Twitch Categories Scraper

Extract live category data from Twitch Directory in a clean, structured format. Collect category names, slugs, viewer counts, tags, and URLs for analytics and monitoring workflows. Built for stable high-volume collection without relying on integrity-blocked cursor calls.

Features

• Directory category extraction - Collects categories from the Twitch directory feed.
• URL-priority source handling - Uses your provided Twitch URL as the primary source.
• Collection URL support - Supports /directory/collection/{slug} and converts collection streams into category results.
• Viewer metrics included - Captures current viewersCount for each category.
• High-volume expansion - Uses 100-item directory batches plus tag-based expansion to reach larger targets.
• Clean dataset output - Removes null and empty values before saving records.
• Optional tag enrichment - Includes category content tags when available.

Use Cases

Trend Tracking

Monitor which categories are gaining or losing viewers over time. Build daily snapshots and compare category movement across periods.

Market Research

Identify high-traffic niches before launching new streams, campaigns, or sponsorship plans. Focus your strategy on categories with sustained demand.

Competitive Intelligence

Track audience concentration by category to understand where attention is shifting. Use this to prioritize collaboration or content expansion.

Reporting and Dashboards

Feed category metrics into BI tools and custom dashboards. Automate exports for recurring reporting workflows.

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
startUrl	String	No	"https://www.twitch.tv/directory"	Twitch URL to scrape (supports /directory and /directory/collection/{slug}).
results_wanted	Integer	No	20	Maximum number of categories to collect.
proxyConfiguration	Object	No	{ "useApifyProxy": false }	Optional proxy settings.

Output Data

Each item in the dataset contains:

Field	Type	Description
categoryId	String	Twitch category identifier.
slug	String	Category slug used in URLs.
name	String	Category display name.
internalName	String	Internal category name from source response.
url	String	Twitch category directory URL.
avatarUrl	String	Category thumbnail image URL.
viewersCount	Number	Current viewers in the category.
originalReleaseDate	String	Release date when available.
tags	Array	Content tags associated with the category.
trackingId	String	Tracking identifier from source edge.
cursor	String	Pagination cursor for the category edge.
source	String	Source marker for the record.
sourceUrl	String	Directory URL reference used in run input.
collectionSlug	String	Collection slug when source URL is a collection path.
scrapedAt	String	UTC timestamp when record was collected.

Usage Examples

Basic Extraction

{
	"results_wanted": 20
}

Larger Dataset Run

{
	"results_wanted": 120
}

Proxy-Enabled Run

{
	"results_wanted": 50,
	"proxyConfiguration": {
		"useApifyProxy": true,
		"apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
	}
}

Collection URL Run

{
	"startUrl": "https://www.twitch.tv/directory/collection/gaming-streams",
	"results_wanted": 80
}

Sample Output

{
	"categoryId": "509658",
	"slug": "just-chatting",
	"name": "Just Chatting",
	"internalName": "Just Chatting",
	"url": "https://www.twitch.tv/directory/category/just-chatting",
	"avatarUrl": "https://static-cdn.jtvnw.net/ttv-boxart/509658-285x380.jpg",
	"viewersCount": 131692,
	"tags": [
		{
			"id": "2610cff9-10ae-4cb3-8500-778e6722fbb5",
			"localizedName": "IRL"
		}
	],
	"trackingId": "a2c4fb59-fa29-4a00-b6de-954b6ae4756c",
	"cursor": "eyJzIjoxLCJkIjpmYWxzZSwidCI6dHJ1ZX0=",
	"source": "twitch_directory",
	"sourceUrl": "https://www.twitch.tv/directory",
	"scrapedAt": "2026-03-13T10:00:00.000Z"
}

Tips for Best Results

Start with QA-Friendly Limits

• Use results_wanted: 20 for quick validation runs.
• Increase volume only after confirming your workflow.

Internal Expansion Strategy

• The actor fetches up to 100 categories per directory request.
• For larger targets, it expands results using discovered Twitch content tags.

Enable Tags Only When Needed

• Tags are included automatically for each category record.
• Use downstream filtering if you need a lighter dataset view.

Use Proxies for High-Volume Automation

• For heavy scheduling, configure a proxy setup.
• Residential pools can improve consistency in stricter environments.

Integrations

Connect scraped data with:

• Google Sheets - Build lightweight category trackers.
• Airtable - Maintain searchable category databases.
• Looker Studio - Visualize category trends over time.
• Make - Trigger follow-up automation flows.
• Zapier - Send records to CRMs, alerts, or docs.
• Webhooks - Forward data to internal pipelines.

Export Formats

• JSON - API and developer workflows.
• CSV - Spreadsheet analysis.
• Excel - Business reporting.
• XML - Custom integrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many categories can I collect?

The actor is optimized for larger targets by combining a 100-item base directory batch with internal tag-based expansion.

What happens when I provide a collection URL?

The actor prioritizes your URL and extracts categories from that collection source first. If the collection has fewer unique categories than requested, it automatically tops up from directory expansion so your run can still meet results_wanted.

Why are some fields missing in some records?

Fields that are empty or null are intentionally removed from output to keep the dataset clean.

Can I schedule this actor?

Yes. It is suitable for recurring schedules to monitor category movement over time.