# Snapchat Explore Search Across Spotlight, Lenses & Places (`vexaloom-labs/snapchat-explore-search-across-spotlight-lenses`) Actor

Search Snapchat's public explore results for a keyword and get Spotlight videos, AR lenses, topics, user profiles, business profiles, publisher episodes, shows, and places in one run. No login needed.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/vexaloom-labs/snapchat-explore-search-across-spotlight-lenses.md
- **Developed by:** [vexaloom-labs](https://apify.com/vexaloom-labs) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Videos, Lead generation
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.49 / 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.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## Snapchat Explore Search Across Spotlight, Lenses & Places

Search public Snapchat Explore results by keyword and export the whole result page as structured rows: Spotlight videos with engagement counts, AR lenses, user cards, public profiles, show episodes, publishers, places, and related topics. No Snapchat account, cookies, or browser install is needed.

Snapchat's Explore page is server-rendered. The actor reads that public page directly, decodes the embedded result payload, and emits one record per card with a canonical Snapchat link.

### What You Get

- **Spotlight videos** with creator, title, AI summary, keywords, views, likes, comments, shares, preview media, and thumbnail
- **AR lenses** with name, creator, official-creator flag, icon, preview image, unlock link, and canonical lens URL
- **Users** from the "Add Friends" card with username, display name, verification, story flag, avatar, and profile link
- **Public profiles** with handle, title, subtitle, description, logo, hero image, verification, story flag, and follower count
- **Show episodes** with title, publish date, thumbnail, publisher name/logo, and episode link
- **Publishers and Shows** with description, logo, follower count, and page link
- **Places** with address, category image, and place page link
- **Related topics** from the page's topic pills, with links to their topic hubs
- Every row carries `query`, `resultType`, `rank`, `scrapedAt`, and `href`

### Input

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|-------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `queries` | string\[] | Yes | — | Search keywords (e.g. `food`, `new york`, `selenagomez`). Legacy `keywords`, `query`, `searchQueries` and `searchTerms` inputs are still read in code. |
| `mode` | string | No | `all` | Result family: `all`, `spotlight`, `lenses`, `users`, `profiles`, `episodes`, `publishers`, `topics`, or `places`. `users` returns both user cards and public profiles. Legacy `resultTypes` is still read in code. |
| `maxResultsPerQuery` | integer | No | `100` | Records returned per query in the selected page window (1–500). Legacy `maxResults` and `maxItems` are still read in code. |
| `page` | integer | No | `1` | Page of the query's fixed result set to return (1–100). Legacy `startPage` is still read in code. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | No | — | Optional proxy override. Direct requests work by default. |

#### Example Input

```json
{
  "queries": ["tbilisi", "food"],
  "mode": "spotlight",
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 20,
  "page": 1
}
```

#### Legacy Input

Saved tasks that use the old fields keep working. The actor maps them in code, not in the visible schema:

```json
{
  "keywords": ["food", "travel"],
  "resultTypes": ["spotlight", "lens", "topic", "user"],
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 50,
  "includeSpotlightDetails": true
}
```

`includeSpotlightDetails` is no longer needed because the current page already carries preview media and engagement counts; when it is supplied the actor logs that it was ignored.

### Output

Every record starts with the common fields below. Type-specific fields are added beside them and empty values are omitted.

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `query` | string | Search keyword that produced this row |
| `resultType` | string | `spotlight`, `lens`, `topic`, `user`, `snapProEntity`, `publisherEdition`, `publisher`, or `place` |
| `rank` | integer | Position in the query's sorted result set (1-based) |
| `scrapedAt` | string | ISO 8601 UTC scrape timestamp |
| `href` | string | Canonical Snapchat URL for the card |

#### Spotlight fields

`storyId`, `rawSnapId`, `thumbnailUrl`, `mediaUrl`, `videoPreviewUrl`, `creatorUsername`, `creatorDisplayName`, `teaserText`, `rawCaption`, `title`, `description`, `keywords`, `viewCount`, `likeCount`, `commentCount`, `shareCount`, `gradientFrom`, `gradientTo`, plus the legacy `snapTitle`, `snapDescription`, `caption`, `postedAt`, `durationSeconds`, `width`, `height`, `boltVideoUrl`, `flatVideoUrl` when an older page supplies them.

#### Lens fields

`lensId`, `lensName`, `creatorName`, `creatorIsOfficial`, `iconUrl`, `thumbnailUrl`, `deeplinkUrl`, `unlockUrl`, and the legacy `thumbnailSequence` when present.

#### User fields

`userId`, `username`, `displayName`, `contextHint`, `profileLogoUrl`, `isOfficial`, `hasStory`, and the legacy `snapProId`, `isPopular`, `emoji` when present.

#### Public profile fields (`snapProEntity`)

`id`, `username`, `title`, `displayName`, `subtitle`, `description`, `logoUrl`, `profileLogoUrl`, `heroImageUrl`, `isOfficial`, `isOfficialAccount`, `hasStory`, `hostAccountUsername`, `followerCount`, `subscriberCount`, and the legacy contact fields (`phoneNumber`, `address`, `emailAddress`, `whatsappNumber`, `websiteUrl`, `category`, `tier`, and so on) when an older page supplies them.

#### Episode, publisher and place fields

- `publisherEdition`: `editionId`, `title`, `publishedAt`, `thumbnailUrl`, `deeplinkUrl`, `publisherName`, `publisherImageUrl`, `publisherHref`, `publisher`, plus legacy `storyDocId`.
- `publisher`: `publisherId`, `displayName`, `title`, `description`, `iconUrl`, `deeplinkUrl`, `followerCount`, `approxSubscriptionCount`, `subscriberCount`, plus legacy `isShow`, `showId`, `latestEditionId`, `businessProfileId`, `primaryColor`.
- `place`: `placeId`, `displayName`, `title`, `address`, `imageUrl`, `imageIsIcon`, plus legacy `locality`, `centerLat`, `centerLng`, `categoryName`, `categoryIconUrl`, `favoriteCount`, `isFavorited`, `boundingBox`, `storyPreview`.

#### Example Output

```json
{
  "query": "food",
  "resultType": "spotlight",
  "rank": 1,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-11-07T06:59:37.000000+00:00",
  "href": "https://www.snapchat.com/@foodasmr3/spotlight/W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYZnV3bm5oeGVlAZ84zAenAZ84y_B7AAAAAQ",
  "storyId": "W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYZnV3bm5oeGVlAZ84zAenAZ84y_B7AAAAAQ",
  "rawSnapId": "W7_EDlXWTBiXAEEniNoMPwAAYZnV3bm5oeGVlAZ84zAenAZ84y_B7AAAAAQ",
  "creatorUsername": "foodasmr3",
  "creatorDisplayName": "FOOD",
  "title": "Mukbang Magic: Spicy Ramen & Dumplings Feast!",
  "description": "Get ready for a mouthwatering mukbang experience...",
  "keywords": ["how to eat ramen", "spicy ramen recipe", "ramen bowl"],
  "viewCount": 68553,
  "likeCount": 5972,
  "commentCount": 83,
  "shareCount": 1530,
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://cf-st.sc-cdn.net/d/...",
  "videoPreviewUrl": "https://cf-st.sc-cdn.net/d/...",
  "mediaUrl": "https://cf-st.sc-cdn.net/d/...",
  "gradientFrom": "#2b2b35",
  "gradientTo": "#16191c"
}
```

### FAQ

**Does this need a Snapchat login or cookies?**
No. Explore search is public and the actor reads the server-rendered page without an account.

**How many rows does one query return?**
Snapchat serves one fixed set per query. In current tests the page carries about 22 Spotlight videos, 24 lenses, 24 profiles, 15 episodes, 14 publishers, 10 places, and one user card. Totals vary by query and locale.

**Can I go past the first page?**
Snapchat does not expose a page or cursor parameter for Explore search on the web, so there is no second upstream page. The `page` input splits the fixed result set into deterministic windows: page 1 is the first `maxResultsPerQuery` rows, page 2 the next batch. For a different result set, change the query.

**What is the difference between `users` and `profiles`?**
`users` combines the "Add Friends" user cards and the public `profiles` section. `profiles` returns only the public profile cards (`resultType: "snapProEntity"`).

**Why are some fields missing on a row?**
Fields that Snapchat does not publish for a card are omitted rather than set to null. Older pages still provide the legacy Spotlight card map and Snap Pro contact fields; those values are kept when present.

**What are the topic rows?**
They are the related topic pills rendered beside the results. Each row links to the topic hub and is tagged `resultType: "topic"`.

**Can I query several keywords in one run?**
Yes. Add one item per keyword to `queries`; rows from each keyword carry that keyword in the `query` field.

**Is a proxy required?**
No. Direct access works. The optional proxy field exists only for users who want to route through their own Apify Proxy settings.

**Is this affiliated with Snapchat?**
No. It is an independent tool that reads public Snapchat Explore pages and is not operated or endorsed by Snap Inc.

# Actor input Schema

## `queries` (type: `array`):

One or more public Snapchat Explore keywords, e.g. food, travel, selenagomez. Legacy keywords, query, searchQueries and searchTerms inputs are still accepted in code.

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Result family to return. 'Users' includes both Snapchat user cards and public profiles; 'Profiles' returns public profiles only.

## `maxResultsPerQuery` (type: `integer`):

Records returned for each query in the selected page window. Legacy maxResults and maxItems inputs are still accepted in code.

## `page` (type: `integer`):

Snapchat exposes one fixed result set per query with no cursor. Page 1 returns the first maxResultsPerQuery records, page 2 the next batch, and so on. Legacy startPage is still accepted in code.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional proxy override. Direct access works by default; no proxy is required.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "food"
  ],
  "mode": "all",
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 3,
  "page": 1
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped Snapchat Explore search results.

# 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 = {
    "queries": [
        "food"
    ],
    "mode": "all",
    "maxResultsPerQuery": 3,
    "page": 1
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("vexaloom-labs/snapchat-explore-search-across-spotlight-lenses").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 = {
    "queries": ["food"],
    "mode": "all",
    "maxResultsPerQuery": 3,
    "page": 1,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("vexaloom-labs/snapchat-explore-search-across-spotlight-lenses").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 '{
  "queries": [
    "food"
  ],
  "mode": "all",
  "maxResultsPerQuery": 3,
  "page": 1
}' |
apify call vexaloom-labs/snapchat-explore-search-across-spotlight-lenses --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vexaloom-labs/snapchat-explore-search-across-spotlight-lenses"
        }
    }
}
```

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/37uAX6CIbieDZhXKL/builds/3sKUgGzwHh7pmr4rb/openapi.json