# Sitemap URL Extractor - Expand Sitemaps to URLs (`scrapesage/sitemap-extractor`) Actor

Expand one or more sitemaps into a flat list of URLs. Follows nested sitemap-index trees, decompresses .gz sitemaps, and returns each URL with its lastmod, changefreq and priority. No browser.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapesage/sitemap-extractor.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrape Sage](https://apify.com/scrapesage) (community)
- **Categories:** Other, Agents, Integrations
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.17 / 1,000 url extracteds

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 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

## Sitemap URL Extractor - Expand Sitemaps to URLs

Turn one or more sitemaps into a flat, deduplicated list of URLs - the fast way to get every page of a
site before crawling it. Point it at a `sitemap.xml` and it **follows the whole index tree** (sitemaps
of sitemaps), **decompresses `.xml.gz`** files, and returns each URL with its `lastmod`, `changefreq`
and `priority` where the sitemap provides them.

Pure HTTP + XML parsing, no browser - fast and cents per URL. The output feeds straight into another
scraper (paste the URLs into any actor's Start-URLs, or link the dataset).

### What you get per URL

`loc` (the URL) · `lastmod` · `changefreq` · `priority` · `sourceSitemap` (which sitemap it came from).

### Input

```json
{
  "sitemapUrls": ["https://example.com/sitemap.xml"],
  "includeMetadata": true,
  "maxItems": 10000
}
```

- **Sitemap URLs** - one per line. An index sitemap is followed into its children automatically; `.gz`
  is decompressed. Leave empty for a small free sample.
- **Import from a file** - paste a list, or link a public `.txt`/`.csv`, a Google Sheet/Drive link, or
  an Apify key-value-store record.
- **Max sitemaps / Max URLs** - bound how much of a large index tree to expand.
- **Output fields** - tick only the columns you need (e.g. just `loc`).

### Notes

- Handles standard XML sitemaps and sitemap indexes (the `sitemaps.org` protocol), including gzipped
  ones. A sitemap that cannot be fetched or parsed is reported and skipped, never crashing the run.
- URLs are deduplicated across every sitemap in the tree.

### Use with AI assistants (MCP)

Available through the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp) - an agent can
expand a site's sitemap into a work-list of URLs and hand them to a crawler or content pipeline.

### Agent-ready: autonomous payments (x402 & Skyfire)

This actor is **agent-ready** - AI agents can discover it, run it, and **pay for it autonomously**, with no Apify account and no human in the loop. It uses [pay-per-event](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/publishing/monetize/pay-per-event) pricing and [limited permissions](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/development/permissions), so it qualifies for Apify's agentic-payment standards:

- **[x402](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/x402)** - an open, HTTP-native payment protocol. Agents pay per run in USDC on the Base network directly through the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp) - no account, no API key.
- **[Skyfire](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/skyfire)** - agent-to-service payments for fully autonomous AI-agent workflows.

Building an AI agent, MCP tool, or autonomous data pipeline? This scraper is ready to plug in and pay as it goes.

# Actor input Schema

## `sitemapUrls` (type: `array`):

Sitemap URLs to expand - e.g. <code>https://example.com/sitemap.xml</code>. A <code>sitemap.xml</code> that is an index is followed into its child sitemaps automatically, and <code>.xml.gz</code> files are decompressed. <b>Leave empty and the run returns a small free sample.</b>

## `urlsFromFile` (type: `string`):

Bulk-load sitemap URLs. Either <b>paste the whole list</b> (one per line), or give <b>a single link</b> to a public <code>.txt</code>/<code>.csv</code>, a Google Sheet/Drive link, or an Apify key-value-store record. A file that cannot be read says so and charges nothing.

## `includeMetadata` (type: `boolean`):

Include each URL's <code>lastmod</code>, <code>changefreq</code> and <code>priority</code> where the sitemap provides them. Turn off for just the URLs.

## `maxSitemaps` (type: `integer`):

How many sitemap files to fetch in total when following an index tree. Protects against huge or self-referential indexes.

## `outputFields` (type: `array`):

Pick the fields you want and every record is trimmed to exactly those - handy for a lean URL export. Open the dropdown and tick, or type to filter (<code>loc</code>, <code>lastmod</code>).

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

Maximum number of URLs to output in one run.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional. Sitemaps are usually public, so no proxy is needed by default. Enable a proxy only if a host blocks the fetch.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sitemapUrls": [
    "https://apify.com/sitemap.xml"
  ],
  "includeMetadata": true,
  "maxSitemaps": 100,
  "maxItems": 10000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Each scraped record - URLs extracted from sitemaps - as a JSON item in the default dataset.

# 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 = {
    "sitemapUrls": [
        "https://apify.com/sitemap.xml"
    ],
    "urlsFromFile": ""
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapesage/sitemap-extractor").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 = {
    "sitemapUrls": ["https://apify.com/sitemap.xml"],
    "urlsFromFile": "",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapesage/sitemap-extractor").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 '{
  "sitemapUrls": [
    "https://apify.com/sitemap.xml"
  ],
  "urlsFromFile": ""
}' |
apify call scrapesage/sitemap-extractor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scrapesage/sitemap-extractor"
        }
    }
}

```

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/kQaKYeZ1zKS2EsXDC/builds/oB1X6XJYFRcKHpYOT/openapi.json