# YouTube Shorts Scraper — Search, Channels & Hashtags (Fast) (`vladased/youtube-shorts-scraper`) Actor

Scrape YouTube Shorts from searches, hashtags and channels: views, likes, comments, dates, channel stats. No browser, fast mode, only-new monitoring.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/vladased/youtube-shorts-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [obie](https://apify.com/vladased) (community)
- **Categories:** Videos, Social media, Agents
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 1 monthly users, 70.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 short (full detail)s

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/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 Shorts Scraper: Search, Hashtags & Channels (Fast)

**Scrape YouTube Shorts by keyword search, `#hashtag` or channel: views, likes, comments count, exact upload date, duration, hashtags,
description, plus channel stats on every row (subscribers, total views, video count, country).** No browser, so it's fast and cheap.
**From $2.70 per 1,000 Shorts in full detail, $1 per 1,000 in fast mode** (Starter plan prices). Removed or private Shorts are listed and cost nothing.

### Why this one

| | This Actor | Typical Shorts scrapers |
|---|---|---|
| Search | Real YouTube **Shorts-only search** (the same filter as the YouTube app), keywords or `#hashtags` | Generic search, then filtering |
| Speed | YouTube's lightweight app API, no browser: dozens of Shorts per request | Browser page loads |
| Fast mode | Title + views straight from result pages, about 3× cheaper | Full price for every row |
| Channel stats | Subscribers, exact total views, video count, country on every row, fetched once per channel | Separate actor or missing |
| Scheduled runs | **Only new Shorts**: a daily run delivers and bills only Shorts it hasn't sent you before | Re-delivers and re-bills everything |
| Errors | Removed/private/blocked Shorts come back with a `reasonCode`, **never billed** | Missing rows or failed runs |

### What it does

- **Search Shorts** by keyword (`iphone 17 review`) or hashtag (`#lifehacks`), sorted by relevance, date, views or rating, with upload-date filters.
- **Channel Shorts:** paste `@handles` or channel URLs and get each channel's newest Shorts (up to 5,000 per channel).
- **Single Shorts:** paste `youtube.com/shorts/…` links for full detail.
- **Two detail levels:**
  - **Full** (default): exact publish date, likes, comments count, views, duration, tags, hashtags, description and links, thumbnail, channel stats.
  - **Fast:** title and views read straight from search and channel pages. Ideal for trend tracking across many hashtags.
- **Date filters:** `publishedAfter` / `publishedBefore` as dates or relative (`7 days`, `3 months`).
- **Only new Shorts:** turn it on and schedule the run (daily trend monitoring without duplicates).
- **Need regular videos too?** Set *Search returns* to *Regular videos*, or use our [YouTube Scraper](https://apify.com/vladased/youtube-scraper-fast).

### Pricing

Pay per result, no compute fee on top. Free-tier prices below; Starter and higher plans pay less.

| Event | Price | When |
|---|---|---|
| Short (full) | $0.003 | One Short with full detail |
| Short (fast) | $0.0012 | One Short read from a search or channel page |
| Channel profile | $0.002 | One channel row (channel-only mode) |
| Error rows | free | Removed, private or blocked Shorts |

Set *Maximum cost per run* in Run options and the Actor stops there cleanly.

### Input examples

Top 100 Shorts for a hashtag, uploaded this week, fast mode:

```json
{ "searchQueries": ["#lifehacks"], "maxResults": 100, "searchUploadDate": "week", "detail": "fast" }
```

Newest 30 Shorts from two channels, full detail:

```json
{ "startUrls": ["@mkbhd", "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast"], "maxResults": 30 }
```

Daily monitoring of new Shorts for a keyword (schedule it):

```json
{ "searchQueries": ["air fryer recipe"], "searchSort": "date", "maxResults": 50, "onlyNewVideos": true }
```

### Output

One row per Short: `id`, `url`, `title`, `viewCount`, `likes`, `commentsCount`, `date`, `duration`, `durationSeconds`, `hashtags`, `text` (description),
`isShort`, `thumbnailUrl`, `channelName`, `channelUrl`, `numberOfSubscribers`, `channelTotalViews`, and more. Export as JSON, CSV, Excel,
or pull it from the API, n8n, Make or Zapier.

### Good to know

- Public data only. No login, no cookies.
- Runs that hit YouTube's limits retry on a fresh route automatically (direct → datacenter → residential only when needed).
- AI agents can call this Actor through Apify's MCP server and agent payments.

# Changelog

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

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

Each search returns Shorts only. Use '#hashtag' to follow a hashtag.

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Channels (@handle or URL) give their newest Shorts. Single Shorts, videos and playlists also work (max 200). Also accepts {url} objects and 'urls'/'videoUrls'/'channelUrls'.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Cap per source (0–5,000). Channels count their Shorts; 0 with a channel = channel profile only.

## `detail` (type: `string`):

Fast mode reads channel/search/playlist pages only: ~4× cheaper and much faster for bulk view-count tracking. Single video URLs always get full detail.

## `searchType` (type: `string`):

Searches return Shorts (default) or regular videos.

## `publishedAfter` (type: `string`):

Only videos published on/after this date: YYYY-MM-DD or a relative age like '7 days', '3 months'. Free (no add-on fee). Also accepts 'oldestPostDate'.

## `publishedBefore` (type: `string`):

Only videos published on/before this date (YYYY-MM-DD or '1 year').

## `searchSort` (type: `string`):

Order of search results.

## `searchUploadDate` (type: `string`):

Left on 'any', it is set from 'Published after' automatically.

## `includeChannelInfo` (type: `boolean`):

Subscribers, total views, video count, country, joined date, links. Fetched once per channel, no extra charge. Default: on in full mode, off in fast mode (keeps bulk view tracking fast).

## `includeCommentCount` (type: `boolean`):

The comments count as YouTube shows it (e.g. 2.4K → 2400). One extra small request per video, no extra charge.

## `includeTranscript` (type: `boolean`):

Full detail only: adds the video's captions as plain text (+ language, auto-generated flag). Billed per video only when captions exist.

## `transcriptLanguages` (type: `array`):

Preferred caption languages in order, e.g. 'en', 'es'. Empty = the video's default.

## `onlyNewVideos` (type: `boolean`):

Remember delivered videos and skip them on later runs with the same input: schedule daily and pay only for new uploads.

## `stateKey` (type: `string`):

Optional: share one 'only new' memory across different inputs.

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

Leave as is: we go direct, then datacenter, then residential only if YouTube pushes back.

## `searchDuration` (type: `string`):

Video length filter for searches.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQueries": [
    "#cooking",
    "iphone 17 review"
  ],
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd"
  ],
  "maxResults": 10,
  "detail": "full",
  "searchType": "shorts",
  "publishedAfter": "30 days",
  "publishedBefore": "2026-01-01",
  "searchSort": "relevance",
  "searchUploadDate": "any",
  "includeCommentCount": true,
  "includeTranscript": false,
  "onlyNewVideos": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  },
  "searchDuration": "any"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

One row per video (or channel): views, likes, comments, date, subscribers.

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

Every field, incl. description, tags, chapters, channel stats.

# 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 = {
    "searchQueries": [
        "#lifehacks"
    ],
    "startUrls": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("vladased/youtube-shorts-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 = {
    "searchQueries": ["#lifehacks"],
    "startUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd"],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("vladased/youtube-shorts-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 '{
  "searchQueries": [
    "#lifehacks"
  ],
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd"
  ]
}' |
apify call vladased/youtube-shorts-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vladased/youtube-shorts-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/D64BThVayIHPsvRDu/builds/Pbg6EjyA1e9wG08QN/openapi.json