# VNDB Visual Novels Scraper (`parseforge/vndb-visual-novels-scraper`) Actor Pull visual novels from the VNDB database by title search or browse the full catalog. Returns cover image, title, aliases, release date, rating, vote count, play length, languages, developers, and content tags. Great for building a VN wiki, a recommendation tool, or tracking releases. - **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/vndb-visual-novels-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Other - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% 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/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/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.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/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 ![ParseForge Banner](https://github.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/blob/ad35ccc13ddd068b9d6cba33f323962e39aed5b2/banner.jpg?raw=true) ## 🎮 VNDB Visual Novels Scraper > 🚀 **Export visual novel data from VNDB in one run.** Search by title or browse the catalog and get clean records with cover art, ratings, languages, developers, and tags. Turn the Visual Novel Database into structured records you can drop into a wiki, a recommendation engine, a release tracker, or a personal backlog. Type a search term or leave it empty to browse the whole catalog, sort the way you want, and pull back one tidy record per visual novel. Coverage is the public VNDB catalog as served by the official Kana API: every visual novel with its cover image, title and aliases, release date, rating and vote count, play length, available languages, developers, and content tags. | 🎯 Target Audience | 💡 Primary Use Cases | |---|---| | Fan site and wiki maintainers | Keep VN pages current with ratings and tags | | Recommendation tool builders | Seed a database with titles, tags, and scores | | Researchers and data analysts | Study release trends, languages, and ratings | | Collectors and players | Build and track a personal backlog | ### 📋 What the VNDB Visual Novels Scraper does This Actor calls the public VNDB Kana API and returns one clean record per visual novel: - **Search** by title or alias, or leave the search empty to browse every visual novel. - **Sort** by rating, vote count, release date, title, ID, or search rank. - **Filter** with raw VNDB filter expressions when you need precise control. You control how many records come back, and every record carries a `scrapedAt` timestamp and a direct `url` to its VNDB page. ### 📊 Data fields Each record includes: `aliases`, `description`, `developers`, `id`, `imageUrl`, `languages`, `length`, `lengthLabel`, `lengthMinutes`, `rating`, `released`, `scrapedAt`, `tags`, `title`, `url`, `votecount`. All 16 field names come from a real production run, so what you see here is what lands in your dataset. ### 🚀 How to use 1. Create a free Apify account using [this sign-up link](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp). 2. Open the VNDB Visual Novels Scraper. 3. Type a `search` term, or leave it empty to browse the whole catalog. 4. Pick a `sort` order and set `maxItems` to the number of records you want. 5. Click **Start** and grab your results when the run finishes. ### 🔗 Recommended Actors - [Brawlify Brawl Stars Database Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge) - [Have I Been Pwned Breaches Catalog Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge) - More game and reference data Actors in the [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge) > 💡 **Pro Tip:** browse the complete [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge). > **⚠️ Disclaimer:** independent tool, not affiliated with VNDB or the Visual Novel Database. Only publicly available data is collected. ### 🆘 Need Help? If you hit a bug, have questions about setup, or need a scraper we haven't built yet, open our [contact form](https://tally.so/r/BzdKgA) or write to parseforge@protonmail.com. We also take on paid custom data projects. For faster answers, join our [Discord](https://parseforge.co/discord). It's the best place to get support and suggest new actors. # Actor input Schema ## `search` (type: `string`): Free text to search visual novels by title or alias, for example 'saya' or 'fate stay night'. Leave empty to browse all visual novels (optionally narrowed by the advanced filters below). ## `sort` (type: `string`): Order of the returned visual novels. 'Search rank' is only meaningful when a search term is given. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): How many visual novels to collect per run. ## `filters` (type: `array`): Optional raw VNDB filter expression, applied instead of the Search box. Advanced. Provide a VNDB Kana filters array, for example ["lang","=","en"] for English releases or ["olang","=","ja"] for Japanese originals. See api.vndb.org for the full filter reference. ## `fields` (type: `string`): Optional comma separated list of additional VNDB fields to request on top of the defaults, for example 'olang,length_minutes,devstatus'. Advanced. ## Actor input object example ```json { "search": "saya", "sort": "rating", "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 '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "search": "saya", "maxItems": 10 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("parseforge/vndb-visual-novels-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 = { "search": "saya", "maxItems": 10, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("parseforge/vndb-visual-novels-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 '{ "search": "saya", "maxItems": 10 }' | apify call parseforge/vndb-visual-novels-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/vndb-visual-novels-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "VNDB Visual Novels Scraper", "description": "Pull visual novels from the VNDB database by title search or browse the full catalog. Returns cover image, title, aliases, release date, rating, vote count, play length, languages, developers, and content tags. Great for building a VN wiki, a recommendation tool, or tracking releases.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "JOOmxgmLcH3JKnM2v" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/parseforge~vndb-visual-novels-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-parseforge-vndb-visual-novels-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/parseforge~vndb-visual-novels-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-parseforge-vndb-visual-novels-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/parseforge~vndb-visual-novels-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-parseforge-vndb-visual-novels-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "search": { "title": "Title or keyword", "type": "string", "description": "Free text to search visual novels by title or alias, for example 'saya' or 'fate stay night'. Leave empty to browse all visual novels (optionally narrowed by the advanced filters below)." }, "sort": { "title": "Sort by", "enum": [ "rating", "votecount", "released", "title", "id", "searchrank" ], "type": "string", "description": "Order of the returned visual novels. 'Search rank' is only meaningful when a search term is given.", "default": "rating" }, "maxItems": { "title": "Maximum visual novels", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 1000000, "type": "integer", "description": "How many visual novels to collect per run." }, "filters": { "title": "Advanced filters (raw)", "type": "array", "description": "Optional raw VNDB filter expression, applied instead of the Search box. Advanced. Provide a VNDB Kana filters array, for example [\"lang\",\"=\",\"en\"] for English releases or [\"olang\",\"=\",\"ja\"] for Japanese originals. See api.vndb.org for the full filter reference." }, "fields": { "title": "Extra fields", "type": "string", "description": "Optional comma separated list of additional VNDB fields to request on top of the defaults, for example 'olang,length_minutes,devstatus'. Advanced." } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```