# TMDB AI-Powered Movie & TV Scraper (`thescrapelab/apify-tmdb-scraper`) Actor Scrape full TMDB data for movies, TV shows, cast, seasons, and episodes using normal search terms/start URLs, or run AI search that turns a vibe query into precise titles automatically. - **URL**: https://apify.com/thescrapelab/apify-tmdb-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Inus Grobler](https://apify.com/thescrapelab) (community) - **Categories:** AI, Other, Videos - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $1.00 / 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 a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.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/platform/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 ## TMDB Scraper (Apify) Scrapes The Movie Database (TMDB) and outputs structured records for: - Movies - TV shows - People - Seasons (optional) - Episodes (optional) ### What This Actor Can Do - Crawl by `searchTerms` (discovery mode) - Crawl by `startUrls` (direct URL mode) - Filter search results by type: `movie`, `tv`, `person` - Optionally crawl full cast pages (`scrapeFullCast`) - Optionally crawl season and episode pages (`scrapeEpisodes`) - AI Recommendation Search: convert a vibe query into 10-20 TMDB titles, then run normal scraping on those titles ### Quick Start #### 1. Standard search mode Use `searchTerms` when you want TMDB discovery search. ```json { "searchTerms": ["Inception", "Breaking Bad"], "searchTypes": ["movie", "tv"], "maxResultsPerSearchTerm": 5, "maxItems": 100, "language": "en-US" } ```` #### 2. Direct URL mode Use `startUrls` when you already know TMDB pages to scrape. ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/27205" }, { "url": "https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/1399" } ], "maxItems": 100, "language": "en-US" } ``` #### 3. AI Recommendation Search mode Set `enableAiSearch=true` and provide `aiQuery`. ```json { "enableAiSearch": true, "aiQuery": "dark detective thrillers with plot twists", "searchTypes": ["movie", "tv"], "maxResultsPerSearchTerm": 5, "maxItems": 150, "language": "en-US" } ``` ### Gemini API Key You have 2 options: 1. Put the key into input as `geminiApiKey`. 2. Set Actor environment variable `GEMINI_API_KEY`. If `GEMINI_API_KEY` is set, `geminiApiKey` can be left empty. ### AI Billing Event When AI mode succeeds and generated titles are enqueued, the actor calls: ```js await Actor.charge({ eventName: 'ai-recommendation' }); ``` This is wrapped in `try/catch` so local development does not crash when charging is unavailable. ### Output Schema This Actor includes Apify output/schema files: - `.actor/actor.json` links input, output, and dataset schema definitions - `.actor/output_schema.json` defines output links shown in the Run Output tab - `.actor/dataset_schema.json` defines dataset item fields and an `overview` view ### Sample Output Records #### Movie record ```json { "entityType": "movie", "tmdbId": 27205, "tmdbUrl": "https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/27205?language=en-US", "sourceSearchTerm": "Inception", "title": "Inception", "description": "A thief who steals corporate secrets through dream-sharing technology...", "originalTitle": "Inception", "releaseDate": "2010-07-15", "releaseYear": 2010, "duration": 148, "userScore": 84, "ratingAverage": 8.4, "ratingCount": 38000, "genres": ["Action", "Science Fiction", "Adventure"], "tagline": "Your mind is the scene of the crime.", "overview": "A thief who steals corporate secrets through dream-sharing technology...", "directors": ["Christopher Nolan"], "topCast": ["Leonardo DiCaprio", "Joseph Gordon-Levitt", "Elliot Page"], "status": "Released", "originalLanguage": "English", "budget": 160000000, "revenue": 825532764, "certification": "PG-13", "keywords": ["dream", "subconscious", "heist"], "countries": ["United States of America", "United Kingdom"], "trailerUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoHD9XEInc0", "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/....jpg", "backdropUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/....jpg", "recommendations": [ { "title": "Interstellar", "url": "https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/157336" } ] } ``` #### TV record ```json { "entityType": "tv", "tmdbId": 1399, "tmdbUrl": "https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/1399?language=en-US", "sourceSearchTerm": "Game of Thrones", "title": "Game of Thrones", "description": "Seven noble families fight for control of the lands of Westeros...", "originalTitle": "Game of Thrones", "firstAirDate": "2011-04-17", "firstAirYear": 2011, "lastAirDate": "2019-05-19", "userScore": 84, "ratingAverage": 8.4, "ratingCount": 24000, "genres": ["Sci-Fi & Fantasy", "Drama", "Action & Adventure"], "overview": "Seven noble families fight for control of the lands of Westeros...", "status": "Ended", "type": "Scripted", "network": "HBO", "networks": [ { "id": 49, "name": "HBO", "url": "https://www.themoviedb.org/network/49" } ], "originalLanguage": "English", "numberOfEpisodes": 73, "numberOfSeasons": 8, "keywords": ["kingdom", "dragon", "throne"], "trailerUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPLWWIOCOOQ", "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/....jpg", "backdropUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/....jpg" } ``` #### Episode record ```json { "entityType": "episode", "tmdbId": 63056, "episodeId": "63056", "tmdbUrl": "https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/1668-friends/season/1/episode/1?language=en-US", "sourceSearchTerm": "Friends", "title": "The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate", "description": "Rachel runs from her wedding and meets Monica...", "episodeNumber": 1, "seasonNumber": 1, "airDate": "1994-09-22", "runtime": 22, "userScore": 78, "overview": "Rachel runs from her wedding and meets Monica...", "stillUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/....jpg", "parentShowUrl": "https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/1668-friends?language=en-US", "parentShowTitle": "Friends", "parentShowTmdbId": 1668, "parentUrl": "https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/1668-friends?language=en-US", "parentTitle": "Friends", "parentTmdbId": 1668, "parentEntityType": "tv" } ``` #### Person record ```json { "entityType": "person", "tmdbId": 31, "tmdbUrl": "https://www.themoviedb.org/person/31?language=en-US", "sourceSearchTerm": "Tom Hanks", "name": "Tom Hanks", "biography": "Thomas Jeffrey Hanks is an American actor and filmmaker...", "knownFor": "Acting", "knownCredits": 120, "gender": "Male", "birthday": "1956-07-09", "deathday": "", "placeOfBirth": "Concord, California, USA", "alsoKnownAs": ["Thomas J. Hanks", "Tom Hanks"], "profileUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/....jpg", "facebookUrl": null, "twitterUrl": null, "instagramUrl": null, "homepageUrl": null, "justWatchUrl": null, "parentUrl": null, "parentTitle": null, "parentTmdbId": null, "parentEntityType": null } ``` #### Season record ```json { "entityType": "season", "tmdbId": null, "tmdbUrl": "https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/1668-friends/season/1?language=en-US", "sourceSearchTerm": "Friends", "title": "Season 1", "seasonNumber": 1, "releaseDate": "1994-09-22", "episodeCount": 24, "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/....jpg", "parentShowUrl": "https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/1668-friends?language=en-US", "parentShowTitle": "Friends", "parentShowTmdbId": 1668, "parentUrl": "https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/1668-friends?language=en-US", "parentTitle": "Friends", "parentTmdbId": 1668, "parentEntityType": "tv" } ``` ### Notes - AI mode runs first. If AI returns no valid titles, the actor falls back to normal `searchTerms`/`startUrls` flow. - `strictExactSeriesMatch=true` forces one exact TV title match per search term. - If both `scrapeEpisodes=true` and `scrapeFullCast=true`, strict exact series behavior is also applied automatically. # Actor input Schema ## `searchTerms` (type: `array`): A list of movies, TV shows, or people to search for. ## `enableAiSearch` (type: `boolean`): If enabled, Gemini translates your AI query into precise TMDB titles before crawling. ## `aiQuery` (type: `string`): Describe the vibe or type of movies/TV you want (for example: dark detective thrillers with plot twists). ## `geminiApiKey` (type: `string`): Optional. Leave empty if GEMINI\_API\_KEY is already set as an Actor environment variable. ## `searchTypes` (type: `array`): Filter search-result detail pages by entity type. ## `maxResultsPerSearchTerm` (type: `integer`): Maximum detail pages to enqueue from each search results page. ## `strictExactSeriesMatch` (type: `boolean`): When enabled, each search term resolves to exactly one TV series by exact title match before detail scraping. ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Direct URLs to scrape. Supports movie/TV/person detail pages, season pages, and search/list pages. ## `language` (type: `string`): Language code added to crawled URLs (for stable labels/selectors). ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of requests processed in one run. ## `scrapeFullCast` (type: `boolean`): If enabled, the scraper visits full cast pages and enqueues every cast/crew person as a separate result. ## `scrapeEpisodes` (type: `boolean`): If enabled, the scraper visits each season page and outputs season + episode records. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Recommended to use Apify Proxy (Automatic) to ensure reliable access. ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchTerms": [ "Inception", "Breaking Bad", "Tom Hanks" ], "enableAiSearch": false, "searchTypes": [ "movie", "tv", "person" ], "maxResultsPerSearchTerm": 10, "strictExactSeriesMatch": false, "language": "en-US", "maxItems": 100, "scrapeFullCast": false, "scrapeEpisodes": false, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description ## `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 = { "searchTerms": [ "Inception", "Breaking Bad", "Tom Hanks" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("thescrapelab/apify-tmdb-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 = { "searchTerms": [ "Inception", "Breaking Bad", "Tom Hanks", ] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("thescrapelab/apify-tmdb-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 '{ "searchTerms": [ "Inception", "Breaking Bad", "Tom Hanks" ] }' | apify call thescrapelab/apify-tmdb-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=thescrapelab/apify-tmdb-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "TMDB AI-Powered Movie & TV Scraper", "description": "Scrape full TMDB data for movies, TV shows, cast, seasons, and episodes using normal search terms/start URLs, or run AI search that turns a vibe query into precise titles automatically.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "OEckI1gQiaS31MFAW" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/thescrapelab~apify-tmdb-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-thescrapelab-apify-tmdb-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/thescrapelab~apify-tmdb-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-thescrapelab-apify-tmdb-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/thescrapelab~apify-tmdb-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-thescrapelab-apify-tmdb-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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", "properties": { "searchTerms": { "title": "Search Terms", "type": "array", "description": "A list of movies, TV shows, or people to search for.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "enableAiSearch": { "title": "Enable AI Recommendation Search", "type": "boolean", "description": "If enabled, Gemini translates your AI query into precise TMDB titles before crawling.", "default": false }, "aiQuery": { "title": "AI Recommendation Query", "type": "string", "description": "Describe the vibe or type of movies/TV you want (for example: dark detective thrillers with plot twists)." }, "geminiApiKey": { "title": "Gemini API Key (Optional)", "type": "string", "description": "Optional. Leave empty if GEMINI_API_KEY is already set as an Actor environment variable." }, "searchTypes": { "title": "Search Types", "type": "array", "description": "Filter search-result detail pages by entity type.", "items": { "type": "string", "enum": [ "movie", "tv", "person" ], "enumTitles": [ "Movie", "TV Show", "Person" ] }, "default": [ "movie", "tv", "person" ] }, "maxResultsPerSearchTerm": { "title": "Max Results Per Search Term", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum detail pages to enqueue from each search results page.", "default": 10 }, "strictExactSeriesMatch": { "title": "Strict Exact Series Match", "type": "boolean", "description": "When enabled, each search term resolves to exactly one TV series by exact title match before detail scraping.", "default": false }, "startUrls": { "title": "Start URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Direct URLs to scrape. Supports movie/TV/person detail pages, season pages, and search/list pages.", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "language": { "title": "TMDB Language", "type": "string", "description": "Language code added to crawled URLs (for stable labels/selectors).", "default": "en-US" }, "maxItems": { "title": "Maximum Scraped Requests", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of requests processed in one run.", "default": 100 }, "scrapeFullCast": { "title": "Scrape Full Cast", "type": "boolean", "description": "If enabled, the scraper visits full cast pages and enqueues every cast/crew person as a separate result.", "default": false }, "scrapeEpisodes": { "title": "Scrape Seasons & Episodes", "type": "boolean", "description": "If enabled, the scraper visits each season page and outputs season + episode records.", "default": false }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy Settings", "type": "object", "description": "Recommended to use Apify Proxy (Automatic) to ensure reliable access.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": true } } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```