# Substack Scraper (`uncleken/substack-scraper`) Actor
Substack Scraper is a tool designed to extract and archive public content from Substack publications without requiring authentication or API keys.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/uncleken/substack-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Uncle Ken](https://apify.com/uncleken) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Social media, News
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
$19.00/month + usage
To use this Actor, you pay a monthly rental fee to the developer. The rent is subtracted from your prepaid usage every month after the free trial period.You also pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher Apify subscription plan you have.
Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#rental-actors
## What's an Apify Actor?
Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
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.
In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):
```bash
npm install apify-client
```
In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):
```bash
pip install apify-client
```
In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):
````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash
In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).
If your project is in a different language, use 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
## Substack scraper
This actor scrape the latest post data under url `/archive`.
### Output document
The extracted document will be stored in a dataset named after the scraping channel.
```json
{
"channel": "doclachjames",
"url": "https://doclachjames.substack.com/p/research-review-heavy-strength-vs",
"author": {
"name": "Dr Lachlan James",
"url": "https://substack.com/@doclachjames",
"description": "Dr Lachlan James, Associate Professor of Sport Science at La Trobe University, has 60+ peer-reviewed papers. He leads ForceLab, providing strength science solutions via consultancy, staff development, and mentorship for high-performance sport.",
"image": {
"contentUrl": "https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Um0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30a91181-3ada-468d-b67d-55164e7527c3_933x933.jpeg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Um0!,w_128,h_128,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30a91181-3ada-468d-b67d-55164e7527c3_933x933.jpeg"
}
},
"is_accessible_for_free": false,
"published_date": "2025-03-26T18:52:51.000Z",
"post": {
"audience": "only_paid",
"audience_before_archived": null,
"canonical_url": "https://doclachjames.substack.com/p/research-review-heavy-strength-vs",
"default_comment_sort": null,
"editor_v2": false,
"exempt_from_archive_paywall": false,
"free_unlock_required": false,
"id": 159934866,
"podcast_art_url": null,
"podcast_duration": 374.72653,
"podcast_preview_upload_id": null,
"podcast_upload_id": null,
"podcast_url": null,
"post_date": "2025-03-26T18:52:51.957Z",
"updated_at": "2025-03-26T18:52:52.038Z",
"publication_id": 4242848,
"search_engine_description": null,
"search_engine_title": null,
"section_id": null,
"should_send_free_preview": false,
"show_guest_bios": true,
"slug": "research-review-heavy-strength-vs",
"social_title": null,
"subtitle": "Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research",
"teaser_post_eligible": true,
"title": "Research Review: Heavy Strength vs Ballistic Power Training on Sprint Performance ",
"type": "podcast",
"video_upload_id": "356fdd80-120b-42c6-942f-fa65579f03cf",
"write_comment_permissions": "only_paid",
"meter_type": "none",
"live_stream_id": null,
"is_published": true,
"restacks": 0,
"reactions": {
"β€": 1
},
"top_exclusions": [],
"pins": [],
"section_pins": [],
"has_shareable_clips": true,
"previous_post_slug": "a-practical-framework-for-selecting",
"next_post_slug": "research-review-classification-of",
"cover_image": "https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/159934866/356fdd80-120b-42c6-942f-fa65579f03cf/transcoded-00001.png",
"cover_image_is_square": false,
"cover_image_is_explicit": false,
"podcast_episode_image_url": "https://substack.com/img/podcast/generic.png",
"podcast_episode_image_info": {
"url": "https://substack.com/img/podcast/generic.png",
"isDefaultArt": true,
"isDefault": true
},
"videoUpload": {
"id": "356fdd80-120b-42c6-942f-fa65579f03cf",
"name": "Luke Meta YouTube.mp4",
"created_at": "2025-03-26T18:45:42.669Z",
"uploaded_at": "2025-03-26T18:46:02.149Z",
"publication_id": 4242848,
"state": "transcoded",
"post_id": 159934866,
"user_id": 322202961,
"duration": 374.7,
"height": 1080,
"width": 1920,
"thumbnail_id": 1,
"preview_start": null,
"preview_duration": null,
"media_type": "video",
"primary_file_size": 40761506,
"is_mux": true,
"mux_asset_id": "UyQFSLoBRZw027nP4qKq57QaDykmZWp9RFlsilhktBdQ",
"mux_playback_id": "xaY9cWRV5Z6JM6opy7JqA01EEyBMQSaLVdVY8lkoY2YU",
"mux_preview_asset_id": null,
"mux_preview_playback_id": null,
"mux_rendition_quality": "high",
"mux_preview_rendition_quality": null,
"explicit": false,
"copyright_infringement": null,
"src_media_upload_id": null,
"live_stream_id": null,
"transcription": null
},
"podcastFields": {
"post_id": 159934866,
"podcast_episode_number": null,
"podcast_season_number": null,
"podcast_episode_type": null,
"should_syndicate_to_other_feed": null,
"syndicate_to_section_id": null,
"hide_from_feed": false,
"free_podcast_url": null,
"free_podcast_duration": null
},
"podcastUpload": {
"id": "e9884cec-2cd5-4533-b03a-e0c837fccc82",
"name": null,
"created_at": "2025-03-26T18:46:02.174Z",
"uploaded_at": "2025-03-26T18:46:02.149Z",
"publication_id": 4242848,
"state": "transcoded",
"post_id": 159934866,
"user_id": 322202961,
"duration": 374.72653,
"height": null,
"width": null,
"thumbnail_id": 1,
"preview_start": null,
"preview_duration": null,
"media_type": "audio",
"primary_file_size": 5996179,
"is_mux": null,
"mux_asset_id": null,
"mux_playback_id": null,
"mux_preview_asset_id": null,
"mux_preview_playback_id": null,
"mux_rendition_quality": null,
"mux_preview_rendition_quality": null,
"explicit": false,
"copyright_infringement": null,
"src_media_upload_id": "356fdd80-120b-42c6-942f-fa65579f03cf",
"live_stream_id": null,
"transcription": {
"media_upload_id": "e9884cec-2cd5-4533-b03a-e0c837fccc82",
"created_at": "2025-03-26T18:46:30.708Z",
"requested_by": 322202961,
"status": "transcribed",
"modal_call_id": "fc-01JQ9WE1F3YA996A8QGVGG0BZE",
"approved_at": "2025-03-26T18:46:55.447Z",
"transcript_url": "s3://substack-video/video_upload/post/159934866/e9884cec-2cd5-4533-b03a-e0c837fccc82/1743014793/transcription.json",
"attention_vocab": null,
"speaker_map": null,
"captions_map": {
"en": {
"url": "s3://substack-video/video_upload/post/159934866/e9884cec-2cd5-4533-b03a-e0c837fccc82/1743014793/en.vtt",
"language": "en",
"original": true
}
},
"cdn_url": "https://substackcdn.com/video_upload/post/159934866/e9884cec-2cd5-4533-b03a-e0c837fccc82/1743014793/transcription.json?Expires=1761874199&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIVDA3NPSMPSPESQQ&Signature=V5qhPCBTQTC-GLUVCyqDItmEqo5Dx~zGsEVjrzDhk~9owSl1yT5icI4xWRrciie0hwna2sEQnC03hGrUyfWIl33IXQqtuO95AkJAO6omEdwbZiPfVAo4uHUK7yT5qTm7JzptLPvTmwH9IotU4pxeNBiiGsDt7Hx9UqzrSQt3O0tTkwxMS89d3fbmBVT~ZwZ-HCq7WfN6G-sjEeg6BBovj6Scnp99fLXxWt8uTwTAR6w-5kWKRwzZ9oadAluDEGd2YqoRDaSZm5L~15zQ~GdjtcVW3lzanQid1u9ZlbUT9dR-wZUk8uvFFGsaN~47HmPM-paOPqdL~26OShmRcV6l7Q__",
"cdn_unaligned_url": "https://substackcdn.com/video_upload/post/159934866/e9884cec-2cd5-4533-b03a-e0c837fccc82/1743014793/unaligned_transcription.json?Expires=1761874199&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIVDA3NPSMPSPESQQ&Signature=aw7HgsbT5R4tts-tS~85GanfpQhf1WnLCt-Uzcr5uzqNd1bS6CIzFC8OpZi9x7LzV5s942Oi8N1bKGorroHri1FYP~BhR86dkhn1ZffsIY8LMHszgezM2MOht1~IoIba-gYtTDdu7492eNNhT-hM5rsWxEj41U2SbBiF7YwRPjTFSfPPaldscjGHe9aKB2nHWDrdxpPXegYwdPKN~BjlmooZ3gvoIQXGjT4E7vpaHbwugEi~EjlIq9ga6XqpZSCIIlX9dvvJYmnLQVD4~gPI--zaTOvOxoBJz12UQh66azGyv9j1AG5cRkiI1Tvj3~phW0hC1LylUlFush5giGeSoQ__",
"signed_captions": [
{
"language": "en",
"url": "https://substackcdn.com/video_upload/post/159934866/e9884cec-2cd5-4533-b03a-e0c837fccc82/1743014793/en.vtt?Expires=1761874199&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIVDA3NPSMPSPESQQ&Signature=dw0yxE9BWGtloMcOY5oXPWghsC1CQfmlQDtutEYtnGsVOXuvkKZafdmESS-ZHpg3PDKH07XX6So-~V1OlikCx8I69JA2R7LHlzM~IS2RebyB~THqcQ2nN9EI4iuHhM7RLImK5BB2Ol8X9UOPAvMkM31wFp25G7~g~Xbn1B1Y3DrftUnDt4xQnSsbBW56SO8JhxfUCsF9e2vtxG4QU5lmu3VFb9RzvsrztIsIRBg0bdj3CGPPyX2SFKRqz6iLIyB6vhjnBtkPxAtke3CYvmbm38eYTMLGGOM-YQ-31BvtcaOMx3dcjR8xrbCLFRWvtnvMzd1yA9v1glOglV7PddiIvg__",
"original": true
}
]
}
},
"podcastPreviewUpload": null,
"voiceover_upload_id": null,
"voiceoverUpload": null,
"has_voiceover": false,
"description": "Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research",
"body_html": "In this video I review a recent systematic review and meta-analysis published by one of my PhD students, Mr Luke Stutter.
Citation: Stutter, L. R., Huynh, M., Driller, M. W., Davids, C. J., & James, L. P. (2024). Pairwise Comparison of Heavy Dynamic Strength and Fast Dynamic Strength Interventions on Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analβ¦
",
"truncated_body_text": "In this video I review a recent systematic review and meta-analysis published by one of my PhD students, Mr Luke Stutter.",
"wordcount": 66,
"postTags": [],
"postCountryBlocks": [],
"headlineTest": null,
"reaction": null,
"reaction_count": 1,
"comment_count": 0,
"child_comment_count": 0,
"is_geoblocked": false,
"hidden": true,
"hasCashtag": false,
"text_content": "In this video I review a recent systematic review and meta-analysis published by one of my PhD students, Mr Luke Stutter. Citation: Stutter, L. R., Huynh, M., Driller, M. W., Davids, C. J., & James, L. P. (2024). Pairwise Comparison of Heavy Dynamic Strength and Fast Dynamic Strength Interventions on Sprint Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analβ¦"
},
"images": [
{
"url": "https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/159934866/356fdd80-120b-42c6-942f-fa65579f03cf/transcoded-00001.png"
}
]
}
````
# Actor input Schema
## `channels` (type: `array`):
Substack channels to scrape.
## `username` (type: `string`):
Account name that subscribed the channel
## `password` (type: `string`):
password of the account
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):
Max items to scrape
## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):
Proxy Configuration.
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"channels": [
{
"name": "doclachjames",
"paidContent": true
}
],
"username": "myusername",
"password": "mypassword",
"maxItems": 50,
"proxyConfiguration": {
"useApifyProxy": true,
"apifyProxyGroups": [
"RESIDENTIAL"
]
}
}
```
# 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 = {};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("uncleken/substack-scraper").call(input);
// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`πΎ 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);
});
// π Want to learn more π? Go to β 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 = {}
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("uncleken/substack-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("πΎ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
print(item)
# π Want to learn more π? Go to β https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start
```
## CLI example
```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call uncleken/substack-scraper --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=uncleken/substack-scraper",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
```json
{
"openapi": "3.0.1",
"info": {
"title": "Substack Scraper",
"description": "Substack Scraper is a tool designed to extract and archive public content from Substack publications without requiring authentication or API keys.",
"version": "0.0",
"x-build-id": "QzfBji0uoulU4YvZR"
},
"servers": [
{
"url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
}
],
"paths": {
"/acts/uncleken~substack-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-uncleken-substack-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
},
"/acts/uncleken~substack-scraper/runs": {
"post": {
"operationId": "runs-sync-uncleken-substack-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK",
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"/acts/uncleken~substack-scraper/run-sync": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-uncleken-substack-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
}
},
"components": {
"schemas": {
"inputSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"channels": {
"title": "Substack channels",
"minItems": 1,
"maxItems": 20,
"type": "array",
"description": "Substack channels to scrape.",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": {
"title": "Channel Name",
"description": "Name of the channel",
"type": "string",
"minLength": 1,
"editor": "textfield"
},
"paidContent": {
"title": "Paid Content",
"description": "Try to scrape paid content",
"type": "boolean",
"editor": "checkbox"
}
},
"required": [
"name"
],
"additionalProperties": false
}
},
"username": {
"title": "Username",
"type": "string",
"description": "Account name that subscribed the channel"
},
"password": {
"title": "Password",
"type": "string",
"description": "password of the account"
},
"maxItems": {
"title": "Max items",
"type": "integer",
"description": "Max items to scrape",
"default": 50
},
"proxyConfiguration": {
"title": "Proxy Configuration",
"type": "object",
"description": "Proxy Configuration."
}
}
},
"runsResponseSchema": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"data": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"id": {
"type": "string"
},
"actId": {
"type": "string"
},
"userId": {
"type": "string"
},
"startedAt": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
},
"finishedAt": {
"type": "string",
"format": "date-time",
"example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
},
"status": {
"type": "string",
"example": "READY"
},
"meta": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"origin": {
"type": "string",
"example": "API"
},
"userAgent": {
"type": "string"
}
}
},
"stats": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"inputBodyLen": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 2000
},
"rebootCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"restartCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"resurrectCount": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"computeUnits": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
},
"options": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"build": {
"type": "string",
"example": "latest"
},
"timeoutSecs": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 300
},
"memoryMbytes": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 1024
},
"diskMbytes": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 2048
}
}
},
"buildId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultDatasetId": {
"type": "string"
},
"defaultRequestQueueId": {
"type": "string"
},
"buildNumber": {
"type": "string",
"example": "1.0.0"
},
"containerUrl": {
"type": "string"
},
"usage": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 1
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_SERPS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
},
"usageTotalUsd": {
"type": "number",
"example": 0.00005
},
"usageUsd": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATASET_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
"type": "number",
"example": 0.00005
},
"KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
},
"PROXY_SERPS": {
"type": "integer",
"example": 0
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
```