# Youtube Scraper (`thisismegant/youtube-scraper`) Actor

- **URL**: https://apify.com/thisismegant/youtube-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Megan Studios](https://apify.com/thisismegant) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Social media
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 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/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

## YouTube Internal API Scraper

This is a production-grade Apify Actor designed to scrape YouTube profiles, videos, and shorts efficiently without requiring OAuth tokens, by utilizing YouTube's Internal API.

### 🚀 How to Use

1. **Provide the Input:**
   In the Apify Console, navigate to your Actor's Input tab.
   - Enter a **YouTube Username / Channel ID** (e.g., `mrbeast` or `@mrbeast`).
   - Use the **Target to Scrape** dropdown to select whether you want to extract **All**, **Profile Only**, **Videos Only**, or **Shorts Only**.
   - Set the **Maximum Videos/Shorts** limit (e.g., 50). Set to 0 if you want to extract all available items on the first page.

2. **Run the Actor:**
   Click **Start**. The Actor will run the scraper and usually completes within a few seconds.

3. **View the Results:**
   Once finished, go to the **Output** tab or the **Storage (Dataset)** tab to see your structured data.

### ⚙️ Environment Variables (Optional)

If you prefer not to enter a username manually every time, you can set the `DEFAULT_USERNAME` environment variable in the Apify Console under **Settings > Environment Variables**. If the input field is left empty, the scraper will automatically fallback to this value.

### 🏗 Output Format

The resulting data is returned as a single JSON object containing:

- `profile`: Channel details, title, handle, and subscriber count.
- `videos`: An array of the channel's standard video uploads.
- `shorts`: An array of the channel's YouTube Shorts.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/thisismegant/youtube-scraper/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `username` (type: `string`):

YouTube Handle (e.g. mrbeast or @mrbeast) or exact Channel ID. If left blank, it will use DEFAULT_USERNAME from environment variables.

## `scrapeTarget` (type: `string`):

Select what information you want to extract.

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

Maximum number of videos or shorts to scrape (0 = all available on first page).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "scrapeTarget": "all",
  "maxItems": 30
}
```

# 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("thisismegant/youtube-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 '<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("thisismegant/youtube-scraper").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 thisismegant/youtube-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/KhO1Vy7mbUJp91Xhz/builds/wkddSQBCJjKfNlPgt/openapi.json