# YouTube Live Stream Scraper (`w3crawler/youtube-live-stream-scraper`) Actor

Find live and upcoming YouTube streams with YouTube's search and continuation endpoints. Returns observed status, viewer, channel, and schedule data.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/w3crawler/youtube-live-stream-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [w3crawler](https://apify.com/w3crawler) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.99 / 1,000 live streams

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 Live Stream Scraper

Find current public live and upcoming YouTube streams from bounded keyword searches. Each record includes status evidence, viewer text, schedule hints, channel identity, thumbnails, badges, query context, and extraction provenance.

### Input

```json
{
  "searchQueries": ["gaming", "news"],
  "streamTypes": ["live", "upcoming"],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "maxPages": 1,
  "languageCode": "en",
  "countryCode": "US",
  "includeDiagnostics": true,
  "enableProxyFallback": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": {"useApifyProxy": false}
}
```

Only public YouTube HTML and embedded page data are read. The actor does not use login state, private request endpoints, CAPTCHA bypass, stealth, fingerprint spoofing, credential-bearing proxy URLs, or opaque continuation replay. One bounded Apify Proxy fallback can be enabled after direct access fails.

### Verification

```text
npm test
npx apify validate-schema
npx apify run --purge --input-file qa-inputs/youtube-live-stream-scraper/local-validation.json
node validate-datasets.js
```

The OUTPUT key-value record reports item, page, diagnostic, blocked, and proxy-routing counts. `streamStatus` is emitted only when public metadata supports `live` or `upcoming`; unclassified videos are not presented as streams.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/w3crawler/youtube-live-stream-scraper/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

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

One to 25 public YouTube stream searches.

## `streamTypes` (type: `array`):

Keep live, upcoming, or both states. Allowed values: live and upcoming.

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

Maximum unique stream records for the run.

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Bounded public search pages; opaque continuation commands are not replayed.

## `languageCode` (type: `string`):

Two- or three-letter public page language context.

## `countryCode` (type: `string`):

Two-letter regional context.

## `includeDiagnostics` (type: `boolean`):

Store exact four-field public access diagnostics.

## `enableProxyFallback` (type: `boolean`):

Try one configured proxy route after direct access fails.

## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`):

Bounded delay between public pages.

## `requestTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Timeout for one public HTML page request.

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

Optional account-authorized Apify Proxy settings. Keep proxy URLs credential-free.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQueries": [
    "gaming"
  ],
  "streamTypes": [
    "live"
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "maxPages": 1,
  "languageCode": "en",
  "countryCode": "US",
  "includeDiagnostics": true,
  "enableProxyFallback": true,
  "requestDelayMs": 250,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 60,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

## `keyValueStore` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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": [
        "gaming"
    ],
    "streamTypes": [
        "live"
    ],
    "maxItems": 20,
    "maxPages": 1,
    "languageCode": "en",
    "countryCode": "US",
    "includeDiagnostics": true,
    "enableProxyFallback": true,
    "requestDelayMs": 250,
    "requestTimeoutSecs": 60,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("w3crawler/youtube-live-stream-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": ["gaming"],
    "streamTypes": ["live"],
    "maxItems": 20,
    "maxPages": 1,
    "languageCode": "en",
    "countryCode": "US",
    "includeDiagnostics": True,
    "enableProxyFallback": True,
    "requestDelayMs": 250,
    "requestTimeoutSecs": 60,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("w3crawler/youtube-live-stream-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": [
    "gaming"
  ],
  "streamTypes": [
    "live"
  ],
  "maxItems": 20,
  "maxPages": 1,
  "languageCode": "en",
  "countryCode": "US",
  "includeDiagnostics": true,
  "enableProxyFallback": true,
  "requestDelayMs": 250,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 60,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call w3crawler/youtube-live-stream-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,w3crawler/youtube-live-stream-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/lPnrVaYbUmXaDr263/builds/iKWpIXW1tqvvn0bTj/openapi.json