Discover and track emerging trends using Apify Actors to extract data from multiple platforms.
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: Identify trend type (select Actor)
- [ ] Step 2: Fetch Actor schema via mcpc
- [ ] Step 3: Ask user preferences (format, filename)
- [ ] Step 4: Run the analysis script
- [ ] Step 5: Summarize findings
Step 1: Identify Trend Type
Select the appropriate Actor based on research needs:
| Search trends
| apify/google-trends-scraper
| Google Trends data
| Hashtag tracking
| apify/instagram-hashtag-scraper
| Hashtag content
| Hashtag metrics
| apify/instagram-hashtag-stats
| Performance stats
| Visual trends
| apify/instagram-post-scraper
| Post analysis
| Trending discovery
| apify/instagram-search-scraper
| Search trends
| Comprehensive tracking
| apify/instagram-scraper
| Full data
| API-based trends
| apify/instagram-api-scraper
| API access
| Engagement trends
| apify/export-instagram-comments-posts
| Comment tracking
| Product trends
| apify/facebook-marketplace-scraper
| Marketplace data
| Visual analysis
| apify/facebook-photos-scraper
| Photo trends
| Community trends
| apify/facebook-groups-scraper
| Group monitoring
| YouTube Shorts
| streamers/youtube-shorts-scraper
| Short-form trends
| YouTube hashtags
| streamers/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag
| Hashtag videos
| TikTok hashtags
| clockworks/tiktok-hashtag-scraper
| Hashtag content
| Trending sounds
| clockworks/tiktok-sound-scraper
| Audio trends
| TikTok ads
| clockworks/tiktok-ads-scraper
| Ad trends
| Discover page
| clockworks/tiktok-discover-scraper
| Discover trends
| Explore trends
| clockworks/tiktok-explore-scraper
| Explore content
| Trending content
| clockworks/tiktok-trends-scraper
| Viral content
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., apify/google-trends-scraper).
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 Findings
After completion, report:
-
Number of results found
-
File location and name
-
Key trend insights
-
Suggested next steps (deeper analysis, content opportunities)
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