Universal Web Scraper

AI-driven data extraction from 55+ Actors across all major platforms. This skill automatically selects the best Actor for your task.

When to Use

• The user needs web data extraction but has not yet chosen a specific Apify Actor.
• You need a general-purpose Apify entry point that maps a broad scraping goal to the most suitable Actor.
• The task spans multiple platforms and benefits from one unified workflow for actor selection, execution, and summarization.

Prerequisites

(No need to check it upfront)

• .env file with APIFY_TOKEN
• Node.js 20.6+ (for native --env-file support)
• mcpc CLI tool: npm install -g @apify/mcpc

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)

Actor ID	Best For
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)

Actor ID	Best For
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)

Actor ID	Best For
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)

Actor ID	Best For
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)

Actor ID	Best For
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)

Actor ID	Best For
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

Use Case	Primary Actors
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:

Workflow	Step 1	Step 2
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:

1. 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
2. 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:

If User Got	Suggest Next
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

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for enprojectnment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.