# VS Code Publishers Scraper (Leads: Domain, Installs) (`scrapers_lat/vscode-publishers-scraper`) Actor
Publisher-centric VS Code Marketplace scraper. Each record is a publisher with website domain, domain verification, verified badge, total installs across all their extensions, extension count and top extensions. Build devtool vendor lead lists. Export to JSON, CSV or Excel.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapers\_lat/vscode-publishers-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrapers Lat](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Business, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
from $10.20 / 1,000 results
This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.
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
## VS Code Publishers Scraper (Leads: Domain, Installs)
> Turn the Visual Studio Code Marketplace into a developer-tool vendor lead list. Every record is a publisher, not an extension: their website domain and ready-to-use website URL, whether the domain is verified, the verified badge, sponsor / funding links and GitHub org handles for outreach, the categories they build in, the date of their latest release, the total installs summed across all of their extensions, how many extensions they ship and their top extensions. Search by publisher name or topic and export a clean, contact-ready list for outreach, partnerships and market mapping.
Website & GitHub domain, sponsor & org handles
Total installs summed across all extensions
Portfolio & activity top extensions, categories, latest release
### Who is it for
| Use case | Who benefits |
|---|---|
| Lead generation | Devtool vendors and agencies building lists of active publishers with a website to reach |
| Partnerships & BD | Teams finding extension authors to co-market or acquire |
| Market mapping | Analysts sizing publishers by portfolio installs and extension count |
| Recruiting | Teams sourcing prolific extension authors in a given topic |
### How to use it
1. Enter a **publisher name or topic keyword** (for example `microsoft`, `redhat`, `python`, `ai`), or leave it empty to browse the top publishers.
2. Set **Max Publishers To Scrape** and run.
3. Export as JSON, CSV or Excel, or pull it through the Apify API.
### Frequently Asked Questions
**What is the lead in each record?**
The publisher's website **domain**, together with whether that domain is verified, so you can prioritise reachable, established vendors.
**How is totalInstalls calculated?**
It is the sum of installs across every extension the publisher ships, so you can rank publishers by real portfolio reach rather than a single extension.
**How are publishers discovered?**
They are found from your search keyword, ranked by the popularity of their matching extensions, then each publisher is fully aggregated across their whole catalog.
**How fresh is the data?**
Everything is read live at run time, so each record reflects the marketplace at the moment of the run (see observedAt).
### Export, API and AI agents (x402 + MCP)
Export the scraped data to **JSON, CSV or Excel**, pull it as a **dataset** through the Apify **API**, or wire it into your app with **no code**. This web scraper and data extractor also works for bulk data extraction and scheduled runs.
For AI agents: this Actor is available on **x402**, Apify's agentic payment standard built with Coinbase. An AI agent can discover, pay for and run it on its own with a funded wallet and a single HTTP request: no account, no subscription, no API key and no human in the loop. It also runs as an **MCP** tool inside Claude, Cursor and other AI clients out of the box. Learn more about [x402 agentic payments on Apify](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/x402).
### Related scrapers
- [VS Code Extensions Scraper (Deep)](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/vscode-extensions-scraper)
- [VS Code Marketplace Extensions & Publishers Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/vscode-marketplace-scraper)
- [Polymarket Prediction Markets & Odds Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapers_lat/polymarket-markets-scraper)
### More scrapers at scrapers.lat
This actor is built and maintained by [scrapers.lat](https://scrapers.lat), where we publish scrapers for public platforms: finance, news, real estate, jobs, e-commerce and government data. Browse the full catalog or ask us for a custom scraper at [scrapers.lat](https://scrapers.lat).
***
> This actor is an independent tool and has no affiliation with Microsoft or Visual Studio Code. It only accesses publicly available marketplace data. Use the results in accordance with the source's terms.
# Actor input Schema
## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):
Publisher name or topic keyword to discover publishers from (for example 'microsoft', 'redhat', 'python', 'ai'). Publishers are ranked by the installs of their matching extensions. Leave empty to browse the top publishers broadly.
## `maxPublishers` (type: `integer`):
Maximum number of publishers to collect, each aggregated across all of their extensions. Optional.
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"searchQuery": "microsoft",
"maxPublishers": 10
}
```
# Actor output Schema
## `results` (type: `string`):
No description
# 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 '' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
token: '',
});
// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
"searchQuery": "microsoft",
"maxPublishers": 10
};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapers_lat/vscode-publishers-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 '' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("")
# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
"searchQuery": "microsoft",
"maxPublishers": 10,
}
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapers_lat/vscode-publishers-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 '{
"searchQuery": "microsoft",
"maxPublishers": 10
}' |
apify call scrapers_lat/vscode-publishers-scraper --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=scrapers_lat/vscode-publishers-scraper",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/kx4g64mV4mEcbAYVV/builds/rZk6NHENUhkclHUcW/openapi.json