# Sitemap URL Extractor & Auditor (index-aware, status checks) (`plotbench/sitemap-url-auditor`) Actor

Extract every URL from XML sitemaps — sitemap-index and gzip aware — with lastmod/changefreq/priority, plus optional robots-respecting HTTP status sampling for broken-page detection.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/plotbench/sitemap-url-auditor.md
- **Developed by:** [Plotbench Studio](https://apify.com/plotbench) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 100 urls extracteds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#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

## Sitemap URL Extractor & Auditor (index-aware, gzip, status checks)

Turn any XML sitemap into a clean URL dataset — **sitemap-index aware, gzip aware** — with `lastmod` / `changefreq` / `priority` per URL, plus an optional **robots-respecting HTTP status sample** that finds broken pages and redirect chains hiding in the sitemap.

Built for the SEO / migration / QA workflows that start with "get me every URL":

- **SEO agencies & consultants** — full URL inventory + freshness (`lastmod`) + status codes per client site, on a schedule.
- **Site migrations** — extract the complete old-site URL set for redirect mapping; re-run after launch to catch 404s the sitemap still advertises.
- **Content audits** — the `lastmod` distribution shows exactly how stale a content estate is.
- **Competitor content mapping** — a competitor's sitemap is their published content inventory.

### What it does

1. Fetches each sitemap URL you give it — follows **sitemap indexes** recursively (depth-capped), decompresses **.xml.gz**, and extracts every `<url>` with its metadata, up to your `maxUrls` cap.
2. Optionally **status-checks a sample** (HEAD with GET fallback, redirect detection, response-time) — honouring `robots.txt` `Disallow` rules for the checks.
3. Writes a per-run summary (`RUN_SUMMARY`): sitemaps read, URLs extracted, status breakdown, lastmod coverage.

Proven against real-world scale: the gov.uk sitemap index (35 child sitemaps, 25,000 URLs per child) walks cleanly.

### Input

```json
{
    "sitemapUrls": ["https://example.com/sitemap.xml"],
    "maxUrls": 5000,
    "checkStatus": true,
    "statusSampleSize": 200,
    "respectRobots": true,
    "concurrency": 5
}
```

### Output (one row per URL)

```json
{
    "url": "https://www.gov.uk/",
    "lastmod": "2026-07-01T04:45:47+00:00",
    "changefreq": null,
    "priority": "0.5",
    "sourceSitemap": "https://www.gov.uk/sitemaps/sitemap_1.xml",
    "statusCheck": { "status": 200, "redirectedTo": null, "responseMs": 17 }
}
```

### Pricing (pay per event)

| Event | Price |
|---|---|
| Actor start | $0.02 per run |
| Per 100 URLs extracted | $0.005 |
| Per URL status-checked | $0.0005 |

A 10,000-URL extract with a 500-URL status sample costs about **$0.77**.

### Fair use & crawling ethics

Sitemaps exist **specifically for automated consumption** — that is their entire purpose under the sitemaps.org protocol. Status checks are lightweight (HEAD-first, ranged GET fallback, low default concurrency) and **respect robots.txt** `Disallow` rules by default; disallowed paths are reported as skipped rather than checked. The actor identifies itself with a stable User-Agent.

### Limitations (told straight)

- Extraction is capped by `maxUrls` and a sitemap-count safety cap; enormous estates should be pulled in slices (one child sitemap per run works well).
- RSS/Atom feeds-as-sitemaps and non-standard sitemap extensions (image/video/news tags) are passed through by URL only — the extension metadata isn't parsed in v1.
- Status sampling checks the first N URLs in extraction order (deterministic), not a random sample.

# Actor input Schema

## `sitemapUrls` (type: `array`):

One or more sitemap.xml (or sitemap index / .xml.gz) URLs.

## `maxUrls` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many URLs (sitemap-index children are walked automatically).

## `checkStatus` (type: `boolean`):

HEAD-request a sample of the extracted URLs to find broken pages and redirects.

## `statusSampleSize` (type: `integer`):

How many of the extracted URLs to status-check (from the top).

## `respectRobots` (type: `boolean`):

Skip status checks on paths disallowed for User-agent: \* (recommended; sitemap reading itself is always allowed — sitemaps exist for crawlers).

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many status checks run in parallel (keep low to stay polite).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sitemapUrls": [
    "https://www.gov.uk/sitemap.xml"
  ],
  "maxUrls": 500,
  "checkStatus": true,
  "statusSampleSize": 25,
  "respectRobots": true,
  "concurrency": 5
}
```

# 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 = {
    "sitemapUrls": [
        "https://www.gov.uk/sitemap.xml"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("plotbench/sitemap-url-auditor").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 = { "sitemapUrls": ["https://www.gov.uk/sitemap.xml"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("plotbench/sitemap-url-auditor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "sitemapUrls": [
    "https://www.gov.uk/sitemap.xml"
  ]
}' |
apify call plotbench/sitemap-url-auditor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=plotbench/sitemap-url-auditor",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/c4Us4fGewZwKeyZWC/builds/IlGqTSQYr19YYIg7r/openapi.json