Redirect Chain Checker & URL Unshortener – Bulk

Follow every redirect hop for thousands of URLs: status per hop (301/302/307/308), final URL, loops, http→https upgrades and over-long chains. Also unshortens short links.

Why this actor

• Per-hop detail and loop detection at bulk scale, cheapest per URL.
• Pay only for results: $0.50 per 1,000 urls, no start fee, failed lookups are free.
• Robust: automatic retries with exponential backoff, respects Retry-After, per-item error rows instead of crashed runs.
• Clean, flat JSON/CSV/Excel output ready for Google Sheets, Make, Zapier, n8n, Clay, or the Apify API.

Use cases

• Validate site-migration redirect maps
• Find redirect chains hurting SEO
• Unshorten links in datasets
• Affiliate link QA

How to use Redirect Chain Checker & URL Unshortener

1. Configure urls, maxHops in the Input tab (or leave the prefilled sample values to test immediately).
2. Optionally set maxItems to cap the number of results and control spend.
3. Click Start and export structured results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or connect directly via API / MCP / n8n / Make.

Input

Field	Type	Description
urls	array	URLs, short links or old URLs after a migration.
maxHops	integer	Stop after this many redirects.
maxItems	integer	0 = no limit. Caps cost.

Example input:

{
  "urls": [
    "http://github.com",
    "bit.ly/3x7Z3Qp"
  ]
}

Output

Each dataset item looks like this (real sample from a test run, long fields trimmed):

{
  "url": "https://github.com/apify/crawlee/issues/1",
  "finalUrl": "https://github.com/apify/crawlee/pull/1",
  "finalStatus": 200,
  "redirectCount": 1,
  "redirectCodes": [
    302
  ],
  "hasTemporary": true,
  "httpsUpgrade": false,
  "chain": [
    {
      "url": "https://github.com/apify/crawlee/issues/1",
      "status": 302
    },
    {
      "url": "https://github.com/apify/crawlee/pull/1",
      "status": 200
    }
  ],
  "tooLong": false,
  "checkedAt": "2026-10-14T23:42:40+00:00"
}

Rows that could not be processed contain an error field and are not charged.

Extracted output fields

Every dataset row includes structured fields ready for spreadsheets, CRMs, and AI pipelines:

• Fields: url, finalUrl, finalStatus, redirectCount, redirectCodes, hasTemporary, httpsUpgrade, chain, tooLong, checkedAt

Comparison: Redirect Chain Checker & URL Unshortener vs alternatives

Feature	This Actor (shawndunn/redirect-chain-checker)	Typical alternatives
Pricing model	$0.50 / 1,000 results, $0.00 start fee	$20–$49/mo subscription or per-run start fees
Failed / error lookups	$0.00 (never charged)	Often billed by compute time even on failures
API keys / proxies required	None (works out of the box)	Often requires paid third-party keys or residential proxies
AI Agent & MCP ready	Yes (mcp.apify.com compatible, optional defaults)	Strict required schemas that reject agent calls

Pricing

Pay-per-event: $0.0005 per url (= $0.50 / 1,000). Use Max results to cap spend. Apify's free plan credit covers thousands of results per month.

Integrations & API

Run on a schedule in Apify Console, call via the Apify API / Python & JS clients, or connect to Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, Slack and webhooks. Works as a tool for AI agents via Apify MCP.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Redirect Chain Checker & URL Unshortener is configured for zero-config AI agent tool use via the Apify MCP Server (no required-field blocking on defaulted inputs).

Streamable HTTP endpoint:

https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=shawndunn/redirect-chain-checker

Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf mcpServers config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-redirect-chain-checker": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=shawndunn/redirect-chain-checker",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Direct synchronous API call:

POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/shawndunn~redirect-chain-checker/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>

FAQ

Is this an official tool? No. It is an independent actor and is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the data source or any trademark owner named here.

Is it legal? The actor only reads publicly available data from public endpoints, without logins, and does not bypass paywalls or access controls. You are responsible for using the data in line with applicable laws (e.g. GDPR) and the source sites' terms.

Something broke? Open an issue in the Issues tab; we typically respond within 24 hours and ship fixes fast.

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