AI-driven data extraction from 55+ Actors across all major platforms. This skill automatically selects the best Actor for your task.
Prerequisites
(No need to check it upfront)
-
.envfile withAPIFY_TOKEN -
Node.js 20.6+ (for native
--env-filesupport) -
mcpcCLI tool (for fetching Actor schemas)
Workflow
Copy this checklist and track progress:
Task Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Understand user goal and select Actor
- [ ] Step 2: Fetch Actor schema via mcpc
- [ ] Step 3: Ask user preferences (format, filename)
- [ ] Step 4: Run the scraper script
- [ ] Step 5: Summarize results and offer follow-ups
Step 1: Understand User Goal and Select Actor
First, understand what the user wants to achieve. Then select the best Actor from the options below.
Instagram Actors (12)
| apify/instagram-profile-scraper
| Profile data, follower counts, bio info
| apify/instagram-post-scraper
| Individual post details, engagement metrics
| apify/instagram-comment-scraper
| Comment extraction, sentiment analysis
| apify/instagram-hashtag-scraper
| Hashtag content, trending topics
| apify/instagram-hashtag-stats
| Hashtag performance metrics
| apify/instagram-reel-scraper
| Reels content and metrics
| apify/instagram-search-scraper
| Search users, places, hashtags
| apify/instagram-tagged-scraper
| Posts tagged with specific accounts
| apify/instagram-followers-count-scraper
| Follower count tracking
| apify/instagram-scraper
| Comprehensive Instagram data
| apify/instagram-api-scraper
| API-based Instagram access
| apify/export-instagram-comments-posts
| Bulk comment/post export
Facebook Actors (14)
| apify/facebook-pages-scraper
| Page data, metrics, contact info
| apify/facebook-page-contact-information
| Emails, phones, addresses from pages
| apify/facebook-posts-scraper
| Post content and engagement
| apify/facebook-comments-scraper
| Comment extraction
| apify/facebook-likes-scraper
| Reaction analysis
| apify/facebook-reviews-scraper
| Page reviews
| apify/facebook-groups-scraper
| Group content and members
| apify/facebook-events-scraper
| Event data
| apify/facebook-ads-scraper
| Ad creative and targeting
| apify/facebook-search-scraper
| Search results
| apify/facebook-reels-scraper
| Reels content
| apify/facebook-photos-scraper
| Photo extraction
| apify/facebook-marketplace-scraper
| Marketplace listings
| apify/facebook-followers-following-scraper
| Follower/following lists
TikTok Actors (14)
| clockworks/tiktok-scraper
| Comprehensive TikTok data
| clockworks/free-tiktok-scraper
| Free TikTok extraction
| clockworks/tiktok-profile-scraper
| Profile data
| clockworks/tiktok-video-scraper
| Video details and metrics
| clockworks/tiktok-comments-scraper
| Comment extraction
| clockworks/tiktok-followers-scraper
| Follower lists
| clockworks/tiktok-user-search-scraper
| Find users by keywords
| clockworks/tiktok-hashtag-scraper
| Hashtag content
| clockworks/tiktok-sound-scraper
| Trending sounds
| clockworks/tiktok-ads-scraper
| Ad content
| clockworks/tiktok-discover-scraper
| Discover page content
| clockworks/tiktok-explore-scraper
| Explore content
| clockworks/tiktok-trends-scraper
| Trending content
| clockworks/tiktok-live-scraper
| Live stream data
YouTube Actors (5)
| streamers/youtube-scraper
| Video data and metrics
| streamers/youtube-channel-scraper
| Channel information
| streamers/youtube-comments-scraper
| Comment extraction
| streamers/youtube-shorts-scraper
| Shorts content
| streamers/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag
| Videos by hashtag
Google Maps Actors (4)
| compass/crawler-google-places
| Business listings, ratings, contact info
| compass/google-maps-extractor
| Detailed business data
| compass/Google-Maps-Reviews-Scraper
| Review extraction
| poidata/google-maps-email-extractor
| Email discovery from listings
Other Actors (6)
| apify/google-search-scraper
| Google search results
| apify/google-trends-scraper
| Google Trends data
| voyager/booking-scraper
| Booking.com hotel data
| voyager/booking-reviews-scraper
| Booking.com reviews
| maxcopell/tripadvisor-reviews
| TripAdvisor reviews
| vdrmota/contact-info-scraper
| Contact enrichment from URLs
Actor Selection by Use Case
| Lead Generation
| compass/crawler-google-places, poidata/google-maps-email-extractor, vdrmota/contact-info-scraper
| Influencer Discovery
| apify/instagram-profile-scraper, clockworks/tiktok-profile-scraper, streamers/youtube-channel-scraper
| Brand Monitoring
| apify/instagram-tagged-scraper, apify/instagram-hashtag-scraper, compass/Google-Maps-Reviews-Scraper
| Competitor Analysis
| apify/facebook-pages-scraper, apify/facebook-ads-scraper, apify/instagram-profile-scraper
| Content Analytics
| apify/instagram-post-scraper, clockworks/tiktok-scraper, streamers/youtube-scraper
| Trend Research
| apify/google-trends-scraper, clockworks/tiktok-trends-scraper, apify/instagram-hashtag-stats
| Review Analysis
| compass/Google-Maps-Reviews-Scraper, voyager/booking-reviews-scraper, maxcopell/tripadvisor-reviews
| Audience Analysis
| apify/instagram-followers-count-scraper, clockworks/tiktok-followers-scraper, apify/facebook-followers-following-scraper
Multi-Actor Workflows
For complex tasks, chain multiple Actors:
| Lead enrichment
| compass/crawler-google-places →
| vdrmota/contact-info-scraper
| Influencer vetting
| apify/instagram-profile-scraper →
| apify/instagram-comment-scraper
| Competitor deep-dive
| apify/facebook-pages-scraper →
| apify/facebook-posts-scraper
| Local business analysis
| compass/crawler-google-places →
| compass/Google-Maps-Reviews-Scraper
Can't Find a Suitable Actor?
If none of the Actors above match the user's request, search the Apify Store directly:
export $(grep APIFY_TOKEN .env | xargs) && mcpc --json mcp.apify.com --header "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" tools-call search-actors keywords:="SEARCH_KEYWORDS" limit:=10 offset:=0 category:="" | jq -r '.content[0].text'
Replace SEARCH_KEYWORDS with 1-3 simple terms (e.g., "LinkedIn profiles", "Amazon products", "Twitter").
Step 2: Fetch Actor Schema
Fetch the Actor's input schema and details dynamically using mcpc:
export $(grep APIFY_TOKEN .env | xargs) && mcpc --json mcp.apify.com --header "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" tools-call fetch-actor-details actor:="ACTOR_ID" | jq -r ".content"
Replace ACTOR_ID with the selected Actor (e.g., compass/crawler-google-places).
This returns:
-
Actor description and README
-
Required and optional input parameters
-
Output fields (if available)
Step 3: Ask User Preferences
Before running, ask:
- Output format:
Quick answer - Display top few results in chat (no file saved)
-
CSV - Full export with all fields
-
JSON - Full export in JSON format
-
Number of results: Based on character of use case
Step 4: Run the Script
Quick answer (display in chat, no file):
node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
--actor "ACTOR_ID" \
--input 'JSON_INPUT'
CSV:
node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
--actor "ACTOR_ID" \
--input 'JSON_INPUT' \
--output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.csv \
--format csv
JSON:
node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
--actor "ACTOR_ID" \
--input 'JSON_INPUT' \
--output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.json \
--format json
Step 5: Summarize Results and Offer Follow-ups
After completion, report:
-
Number of results found
-
File location and name
-
Key fields available
-
Suggested follow-up workflows based on results:
| Business listings
| Enrich with vdrmota/contact-info-scraper or get reviews
| Influencer profiles | Analyze engagement with comment scrapers
| Competitor pages | Deep-dive with post/ad scrapers
| Trend data | Validate with platform-specific hashtag scrapers
Error Handling
APIFY_TOKEN not found - Ask user to create .env with APIFY_TOKEN=your_token
mcpc not found - Ask user to install npm install -g @apify/mcpc
Actor not found - Check Actor ID spelling
Run FAILED - Ask user to check Apify console link in error output
Timeout - Reduce input size or increase --timeout