# SourceHut Projects Scraper (`parseforge/sourcehut-projects-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes public Git repository metadata from SourceHut user profiles. Feed it a list of usernames and get each project as a flat row with its name, description, clone URL, and last update timestamp.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/sourcehut-projects-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 93.1% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $7.69 / 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.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner.jpg)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### SourceHut Projects Scraper

**Scrape SourceHut projects from any username, up to a million per run.** Every project comes with its name, description, visibility, and last-updated timestamp. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

SourceHut's official API requires OAuth and rate-limits you. This reads the public project listings directly, filtered by username, and returns each match in one fixed schema. It is the fastest way to get a clean dataset of SourceHut projects for research, monitoring, or backup.

| Who uses it | What they scrape SourceHut for |
|---|---|
| Open-source researchers | Which projects a developer or organization maintains on SourceHut |
| Dev tool companies | Which SourceHut projects are active and what they are about |
| Recruiters | What a candidate has built and shared publicly on SourceHut |
| Security analysts | Which repositories belong to a given SourceHut account |

### What it does

This Actor collects SourceHut projects by username and returns each one as a flat row.

- 👤 **Username input:** scrape projects for one or more SourceHut usernames, with or without the leading tilde.
- 🔢 **Max items:** cap the number of projects collected per run, from 1 to 1,000,000.
- 📦 **Flat output:** every project is returned as a single row with a consistent schema, ready for export.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with SourceHut data

**📊 Monitor open-source activity.**

A researcher runs the Actor weekly on a list of SourceHut usernames to see which projects are new or recently updated.

**🧑‍💻 Build a developer profile.**

A recruiter scrapes a candidate's SourceHut projects to understand their coding interests and activity.

**🔍 Discover niche projects.**

A dev tool company scrapes projects from known SourceHut users to find potential integrations or competitors.

**🗄️ Back up project metadata.**

An archivist exports project names, descriptions, and timestamps for a set of SourceHut accounts to preserve a snapshot.

### Why choose this scraper

| | What you get |
|---|---|
| **No API key** | Scrape public SourceHut project listings without registering an OAuth app or dealing with rate limits. |
| **Multiple usernames** | Pass a list of SourceHut usernames and get all their public projects in one run. |
| **Clean schema** | Every project is returned as a flat row with the same fields, so you can export and analyze immediately. |

### How it compares

No other Store actor targets SourceHut the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

| | SourceHut Projects Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When SourceHut changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from SourceHut usernames, alone or together, and the max items limit runs as projects are read so only the first N matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
 "usernames": [
 "sircmpwn",
 "emersion"
 ],
 "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
 "usernames": [
 "sircmpwn",
 "emersion"
 ],
 "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.0085 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.85 |
| 1,000 results | $8.50 |
| 10,000 results | $85.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [SourceHut Projects Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/sourcehut-projects-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to SourceHut through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/sourcehut-projects-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results?**

Check that the usernames are spelled correctly and that they have public projects. Also ensure the max items limit is not set too low.

**Why did the run stop before collecting all projects?**

The max items limit was reached. Increase the 'Maximum projects' input to collect more.

**Why are some projects missing?**

Only public projects are returned. If a project was recently made private, it will not appear.

**Why do I get an error about invalid username?**

Make sure the username does not include the leading tilde if you are using the plain form. Both 'sircmpwn' and '~sircmpwn' are accepted, but other characters may cause issues.

**Why is the run slow?**

Scraping many usernames or a high max items limit can take time. Reduce the number of usernames or lower the limit.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a SourceHut account or API key? | No. The Actor reads public project listings directly, so no login or API key is required. |
| Can I scrape projects from multiple usernames at once? | Yes. Pass a list of usernames in the input, and the Actor will collect projects for all of them in a single run. |
| What does the output look like? | Each project is returned as a flat row with fields like name, description, visibility, and last-updated timestamp. You can export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML. |
| How do I limit the number of projects? | Set the 'Maximum projects' input to the number you want. The Actor stops after collecting that many projects. |
| Can I scrape private projects? | No. Only public projects are accessible. Private projects are not returned. |
| What if a username does not exist? | The Actor will skip that username and continue with the others. No error is thrown. |
| Does the Actor follow pagination? | Yes, it automatically pages through all public projects for each username until the max items limit is reached. |
| Can I schedule this Actor to run regularly? | Yes, you can set up a schedule in Apify to run it daily, weekly, or at any interval you need. |
| Is the data returned in real time? | Yes, the Actor fetches the latest public project listings at the time of the run. |
| What is SourceHut? | SourceHut is a suite of open-source tools for software development, including Git hosting, bug tracking, and mailing lists. This Actor scrapes its public project listings. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by SourceHut, LLC. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `usernames` (type: `array`):

SourceHut usernames whose public Git repositories to scrape (with or without the leading ~), for example sircmpwn, emersion. Leave empty to use a default set of well-known users.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of projects to collect per run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "sircmpwn",
    "emersion"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "usernames": [
        "sircmpwn",
        "emersion"
    ],
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/sourcehut-projects-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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "usernames": [
        "sircmpwn",
        "emersion",
    ],
    "maxItems": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/sourcehut-projects-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 '{
  "usernames": [
    "sircmpwn",
    "emersion"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/sourcehut-projects-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/sourcehut-projects-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 <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` 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/KbKmZN9rGcecXifFa/builds/x9Ub1qmFeSSDFwotT/openapi.json