# arXiv Paper Scraper - Metadata, Abstracts & PDF Links (`thebee/arxivpaperscraper`) Actor

Scrape arXiv paper metadata into structured JSON: title, abstract, authors, categories, published and updated dates, DOI, journal reference and direct PDF links. Public arXiv Atom API, no API key. Pay per paper result at $0.005 — $0.10 for a 20-paper batch. Filter by query, category or date range.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/thebee/arxivpaperscraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ttgi](https://apify.com/thebee) (community)
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 arxiv paper rows

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## arXiv Paper Scraper

Search arXiv and get full paper metadata: authors, abstract, categories,
publication and update dates, DOI, journal reference and links.

### Why this exists

Across the Apify Store's listings there is no dedicated arXiv scraper. The
research and AI-audit crowd is a distinct audience from the developer-tool
crowd, and arXiv's API is free, public, and needs no key.

### Usage

Full arXiv query syntax, or just a category:

```
{
  "category": "cs.CL",                    // cs.AI, cs.CL, cs.LG, cs.RO, q-bio.BM...
  "searchQuery": "cat:cs.CL AND all:transformer",
  "sortBy": "submittedDate",              // relevance | lastUpdatedDate | submittedDate
  "sortOrder": "descending",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

`searchQuery` wins over `category` when both are set.

### Output

One row per paper:

`id`, `title`, `summary`, `authors`, `authorCount`, `published`, `updated`,
`categories`, `primaryCategory`, `comment`, `journalRef`, `doi`, `url`, `pdfUrl`

### Use cases

- **Literature review** — pull a category's newest submissions with abstracts
- **Author tracking** — `au:Name` or `search_query=au:hinton` for a lab's output
- **Trend detection** — sort by submittedDate to see what is emerging
- **Citation inputs** — `doi` and `journalRef` where arXiv records them
- **Competitive research** — track a competitor's publication cadence

### Honest notes

- arXiv's API asks callers to wait roughly 3 seconds between requests. This
  actor honours that, so large runs are intentionally not instant.
- `comment` often holds the venue and acceptance status ("Accepted at
  NeurIPS 2026") — useful, but free-text and not always present.
- `journalRef` and `doi` are only populated for published papers, so expect
  nulls on preprints.
- `categories` is comma-separated and can include cross-lists; use
  `primaryCategory` when you need exactly one.

*Pronouns: they/them.*

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Full arXiv query syntax, e.g. 'cat:cs.CL AND all:transformer'. Overrides the category field.

## `category` (type: `string`):

arXiv category code such as cs.AI, cs.CL, cs.LG, physics.optics, q-bio.BM. Used when no search query is given.

## `sortBy` (type: `string`):

relevance ranks by query match; the date options sort by submission or update time.

## `sortOrder` (type: `string`):

ascending shows oldest first; descending shows newest first.

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

How many papers to return. arXiv serves 100 per request.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "category": "cs.AI",
  "sortBy": "submittedDate",
  "sortOrder": "descending",
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `id` (type: `string`):

The arXiv ID of the paper.

## `title` (type: `string`):

The Title of the paper.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

The Abstract of the paper.

## `authors` (type: `string`):

The Authors of the paper.

## `authorCount` (type: `string`):

The Author count of the paper.

## `published` (type: `string`):

The Published of the paper.

## `updated` (type: `string`):

The Updated of the paper.

## `categories` (type: `string`):

The Categories of the paper.

## `primaryCategory` (type: `string`):

The Primary category of the paper.

## `comment` (type: `string`):

The Comment of the paper.

## `journalRef` (type: `string`):

The Journal reference of the paper.

## `doi` (type: `string`):

The DOI of the paper.

## `url` (type: `string`):

The URL of the paper.

## `pdfUrl` (type: `string`):

The PDF URL of the paper.

# 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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("thebee/arxivpaperscraper").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 = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("thebee/arxivpaperscraper").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 '{}' |
apify call thebee/arxivpaperscraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/deyj4uuwTh9gbd9I2/builds/Sjw9bNKFzjw00MYSI/openapi.json