AI Scraper Builder Selextract: describe the data, get a scraper

Tell this Actor what data you want in plain English. It finds the right pages, writes a scraper for them, checks that the scraper really returns that data, and saves the rows to your dataset.

No selectors, no code and no URL needed, though a URL helps. Build a scraper once, then re-run it for fresh data without building again.

Quick answers

What does it cost? A new scraper costs $4.00, charged only if it passes the check. Every run costs $0.10, plus $0.003 per row. So a new scraper with 100 rows costs $4.40, and each re-run with 100 rows costs $0.40. Full pricing

What if the build fails? You pay nothing for the build, the run or results. Apify's small start fee may still apply.

How long does a build take? Usually 5 to 10 minutes, at most 14. A re-run takes only as long as the scraper needs to collect the rows.

Where do I find my scraper ID? When the run finishes, the scraper ID is in the message at the top of the run page and in the run's Log. It is also in the run's Output tab, under Scraper ID and re-run input. You can also use the run's own ID instead: any run that built or ran a scraper points to that scraper.

How do I get fresh data later without paying for a new build? Run the Actor with this input:

{ "scraperId": "<your scraper ID or run ID>", "mode": "rerun", "maxResults": 100 }

To collect new rows on a schedule, save this input as an Apify Task and schedule the Task.

Can I change what my scraper looks for? Partly. Some scrapers take inputs, such as a search term or a category. After a build, the Log and the Output tab list the inputs your scraper takes. Set them in Scraper inputs when you re-run it:

{ "scraperId": "<your scraper ID>", "mode": "rerun", "scraperInput": { "query": "running shoes" } }

The website and the fields stay the same. For another website or other fields, build a new scraper. If you give a prompt or URL together with a scraper ID, they are ignored.

Will the Actor reuse my scraper if I enter the same prompt again? Yes, in Auto mode, if the prompt and URL are word for word the same as one of your earlier successful builds. The status message and the Log tell you when this happens, and there is no build charge. Capital letters and extra spaces don't matter; any other change means a new build. Only your own scrapers are reused.

How do I rebuild a scraper, for example after the website changed? Run the Actor in Build mode with the same prompt and URL, or with the scraper ID. Under How to build again, choose Fresh build to start from scratch, or Repair to fix your current scraper. The result becomes a new version with the same scraper ID, so your Tasks keep working. A rebuild costs $4.00, like a build, and only if the new version passes the check. If it doesn't, the current version stays and nothing is charged.

What happens when the website changes? The scraper keeps doing what it did when it was built. If the page changed, it may find no rows (you pay $0.10 for the run, nothing for results), or the Actor tells you the scraper can't run anymore. Then rebuild it, as described above. In Auto mode, if your scraper for the same request can't run anymore, the Actor rebuilds it for you.

What happens if I start the example as it is? The prefilled example request runs a ready-made example scraper, so you see results quickly, with no build charge. You pay for the run and results. Change the prompt to build your own scraper.

What can I do on the Apify Free plan? You can try a build. Each version of a scraper built on the Free plan runs twice: once right after its build, and one re-run. So scheduled Tasks need a paid Apify plan. Free builds are limited too. More

Can someone in another Apify account use my scraper ID? No. Scraper IDs and run IDs only work in the Apify account that built the scraper.

What you can ask for

• "Top 30 stories on Hacker News with title, link, points and comment count"
• "All fiction books on books.toscrape.com with title, price, rating and stock status"
• "Upcoming tech conferences in Europe in 2027: name, city, dates and website"

The more specific you are about the fields you want, the closer the result matches what you need.

How it works

1. Build. The Actor explores the website and writes a scraper for your request.
2. Check. The scraper runs on its own, and its rows are checked against your request. If they don't match, the build counts as failed and you pay nothing for it.
3. Run. The checked scraper runs and saves up to maxResults rows to your dataset. You get a scraper ID.
4. Re-run. Later runs use the scraper ID. They skip the build and the check and go straight to the run.
5. Rebuild when needed. A rebuild makes a new version of the same scraper. It goes through the same check, and the scraper ID stays the same.

Pricing

You pay per event, through Apify:

Event	When it is charged	Price
Scraper build	Once per run, only when the new scraper or new version passes the check	$4.00
Scraper run	Each time a scraper runs (after a build or on a re-run)	$0.10
Result	Each row saved to your dataset	$0.003

Examples:

• A new scraper with 100 rows: $4.00 + $0.10 + $0.30 = $4.40.
• Re-running a saved scraper for 100 rows: $0.10 + $0.30 = $0.40.
• A re-run that finds no rows: $0.10.
• A build or rebuild that fails the check: no build, run or result charge. Apify's small start fee may still apply.

Set a maximum cost for your run in Apify. The Actor checks that the build, the run and at least some results fit under it before it starts. If they don't, it stops right away with a message.

Apify Free plan

On the Free plan you can try a build, then run the scraper you built. Each version of a scraper built on the Free plan can run twice in total: the run right after its build and one re-run.

Free builds are limited: each free account gets a small number of builds per month, and there is a shared daily limit for all free accounts. Rebuilds count as builds. When a limit is reached, the Actor stops before doing any work and tells you when to try again.

Input

Field	What it does
prompt	The data you want, in plain English. Required unless you give a scraperId.
url	Optional. A page to start from.
scraperId	Optional. A scraper ID, or the run ID of a run that built or ran a scraper. Re-runs that scraper without building again.
scraperInput	Optional. Values for the scraper's own inputs, as JSON. Used when an existing scraper runs, not on a new build.
mode	See below. Default auto.
rebuildMethod	fresh (default) or repair. Used only when the Actor rebuilds a scraper you already have.
maxResults	The most rows to save. Default 100, maximum 1,000.

Modes:

• auto: re-runs the scraper when you give a scraperId, or when your prompt and URL are word for word the same as one of your earlier successful builds. Otherwise it builds a new scraper.
• build: always builds. For a request you already have a scraper for, or with a scraperId, it builds a new version of that scraper.
• rerun: only re-runs the scraper in scraperId and never builds. Use it for scheduled Tasks.

Output

• Dataset: one item per row, with the fields the scraper found.
• OUTPUT record (the run's Output tab, under Scraper ID and re-run input): the scraper ID and version, what the run did (built, rebuilt, reused or re-ran a scraper), the fields, the inputs the scraper takes and the values this run used, row counts, what was charged, and the exact input to re-run this scraper.

Limits

• Sites that need a login are not supported.
• Some websites block automated access. If the Actor can't get the data, the build fails and you pay nothing for it.
• Leave the run timeout at the default (60 minutes) so there is time to wait, build and run.
• At most 1,000 rows per run.
• When many builds run at once, your request waits its turn. The status message shows your place in line.

Your data

Your prompt and the extracted rows are processed on this Actor's servers to build and run your scraper. Your saved scrapers and their runs are kept so you can re-run them, and no other user can see them. What we learn about a public website's page structure (not your rows and not your prompt) may help build scrapers for that website faster.

If a run fails, we receive an error report that includes the run's input, so we can fix the problem. Error reports never include your Apify token or the scraped data.

Questions and problems

Open an issue on the Issues tab. Include the run ID and the scraper ID if you have one.