# Mastodon Scraper — hashtags, accounts & search (Fediverse) (`vincentkirui/mastodon-scraper`) Actor

Scrape public Mastodon / Fediverse data with no login: recent posts for a hashtag, an account's profile + posts, or search accounts and hashtags. Works on any instance (default mastodon.social). Uses the open Mastodon API.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/vincentkirui/mastodon-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Vincent Kirui](https://apify.com/vincentkirui) (community)
- **Categories:**
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.50 / 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.

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

## Mastodon Scraper — hashtags, accounts & search (Fediverse)

Scrape public **Mastodon / Fediverse** data with no login, via the open instance API. Works
against **any instance** (default mastodon.social). Three modes:

| Mode | What you get | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| **Hashtag** | Recent public posts for a #tag | Topic / brand / event monitoring, sentiment, research |
| **Account** | An account's profile + recent posts | Influencer & audience research, competitor tracking |
| **Search** | Accounts and hashtags matching a keyword | Discovery, audience mapping |

### Fediverse-wide

Point it at any Mastodon server via the `instance` field — the same actor scrapes
mastodon.social, fosstodon.org, hachyderm.io, or any other instance. Pairs naturally with a
Bluesky scraper for full decentralized-social coverage.

### Output

Flat JSON rows (HTML stripped to plain text). Statuses: `text`, `author_acct`,
`author_display`, `favourites`, `reblogs`, `replies`, `created_at`, `tags`, `url`. Accounts:
`acct`, `display_name`, `note`, `followers_count`, `statuses_count`, `url`.

### Input examples

```json
{ "mode": "hashtag", "hashtag": "opensource", "instance": "mastodon.social", "maxItems": 500 }
```

```json
{ "mode": "account", "accounts": ["Gargron"], "includeStatuses": true }
```

```json
{ "mode": "search", "query": "climate" }
```

### Legal

Uses Mastodon's open, documented instance API for public data. No login, no circumvention.
Handle personal data in line with applicable law (e.g. GDPR).

### Pricing

Pay-per-event: a small actor-start fee plus a per-item charge — you pay for exactly the data
you pull.

# Actor input Schema

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

hashtag = posts for a #tag; account = profile + posts; search = accounts & hashtags

## `instance` (type: `string`):

Mastodon instance host (any Fediverse server).

## `hashtag` (type: `string`):

Tag to monitor, with or without #.

## `accounts` (type: `array`):

Handles, e.g. Gargron or user@instance.social.

## `includeStatuses` (type: `boolean`):

Also return each account's recent posts.

## `query` (type: `string`):

Keyword to search accounts and hashtags.

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

Stop after this many results.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "hashtag",
  "instance": "mastodon.social",
  "hashtag": "opensource",
  "accounts": [
    "Gargron"
  ],
  "includeStatuses": true,
  "query": "climate",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

Scraped items in the default dataset.

# 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("vincentkirui/mastodon-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("vincentkirui/mastodon-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 vincentkirui/mastodon-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vincentkirui/mastodon-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/t4xq0fMAdMzxOnupL/builds/Ds3UpHAveN1COA2Ci/openapi.json