# YouTube Channel Shorts Scraper (`scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-scraper`) Actor

Scrape YouTube Shorts catalogs from a channel — IDs, titles, views, and shorts URLs as structured Dataset rows. Metadata only (not a Shorts downloader). Separate type: short rows.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrape Mamba](https://apify.com/scrapemamba) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$0.39 / 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.

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

## YouTube Channel Shorts Scraper — Scrape Channel Shorts Catalogs

Pull a channel’s **Shorts** shelf into structured Dataset rows — Shorts IDs, titles, view labels, thumbnails, and `youtube.com/shorts/…` links — typed as `"short"` so warehouses can keep vertical inventory separate from long-form uploads.

**[Run YouTube Channel Shorts Scraper on Apify](https://apify.com/scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-scraper)** · Built by **ScrapeMamba** · Metadata only (not a Shorts downloader)

***

### Why this Actor?

Shorts and uploads behave differently for research, calendars, and monetization analysis. This Actor lists the public Shorts tab (same channel inputs as Channel Videos) and writes `type: "short"` rows with Shorts URLs — so vertical inventory stays easy to filter.

- Shorts catalogs, not just a one-page peek
- Same `@handles` / URLs / `UC…` IDs as other suite Actors
- Cap volume with `maxResults` (default `60`)
- Clear `type: "short"` for downstream filters

***

### Key features

- Scrape **YouTube Shorts** catalogs per channel
- Explicit cost control via `maxResults`
- Shorts-native URLs on each row
- Isolated errors per channel
- Export JSON / CSV / Excel or call via Apify API

***

### What you can scrape

| Group | Fields |
|---|---|
| Identity | `videoId`, `url` (shorts URL), `channelId`, `input`, `page` |
| Listing | `title`, `author`, `thumbnail`, `publishedTime` |
| Metrics | `views`, `length` |
| Flags | `isShort: true`, `type: "short"` |
| Diagnostics | `raw`, `error` |

***

### Use cases

- **Shorts competitor tracking** — Compare vertical posting volume across creators
- **Editorial calendars** — Export recent Shorts for planning and thumbnail review
- **Influencer discovery** — Spot creators active on Shorts, not only long-form
- **Content research** — Title mining for viral formats
- **Dataset building** — Separate Shorts fact tables from uploads

***

### Example output

```json
{
  "type": "short",
  "channelId": "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
  "input": "https://www.youtube.com/@IShowSpeed",
  "page": 1,
  "videoId": "abc123xyz01",
  "title": "Example Short title",
  "author": "IShowSpeed",
  "views": 5400000,
  "length": 28,
  "publishedTime": "1 week ago",
  "thumbnail": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/abc123xyz01/hqdefault.jpg",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/abc123xyz01",
  "isShort": true
}
```

***

### How to use

1. Open **[YouTube Channel Shorts Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-scraper)**
2. Add `channels` and set `maxResults`
3. Run → filter Dataset where `type === "short"`

#### Input example

```json
{
  "channels": ["https://www.youtube.com/@IShowSpeed"],
  "maxResults": "30"
}
```

#### API (Node.js)

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-scraper').call({
  channels: ['@GoogleDevelopers'],
  maxResults: '60',
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
```

#### Local run

```bash
cd youtube-channel-shorts-scraper-js
cp .env.example .env
npm install
node src/main.js
```

***

### Input parameters

| Parameter | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `channels` | Yes | — | Channel IDs, `@handles`, or URLs |
| `maxResults` | No | `"60"` | Max Shorts **per channel**. Free users capped at **200**; paying users uncapped. |

***

### Output

Successful items are `type: "short"` with `isShort: true` and a Shorts URL. Failed channels produce `type: "error"` without stopping the rest of the batch.

***

### Why choose this Actor

- **Shorts-first typing** — Rows are `"short"`, not ambiguous `"video"` listings
- **Same inputs as uploads scraper** — Run both in parallel Apify runs for full coverage
- **Full Shorts lists** — Keeps going until `maxResults` or the shelf ends
- **Enrichment-ready** — Hand `videoId`s to Video or Subtitles scrapers

***

### Pricing

**$0.39 per 1,000 results** on Apify. Free users: `maxResults` capped at **200** per channel. See the [Store page](https://apify.com/scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-scraper).

***

### FAQ

#### How do I scrape YouTube Shorts for a channel?

Pass channels, set `maxResults`, run this Actor, and keep rows where `type === "short"`.

#### Can I scrape Shorts and uploads in one run?

No — use this Actor for Shorts and [Channel Videos](https://apify.com/scrapemamba/youtube-channel-videos-scraper) for uploads (optionally in parallel).

#### What is the default `maxResults`?

`"60"`. Free users capped at **200** per channel; paying users uncapped.

#### Does it download Shorts files?

No. Catalog metadata and links only.

#### Why are some fields null?

Shelf listings expose fewer fields than full video details. Enrich with Video Scraper when you need deeper metadata.

***

### Related Actors

| Actor | Use it for |
|---|---|
| [YouTube Channel Videos Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapemamba/youtube-channel-videos-scraper) | Uploads tab |
| [YouTube Channel Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapemamba/youtube-channel-scraper) | Profile stats |
| [YouTube Video Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapemamba/youtube-video-scraper) | Per-Short enrichment |
| [YouTube Trending Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapemamba/youtube-trending-scraper) | Market pulse charts |

Use only on **public** Shorts data per YouTube’s terms and applicable law.

# Actor input Schema

## `channels` (type: `array`):

Channel IDs, @handles, or URLs.

## `maxResults` (type: `string`):

Maximum Shorts per channel. Free users are capped at 200.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "channels": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@IShowSpeed"
  ],
  "maxResults": "60"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Default dataset items produced by this Actor.

# 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 = {
    "channels": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/@IShowSpeed"
    ],
    "maxResults": "60"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-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 = {
    "channels": ["https://www.youtube.com/@IShowSpeed"],
    "maxResults": "60",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-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 '{
  "channels": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@IShowSpeed"
  ],
  "maxResults": "60"
}' |
apify call scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scrapemamba/youtube-channel-shorts-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/UFbE4Sn82X9T3lrS7/builds/KHiY9KpcFqIur5fWw/openapi.json