# YouTube Search Scraper 🔎 (`scriptbase/youtube-search-scraper`) Actor 🔎 Scrape YouTube search results at scale. Get video titles, URLs, channels, view counts, durations and thumbnails for any query. Paginated, no login, no YouTube API key or quota. - **URL**: https://apify.com/scriptbase/youtube-search-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Scriptbase](https://apify.com/scriptbase) (community) - **Categories:** Agents, SEO tools, Social media - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $10.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. 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. 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 ## YouTube Search Scraper Scrape YouTube search results at scale. Type a query, get back ranked video results with titles, URLs, channels, view counts, durations and thumbnails — no login, no YouTube Data API key, no quota. ### What it does Runs one YouTube search and writes one dataset row per result, in the order YouTube ranked them. It pages through results until it reaches your `maxItems` limit or the results run out. The query is passed through exactly as you type it, so YouTube's own search operators work: quoted phrases, `-exclusions`, `channel:` filters — anything the search box accepts. ### Input | Field | Type | Required | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---|---| | `query` | string | yes | — | What to search for | | `maxItems` | integer | no | 100 | Stop after this many results | ```json { "query": "prisma migrate tutorial", "maxItems": 200 } ```` ### Output One row per result. ```json { "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "title": "Prisma Migrate in 10 minutes", "channel": { "id": "UC38IQsAvIsxxjztdMZQtwHA", "title": "Dev Channel", "handle": "@devchannel", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@devchannel" }, "durationSec": 612, "views": 48210, "publishedAt": "2026-03-04T00:00:00.000Z", "publishedAtConfidence": "parsed", "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/hqdefault.jpg" } ``` | Field | Type | Notes | |---|---|---| | `id` | string | YouTube video id | | `url` | string | Canonical watch URL | | `title` | string | Video title | | `channel` | object | `id`, `title`, `handle`, `url` | | `durationSec` | integer | Length in seconds | | `views` | integer | View count at scrape time | | `publishedAt` | string | ISO 8601 | | `publishedAtConfidence` | string | `exact` | `parsed` | `unknown` | | `thumbnailUrl` | string | Thumbnail image URL | #### About `publishedAtConfidence` YouTube renders ages as relative text — "2 weeks ago" — rather than timestamps. When that is all a source gives us, the date is computed from it and marked `parsed`. `exact` means a real timestamp arrived. `unknown` means neither did, and `publishedAt` is absent. Most scrapers present a computed date as if it were exact. This one tells you which it is, so you can judge whether it is precise enough for your analysis. ### What it does not do - **Videos only.** Channels, playlists and Shorts shelves that appear inline in YouTube's results are not returned as rows. - **No result filters.** Upload date, duration and type filters are not exposed; results come back as YouTube ranked them. - **No transcripts or comments.** Those are separate actors — use the video `url` from these rows as their input. - **Rankings are personal and regional.** YouTube ranks differently by country and history. Treat the order as one snapshot, not a fixed truth. ### Pricing Charged per result delivered. A run returning 200 results bills 200. Failed runs charge nothing. ### Errors | Code | Meaning | |---|---| | `BAD_REQUEST` | Input missing, malformed, or not a URL this actor serves | | `NOT_FOUND` | The target is private, removed, or does not exist | | `UNSUPPORTED_OPERATION` | The URL resolved to a platform this actor does not serve | | `UPSTREAM_FAILED` | Every upstream source failed — retry shortly | | `RATE_LIMITED` | Too many requests; back off and retry | | `TIMEOUT` | The source took longer than the actor's budget | | `UNAUTHORIZED` | The actor's API credentials are invalid — contact the author | | `INSUFFICIENT_CREDITS` | The account behind this actor is out of credits — contact the author | | `INTERNAL_ERROR` | Unexpected failure | `UNAUTHORIZED` and `INSUFFICIENT_CREDITS` are on us, not you. If you see either, the actor is misconfigured on our side. ### How it works Search runs through three independent upstream sources. If one is down or returns nothing usable, the next is tried inside the same run — no double charge, no retry on your side. Three sources is the deepest failover in this catalogue. Results are always fetched live. Search rankings move hour to hour, so caching them would hand you a stale ranking dressed up as a current one. ### FAQ **Do I need a YouTube API key?** No. **Do search operators work?** Yes — the query string reaches YouTube untouched. **Can I search within one channel?** Use YouTube's own `channel:` operator in the query, or the YouTube Channel Videos Scraper for a complete upload list. **Why do I get different results than my browser?** YouTube personalises by account, history and region. This runs signed-out. **Why fewer results than `maxItems`?** The query ran out of results. That is a normal successful run. # Actor input Schema ## `query` (type: `string`): What to search YouTube for, exactly as you would type it into the search box. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Stop after this many results. Charged per result delivered, so this caps the run's cost. ## Actor input object example ```json { "query": "prisma migrate", "maxItems": 25 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `overview` (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 = { "query": "prisma migrate", "maxItems": 25 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("scriptbase/youtube-search-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 = { "query": "prisma migrate", "maxItems": 25, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("scriptbase/youtube-search-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 '{ "query": "prisma migrate", "maxItems": 25 }' | apify call scriptbase/youtube-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=scriptbase/youtube-search-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "YouTube Search Scraper 🔎", "description": "🔎 Scrape YouTube search results at scale. Get video titles, URLs, channels, view counts, durations and thumbnails for any query. Paginated, no login, no YouTube API key or quota.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "v9du3BSoC7xYjKEVc" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/scriptbase~youtube-search-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-scriptbase-youtube-search-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/scriptbase~youtube-search-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-scriptbase-youtube-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/scriptbase~youtube-search-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-scriptbase-youtube-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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", "required": [ "query" ], "properties": { "query": { "title": "Search Query", "type": "string", "description": "What to search YouTube for, exactly as you would type it into the search box." }, "maxItems": { "title": "Maximum results", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Stop after this many results. Charged per result delivered, so this caps the run's cost.", "default": 100 } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```