# TikTok Shop Categories Scraper (`toolzerhub/tiktok-shop-categories-scraper`) Actor

Export TikTok Shop's full category tree for any region as one flat table. Every row carries the category ID, name, URL slug, tree depth, and parent, ready to rebuild the tree or map your catalog. Export scraped data, run via API, and keep your TikTok Shop mapping current.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/toolzerhub/tiktok-shop-categories-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ToolzerHub](https://apify.com/toolzerhub) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce, Social media, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.23 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

## TikTok Shop Categories Scraper

Export TikTok Shop's whole category tree for a region as a flat table — one row per category, parent included.

### What you get

| Field | Holds |
|---|---|
| `category_id` | The category's ID |
| `category_name` | Display name shoppers see |
| `category_name_en` | The slug TikTok uses in category URLs — not the display name |
| `category_level` | Depth in the tree. `1` is top level |
| `parent_category_id` | The parent category's ID. Empty at the top level |
| `parent_category_name` | The parent category's display name. Empty at the top level |
| `category` | The complete category record, for anything not broken out above |

```json
{
  "category_id": "848776",
  "category_name": "Skincare",
  "category_name_en": "skincare",
  "category_level": 2,
  "parent_category_id": "601450",
  "parent_category_name": "Beauty & Personal Care",
  "category": {
    "category_id": "848776",
    "category_name": "Skincare",
    "category_name_en": "skincare"
  }
}
```

Flattening it is the point — a tree is awkward to search or join against; a table with a `parent_category_id` on every row lets you rebuild the hierarchy or map it onto your own catalog with a plain lookup.

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| `region` | enum | `US` | **Required.** `US`, `GB`, `SG`, `MY`, `PH`, `TH`, `VN`, `ID`. |
| `maxItems` | integer | `100` | How many category rows to save. `0` saves the whole tree. |

```json
{
  "region": "US",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

The whole tree comes back in one response — `maxItems` only trims how many flattened rows get saved, it doesn't change how deep or wide the tree is walked.

### Questions

**Why are `parent_category_id` and `parent_category_name` blank on some rows?**
Those are the top-level categories — `category_level: 1`. A top-level category has no parent, so both fields come back empty rather than pointing at something that doesn't exist.

**Can a category have children but no name of its own?**
Yes, and it still shows up correctly. TikTok occasionally returns a branch where a node has children but no category record of its own. Rather than dropping that branch — which would orphan every category under it — the children are still walked and yielded with whatever parent link is available.

**What's the difference between `category_name` and `category_name_en`?**
`category_name` is what a shopper reads. `category_name_en` is the slug TikTok bakes into category URLs — useful if you're matching categories against links rather than display text.

**Does the region change the category tree, not just the language?**
`region` is sent with the request and the tree comes back per market, so treat each region as its own export rather than a translation of the US one. If a category you expect isn't there, request the region you actually sell in before assuming it doesn't exist.

### Other TikTok Shop Actors

| Actor | Use when |
|---|---|
| [TikTok Shop Category Products Scraper](https://apify.com/toolzerhub/tiktok-shop-category-products-scraper) | You've got a `category_id` and want the products in it |
| [TikTok Shop Trending Products Scraper](https://apify.com/toolzerhub/tiktok-shop-trending-products-scraper) | You want what's selling, not the taxonomy behind it |
| [TikTok Shop Keyword Ideas Scraper](https://apify.com/toolzerhub/tiktok-shop-keyword-ideas-scraper) | You'd rather start from a search term than a category |

### Support

Questions, bugs, or feature requests: **contact@toolzerhub.com**

Browse the rest: [apify.com/toolzerhub](https://apify.com/toolzerhub)

# Actor input Schema

## `region` (type: `string`):

TikTok Shop region code.

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

Maximum number of products to save in search mode. Set 0 for no limit.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "region": "US",
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

Every record collected during this run

# 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 = {
    "maxItems": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("toolzerhub/tiktok-shop-categories-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 = { "maxItems": 20 }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("toolzerhub/tiktok-shop-categories-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 '{
  "maxItems": 20
}' |
apify call toolzerhub/tiktok-shop-categories-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,toolzerhub/tiktok-shop-categories-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/Q74l1af1JZLNhy7h7/builds/nt4SAaZJ12ArKQ9CB/openapi.json