Author credentials. feed_author_credentials (and the shared author_credentials) carry a credential or tagline only when it is printed inside the feed card's own author block; ambiguous text is left out and it never verifies expertise.
• Session input. Use structured cookies or the secret cookieString header (name=value; name2=value2). Structured cookies win on duplicate names, malformed pairs are ignored, and the raw header is never emitted or logged. This is an access input for content your account can already see, not a bypass guarantee.
• Exact field names. Every output field this actor can emit is listed under Output fields above.

Fixture-backed examples (synthetic)

Two synthetic, trimmed rows that show the output shape; they are not live Space observations. The first is a Space row from a run with maxItemsPerSource set, the second is the status row for a Space that showed a login wall.

{"content_type":"space","space_url":"https://example-space.quora.com/","name":"Fixture Space","space_visibility":"public","follower_count":"12K","follower_count_value":12000,"access_state":"public","requested_depth":"detail","observed_depth":"detail","detail_expansion_state":"completed","source_cap":20,"source_items_observed":8,"source_items_emitted":8,"source_cap_reached":false,"field_sources":{"space_visibility":"visible_dom_or_structured_data","follower_count_value":"derived_signals","access_state":"runtime_or_access"}}

{"content_type":"status","access_state":"login_required","http_status":200,"requested_depth":"detail","observed_depth":"status","detail_expansion_state":"blocked","field_sources":{"access_state":"runtime_or_access","http_status":"runtime_or_access"}}

Complete schema input inventory

Field	Type	Default	Description
spaceUrls	array	[]	Direct /q/ Space routes or Space subdomain URLs to monitor
urls	array	[]	Any public Quora URL (question, answer, profile, topic, or post) to monitor for content changes; requires stateStoreId
startUrls	array	[]	Request-list objects for any public Quora URL, routed the same way as spaceUrls/urls
searchQueries	array	[]	Native Quora search queries used to discover additional Space/entity links
maxDiscoveryResults	integer	20	Maximum Space links returned per discovery query (1–500)
includeMetadata	boolean	true	Emit a Space metadata row for each successfully observed Space
includeFeed	boolean	true	Emit feed item rows
scrapeDepth	select	detail	overview (metadata/status only) or detail (adds feed/contributor/scroll traversal)
feedTab	select	all	Which feed tab to select: all, posts, questions, top, unanswered, about, or rules
includeContributors	boolean	false	Emit contributor rows found inside explicitly labeled role regions
contributorRoles	array	["owner","moderator","admin","contributor"]	Role labels accepted for contributor rows
maxFeedItems	integer	50	Maximum feed rows per Space (0–5000)
maxContributors	integer	50	Maximum contributor rows per Space (0–5000)
maxFeedQuestionExpansions	integer	0	Number of question-type feed items to expand into full question fields, when scrapeDepth is detail (0–500)
includeFeedText	boolean	true	Include visible feed text
includeMedia	boolean	false	Include media URLs from feed cards
includeOutboundLinks	boolean	false	Include outbound links from feed cards
includeRules	boolean	true	Include Space rules/guidelines text
includeTopics	boolean	true	Include Space topic links
includeSettings	boolean	false	Include explicitly labeled Space settings/content-permission evidence
maxScrollAttempts	integer	5	Maximum scroll attempts for feed traversal (0–20)
maxLoadMoreAttempts	integer	5	Maximum "load more" button activations (0–20)
onlyNewItems	boolean	false	Suppress unchanged rows; requires stateStoreId
includeUnchanged	boolean	true	Keep unchanged rows when onlyNewItems is enabled
stateStoreId	string	""	Key-value store name used to remember previous snapshots; required for onlyNewItems or urls
stateRetentionDays	integer	0	Age-based pruning for stored snapshots; 0 disables pruning (0–3650)
diffMode	select	hash_and_summary	Change-evidence detail level: hash_only, field_summary, field_values, or hash_and_summary
maxItems	integer	0	Global output row cap; 0 means no cap (0–50000)
requestDelay	number	2	Delay between source pages, in seconds (0–30)
maxConcurrency	integer	1	Source pages processed concurrently (1–3)
maxNavigationRetries	integer	2	Retries for transient navigation failures (0–3)
language	select	auto	Browser language hint; doesn't translate content
cookies	array	[]	Optional structured session cookies
cookieString	string	–	Optional name=value; name2=value2 cookie header, parsed locally
proxyConfiguration	proxy	RESIDENTIAL	Apify proxy configuration; defaults to the residential group for reliable access
outputFields	array	[]	Optional allowlist of field names (including dotted nested paths) to keep in each row
includeFieldEvidence	boolean	true	Keep field_sources/fields_present on each row
maxItemsPerSource	integer	0	Maximum rows emitted per individual source URL/query; 0 means no per-source cap (0–5000)

Example inputs

Example: monitor a Space's metadata and feed

{
  "spaceUrls": ["https://cryptocurrency.quora.com/"],
  "includeMetadata": true,
  "includeFeed": true,
  "maxFeedItems": 50
}

Example: track changes on a specific question over time

{
  "urls": ["https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-future-of-AI"],
  "stateStoreId": "my-quora-watchlist",
  "onlyNewItems": true
}

Example: discover Spaces by topic and list their contributors

{
  "searchQueries": ["machine learning"],
  "includeContributors": true,
  "maxContributors": 20
}

Use cases

• Community monitoring — get notified only when a Space you follow actually changes, instead of re-reading it every time.
• Research tracking — watch a specific question or answer for edits over weeks or months.
• Topic discovery — use search queries to surface Spaces and discussions around a subject you're researching.
• Moderator/owner mapping — list the explicitly labeled roles in a community you're studying.
• Content audit trails — keep a changed-fields history of a Space's rules or settings over time.

FAQ

Is this affiliated with Quora? No. This actor reads Quora's public pages and is not operated by or affiliated with Quora.

Do I need to log in? No for public content. Optional cookies/cookieString let you supply your own session if you want to monitor content that requires one, but this is not a guarantee of access to private content.

Why do I see a status row instead of data? Quora returned something this actor can't read as content — a login wall, a Cloudflare challenge, a removed page, or a network error. The row reports access_state and http_status instead of guessing.

What's the difference between Space URLs and other Quora URLs? Space URLs (/q/... or a Space subdomain) get the full metadata/feed/contributor treatment. Any other Quora URL (question, answer, profile, topic, post) only gets a lighter title/content-hash change check via urls.

Why didn't a field like follower_count show up? Fields are only populated from explicit, visible evidence on the page. If a count or label isn't shown, the field is simply absent rather than guessed.

What does onlyNewItems actually suppress? With a stateStoreId set, rows whose content hasn't changed since the last run are dropped when onlyNewItems is true, unless includeUnchanged keeps them.

Can I get just a few specific fields back? Yes — outputFields lets you allowlist field names (including nested paths like topic_links.topic_name) for a compact row; identity, access and source-accounting fields always stay.

Does scrapeDepth: overview still check for changes? Yes for Space metadata, but it skips feed, contributor, scroll and load-more traversal, so you won't get feed-level change rows.