# SF Early Development Signals (`windhond/sf-early-development-signals`) Actor

Fresh planning-stage SF development projects before building permits, trade-tagged and scored.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/windhond/sf-early-development-signals.md
- **Developed by:** [Morne](https://apify.com/windhond) (community)
- **Categories:**
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $10.00 / 1,000 leads

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?

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

## San Francisco Early Development Signals

Find fresh San Francisco development opportunities **before a related building permit is present**. This Actor reads official public San Francisco Planning Department project records, applies deterministic opportunity scoring, and returns structured planning-stage signals for construction, architecture, engineering, property services, suppliers, research, and business-development workflows.

### What this Actor does

Instead of returning a generic building-permit feed, the default workflow focuses on the earlier planning window. With `prePermitOnly=true`, projects that already have a related building permit are excluded. Each returned result includes the project record, age, applicant information where published, assigned planner, opportunity tags, a lead score, source metadata, and a deduplication key.

Typical uses include:

- identifying new commercial, multifamily, residential, renovation, or development activity;
- monitoring planning-stage projects before normal permit lead feeds;
- creating CRM or sales-prospecting inputs;
- feeding downstream AI agents, automations, spreadsheets, or databases;
- tracking development activity by keyword.

### Inputs

Use `lookbackDays` to control freshness, `maxResults` to cap output, `minLeadScore` to filter weak opportunities, and optional `keywords` to focus on specific project types or terms. Leave `prePermitOnly` enabled for the core early-stage use case.

### Output and billing

Results are written as structured dataset items. The Actor charges only when it delivers a qualified result. Apify platform usage is billed separately according to the run settings shown by Apify, so users retain visibility and control over total run cost.

### Data source and limitations

The source is the public DataSF Planning Department Projects dataset. Source availability, field completeness, and update timing are controlled by the City of San Francisco. A planning record is an opportunity signal, not a guarantee that construction will proceed, that a contract is available, or that the listed applicant is seeking vendors.

This Actor uses deterministic rules rather than an LLM, paid enrichment API, browser session, proxy, or login.

**Unofficial tool. This Actor is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the City and County of San Francisco, the San Francisco Planning Department, or DataSF.**

# Actor input Schema

## `lookbackDays` (type: `integer`):

Number of days back to search for newly opened planning projects.

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

Maximum number of qualified development signals to return.

## `prePermitOnly` (type: `boolean`):

When enabled, only return planning-stage projects with no related building permit yet.

## `minLeadScore` (type: `integer`):

Minimum opportunity score from 0 to 100 required for a project to be returned.

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

Optional keywords used to restrict results by project name, description, or record type.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "lookbackDays": 14,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "prePermitOnly": true,
  "minLeadScore": 25,
  "keywords": []
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("windhond/sf-early-development-signals").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("windhond/sf-early-development-signals").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 windhond/sf-early-development-signals --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,windhond/sf-early-development-signals"
        }
    }
}

```

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/f38P33A0h2AX1odXa/builds/JjJ0uA5Wg7RvLNeaD/openapi.json