# Substack Scraper (`rsiddiq95/substack-scraper`) Actor

Scrape posts from any Substack newsletter: titles, dates, authors, likes, comments, paywall status and optional full text of free posts.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/rsiddiq95/substack-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Rafiullah Siddiq](https://apify.com/rsiddiq95) (community)
- **Categories:** News, For creators, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.50 / 1,000 posts

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

## Substack Scraper

Collect posts from any Substack newsletter: **title, subtitle, date, authors, likes, comments, restacks, word count and paywall status**, with optional full text of free posts. Works with `name.substack.com` addresses and custom domains.

### What can this Substack scraper do?

- 📰 **Any newsletter.** Use the short name (`lenny`), the Substack address, or the newsletter's own domain.
- 📈 **Engagement data.** Likes, comments and restacks for every post, so you can see what resonates.
- 🔒 **Paywall status.** Know which posts are free and which are for paid subscribers.
- 📝 **Full text (optional).** The complete text of free posts, and the free preview of paid ones.
- 🏆 **Newest or most popular.** Track new posts, or pull a newsletter's greatest hits.

### Who uses it?

- **Writers** researching what topics and formats perform in their niche.
- **Marketers and investors** tracking newsletters in a market.
- **Researchers** building datasets of newsletter content.

### How to scrape Substack

1. Add one or more **newsletters**.
2. Set **Max posts per newsletter** and **Sort by**.
3. Optionally set **Posts since** and turn on **Include post text**.
4. Click **Start** and download the results.

### Input example

```json
{
    "publications": ["lenny", "https://www.astralcodexten.com"],
    "maxPostsPerPublication": 100,
    "sort": "new",
    "dateFrom": "2026-01-01",
    "includeContent": false
}
```

### Output example

```json
{
    "resultType": "post",
    "publication": "https://lenny.substack.com",
    "postId": 219482066,
    "title": "How to tell if a startup has a moat",
    "url": "https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-tell-if-a-startup-has-a-moat",
    "publishedAt": "2026-10-13T12:45:41.160Z",
    "authors": ["Dan Hockenmaier"],
    "postType": "newsletter",
    "audience": "only_paid",
    "isPaywalled": true,
    "wordCount": 4153,
    "likes": 376,
    "comments": 2,
    "restacks": 22
}
```

### Use it from AI agents (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor)

AI assistants can run this Actor as a tool through [Apify's MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp). Add this server URL to any MCP client:

```
https://mcp.apify.com?tools=rsiddiq95/substack-scraper
```

Then just ask, for example: *"List the latest 20 posts from lenny.substack.com with their dates and links."* Agent runs cost the same per result as runs from the console.

### How much does it cost?

Pay per post collected. See the **Pricing** tab. Newsletters that return nothing are free.

### Limitations

- Paid posts only include their free preview. The Actor never bypasses a paywall.
- Comment text is not collected, only comment counts.

### FAQ

**Is it legal to scrape Substack?**
This Actor reads the same public archive pages any visitor sees. Respect authors' copyright: don't republish full posts without permission.

**Something isn't working.**
Open an issue on the **Issues** tab with your input.

# Actor input Schema

## `publications` (type: `array`):

Substack newsletter names (like lenny), subdomains (lenny.substack.com) or URLs, including custom domains.

## `maxPostsPerPublication` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many posts for each newsletter.

## `sort` (type: `string`):

Newest posts, or the most popular posts of the newsletter.

## `dateFrom` (type: `string`):

Only posts published on or after this date.

## `includeContent` (type: `boolean`):

Add the full text of free posts (and the free preview of paid posts). One extra request per post.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "publications": [
    "https://www.lennysnewsletter.com"
  ],
  "maxPostsPerPublication": 20,
  "sort": "new",
  "dateFrom": "",
  "includeContent": false
}
```

# 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 = {
    "publications": [
        "https://www.lennysnewsletter.com"
    ],
    "maxPostsPerPublication": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("rsiddiq95/substack-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 = {
    "publications": ["https://www.lennysnewsletter.com"],
    "maxPostsPerPublication": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("rsiddiq95/substack-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 '{
  "publications": [
    "https://www.lennysnewsletter.com"
  ],
  "maxPostsPerPublication": 20
}' |
apify call rsiddiq95/substack-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,rsiddiq95/substack-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/4sAySEWKeRUTmOEyM/builds/rnu7eGnR6jSNhb1Kg/openapi.json