# Repo Scout (`wheat_tourist/repo-scout`) Actor

Track breakout open-source projects before they trend. Repo Scout monitors GitHub and GitLab star velocity, filters by language and time window, and delivers rich insights—including stars gained, velocity per day, and why each project matters. Built for DevRel, marketing, and partnership teams.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/wheat\_tourist/repo-scout.md
- **Developed by:** [Varun Chopra](https://apify.com/wheat_tourist) (community)
- **Categories:** Integrations, Automation
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 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.

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

## Repo Scout

**Discover breakout open-source repositories by detecting rapid star velocity on GitHub and GitLab.**

[![Apify Actor](https://img.shields.io/badge/Apify-Actor-blue)](https://apify.com)

### Overview

Repo Scout is an Apify Actor designed for DevRel, Developer Marketing, and Platform Partnerships teams. It continuously monitors GitHub and GitLab to identify repositories experiencing rapid star growth ("breakout" projects) before they become mainstream.

#### Use Cases

- **Early Partnership Opportunities**: Identify promising developer tools for integrations
- **Sponsorship Discovery**: Find high-potential projects for sponsorship
- **Competitive Intelligence**: Track emerging technologies in your space
- **Developer Advocacy**: Discover tools to feature in content and talks

### Pricing

| Results | Cost |
|---------|------|
| 100 | $0.50 |
| 500 | $2.50 |
| 1,000 | $5.00 |

> **Pay per result** — You only pay for repositories discovered. Platform compute costs included.

### Quick Start

1. **Click "Start"** on the Actor page
2. **Configure inputs**:
   - Set `languages` to your target languages (e.g., `["TypeScript", "Python"]`)
   - Adjust `minStarsDelta` based on how strict you want filtering (default: 100)
3. **Run the Actor**
4. **View results** in the Output tab — each row is a breakout repository

#### Example: Find Trending Rust CLI Tools

```json
{
  "languages": ["Rust"],
  "minStarsDelta": 50,
  "timeWindowHours": 24,
  "platforms": ["github"],
  "maxResults": 25,
  "excludeForks": true
}
```

### Scheduled Monitoring

Set up weekly alerts for new breakout projects:

1. Go to **Schedules** in your Apify Console
2. Create a new schedule with cron: `0 9 * * 1` (Every Monday at 9 AM)
3. Select Repo Scout as the Actor
4. Configure your input (languages, platforms, etc.)
5. **Optional**: Add a webhook to receive Slack/email notifications

### Input Configuration

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|-------|------|---------|-------------|
| `languages` | array | *required* | Programming languages to filter (e.g., `["JavaScript", "Python"]`) |
| `minStarsDelta` | integer | `100` | Minimum stars gained within time window |
| `timeWindowHours` | integer | `48` | Time window in hours for velocity detection |
| `platforms` | array | `["github"]` | Platforms to scan: `github`, `gitlab` |
| `maxResults` | integer | `50` | Maximum repositories to return |
| `sinceDate` | string | `null` | Only repos created after this date (ISO format) |
| `excludeForks` | boolean | `true` | Exclude forked repositories |
| `minTotalStars` | integer | `50` | Minimum current star count |
| `githubToken` | string | `null` | GitHub PAT for higher rate limits |
| `gitlabToken` | string | `null` | GitLab PAT for higher rate limits |

### Output Schema

Each dataset item contains:

```json
{
  "repositoryName": "awesome-tool",
  "platform": "github",
  "url": "https://github.com/owner/awesome-tool",
  "description": "A fast CLI tool for developers",
  "primaryLanguage": "Rust",
  "starsCurrent": 2500,
  "starsGained": 150,
  "velocityStarsPerDay": 75.5,
  "createdAt": "2025-12-01T00:00:00Z",
  "detectedAt": "2026-01-17T16:00:00Z",
  "owner": "owner",
  "topics": ["cli", "developer-tools", "rust"],
  "license": "MIT",
  "whyItMatters": "A Rust fast-growing project gaining approximately 75.5 stars per day, focused on CLI tooling, tagged with cli, developer-tools, rust, with 2.5K total stars."
}
```

### Rate Limits

#### Without API Tokens (Free)

- **GitHub**: 60 requests/hour (limited discovery)
- **GitLab**: 400 requests/10 minutes

#### With API Tokens

- **GitHub**: 5,000 requests/hour
- **GitLab**: 2,000 requests/10 minutes

> **Recommendation**: For production use, provide API tokens for reliable operation.

### Velocity Calculation

The Actor uses two methods to calculate star velocity:

1. **Stargazer History** (GitHub only): Fetches actual star timestamps to count stars gained within the time window. Most accurate.

2. **Creation Date Approximation**: When history is unavailable, estimates velocity as `total_stars / repo_age_days`. Less accurate but works for all repositories.

### FAQ

**Q: Why am I getting fewer results than expected?**\
A: The `minStarsDelta` filter is strict. Try lowering it (e.g., from 100 to 25) or increasing `timeWindowHours`.

**Q: How do I get more accurate velocity data?**\
A: Provide a `githubToken` — this enables fetching actual stargazer timestamps instead of approximations.

**Q: Can I filter by specific topics?**\
A: Not directly in input, but results include `topics` array. Use Apify's dataset filtering to post-process.

**Q: How often should I run this?**\
A: Weekly is ideal for most use cases. Daily runs may return duplicates if velocity hasn't changed.

### Integrations

#### Webhook (Slack, Zapier, etc.)

Add a webhook URL in your Apify task settings to receive notifications when new breakout repos are discovered.

#### Export Options

Results can be exported as:

- JSON
- CSV
- Excel
- RSS feed (via Apify dataset API)

### Local Development

```bash
## Install dependencies
npm install

## Build TypeScript
npm run build

## Run locally with Apify CLI
npx apify run --input-file=./test-input.json
```

### Deployment

```bash
## Deploy to Apify platform
npx apify push
```

### Extensibility

Future enhancements:

- **Slack Alerts**: Webhook notifications for new breakout repos
- **CRM Integration**: Push discoveries to HubSpot/Salesforce
- **Trend Analysis**: Store historical data in Key-Value Store

### License

MIT

# Actor input Schema

## `languages` (type: `array`):

List of programming languages to filter repositories. Use GitHub/GitLab language names (e.g., JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, TypeScript).

## `minStarsDelta` (type: `integer`):

Minimum number of stars a repository must gain within the time window to be considered a breakout.

## `timeWindowHours` (type: `integer`):

The time period in hours to measure star velocity. Repositories gaining minStarsDelta stars within this window are flagged.

## `platforms` (type: `array`):

Which platforms to scan for repositories.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of breakout repositories to return.

## `sinceDate` (type: `string`):

Only consider repositories created after this date (ISO format: YYYY-MM-DD). Leave empty for no date filter.

## `excludeForks` (type: `boolean`):

Whether to exclude forked repositories from results.

## `minTotalStars` (type: `integer`):

Minimum current star count for a repository to be considered.

## `githubToken` (type: `string`):

GitHub Personal Access Token for higher rate limits (5000 req/hr vs 60 req/hr). Leave empty for anonymous access.

## `gitlabToken` (type: `string`):

GitLab Personal Access Token for higher rate limits. Leave empty for anonymous access.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optionally configure proxies to avoid rate limiting.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "languages": [
    "JavaScript",
    "Python",
    "Go"
  ],
  "minStarsDelta": 100,
  "timeWindowHours": 48,
  "platforms": [
    "github"
  ],
  "maxResults": 50,
  "excludeForks": true,
  "minTotalStars": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `repositories` (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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "languages": [
        "JavaScript",
        "TypeScript",
        "Python"
    ],
    "platforms": [
        "github"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("wheat_tourist/repo-scout").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 = {
    "languages": [
        "JavaScript",
        "TypeScript",
        "Python",
    ],
    "platforms": ["github"],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("wheat_tourist/repo-scout").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 '{
  "languages": [
    "JavaScript",
    "TypeScript",
    "Python"
  ],
  "platforms": [
    "github"
  ]
}' |
apify call wheat_tourist/repo-scout --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/mFm9zinyYntdnNRrz/builds/wTkJtEKovXHTyAQSA/openapi.json