# Mastodon Scraper — Posts, Hashtags & Timelines (`puskin/mastodon-scraper`) Actor

Scrape public posts from any Mastodon/Fediverse instance. Browse public timelines, search by hashtag, view account statuses, or search posts across the instance — no authentication required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/puskin/mastodon-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Giovanni Bucci](https://apify.com/puskin) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 results

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/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

## Mastodon Scraper

Scrape public posts from any Mastodon or Fediverse instance — **no authentication required**.

### Features

- **Public Timeline** — Browse local or federated public posts from any instance
- **Hashtag Timeline** — Find all public posts with a specific hashtag
- **Account Statuses** — View all public posts by a specific account
- **Search** — Full-text search across public posts on an instance

### Input

| Field     | Type    | Default               | Description                                    |
|-----------|---------|-----------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| instance  | string  | `https://mastodon.social` | Base URL of the Mastodon instance           |
| mode      | select  | `publicTimeline`      | `publicTimeline`, `hashtagTimeline`, `accountStatuses`, `search` |
| hashtag   | string  | —                     | Hashtag (without #) for hashtagTimeline mode  |
| accountId | string  | —                     | Numeric account ID for accountStatuses mode   |
| query     | string  | —                     | Search keyword for search mode                |
| local     | boolean | true                  | Local-only posts (publicTimeline mode)        |
| limit     | int     | 20                    | Max results (1–40)                            |

### Output

Each result is pushed as a JSON record to the Apify dataset with standardized fields:

**All modes** — id, uri, created\_at, content, url, visibility, language, favourites\_count, reblogs\_count, replies\_count, sensitive, spoiler\_text, account\_id, account\_username, account\_display\_name, account\_acct, tags\[], media\_attachments\[]

**Mode-specific** — type field indicates the source, plus hashtag/query/account\_id metadata

### Supported Instances

Works with any Mastodon, Pleroma, or compatible Fediverse instance that has public API access enabled. Tested with:

- mastodon.social, fosstodon.org, tech.lgbt, hachyderm.io, and many more

### Use Cases

- Monitor brand mentions across the Fediverse
- Track hashtag trends and community discussions
- Research public discourse on topics
- Build datasets for NLP and sentiment analysis
- Follow specific accounts' public activity

### Automation & Integration

- **Schedule daily scans** via Apify's built-in scheduler — track hashtags over time
- **Connect to Make.com, Zapier, or n8n** via Apify integrations
- **Export to Google Sheets, Slack, or any webhook** from the Apify dataset
- **Combine with Bluesky Scraper** for cross-platform social monitoring

### Technical

- Built with Python + httpx
- Uses the Mastodon REST API at `/api/v1/`
- Public endpoints only — no OAuth needed on most instances
- Some instances may require OAuth if public preview is disabled (rare)

# Actor input Schema

## `instance` (type: `string`):

Base URL of the Mastodon instance (e.g. https://hachyderm.io). Note: some instances like mastodon.social require authentication.

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What to scrape from the Mastodon instance

## `hashtag` (type: `string`):

Hashtag to search (without #) — used in hashtagTimeline mode

## `accountId` (type: `string`):

Numeric account ID (used in accountStatuses mode — get it from the account's profile URL)

## `query` (type: `string`):

Keyword to search across posts (used in search mode)

## `local` (type: `boolean`):

If true, only show posts from the local instance (publicTimeline mode)

## `limit` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of results to return (1–40)

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "instance": "https://hachyderm.io",
  "mode": "publicTimeline",
  "hashtag": "python",
  "accountId": "1",
  "query": "federation",
  "local": true,
  "limit": 20
}
```

# 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 = {
    "instance": "https://hachyderm.io",
    "mode": "publicTimeline",
    "hashtag": "",
    "accountId": "",
    "query": "",
    "limit": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("puskin/mastodon-scraper").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 = {
    "instance": "https://hachyderm.io",
    "mode": "publicTimeline",
    "hashtag": "",
    "accountId": "",
    "query": "",
    "limit": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("puskin/mastodon-scraper").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 '{
  "instance": "https://hachyderm.io",
  "mode": "publicTimeline",
  "hashtag": "",
  "accountId": "",
  "query": "",
  "limit": 20
}' |
apify call puskin/mastodon-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/BG9ejJ5QwEdSzBP2Y/builds/z2gTgin6DAYhQnZla/openapi.json