Mastodon Scraper

Mastodon Scraper at a glance

Mastodon Scraper is a ready-to-run Apify actor from abotapi for collecting social media data. Its documented output includes type, id, review type, keyword and handle, which you can export as JSON, CSV or Excel or read through the Apify API. It costs $1.70 per 1,000 results on the Apify Free plan and from $1.00 on paid plans, with smaller per-run or optional feature charges listed on Apify.

Runs on: Apify cloud: console, API, schedules and integrations
Data type: Social Media, Developer Tools, Lead Generation
Pricing: $1.70 per 1,000 results (Free plan), from $1.00 on paid plans
Output: Documented below · JSON, CSV, Excel
Inputs: 27 options

Scrape trending Mastodon profiles and related posts from any Mastodon instance. Extract usernames, bios, follower counts, avatars, profile fields, posts and thread replies. Supports nested profile reviews or flat review output for easier analysis.

What Mastodon Scraper can do

Three output shapes. Profiles with reviews nested inside, a flat stream of reviews, or bulk keyword posts, so you pick the shape your pipeline needs.
Two discovery sources, merged. Authors of currently trending posts and the active public directory, deduplicated automatically into one list.
Full conversation context. Every post's reply thread is captured alongside it, tagged separately from the profile's own posts.
Deep history on demand. Walk a single profile's post history, or a hashtag's public timeline, back through thousands of posts via automatic load-more pagination.
URL mode. Paste exact profile or post links to scrape only the accounts and posts you choose.
Works on any public Mastodon server. Point the instance setting at mastodon.social or any other server address.

Choose what to collect

These inputs let you configure Mastodon Scraper - Trending Profiles, Posts & Replies. Open the actor on Apify to enter your values and review the current options.

Supported input fields
Input	What it controls
`mode`string · required	What the actor returns. 'profiles' = one record per trending profile with its reviews nested inside. 'reviews' = one flat record per review (a post or a reply). 'keyword' = bulk posts for the keywords you list, one flat record per post, walked via load-more pagination (the high-volume option). 'urls' = scrape exactly the URLs listed in the URLs field (profiles output). Choices: profiles, reviews, keyword, urls
`instanceUrl`string	Which Mastodon server to read the explore page from. Defaults to mastodon.social. Any public Mastodon instance works (for example https://mas.to or https://fosstodon.org).
`profileSource`string	Where trending profiles come from. 'trending' = the authors of currently trending posts. 'directory' = the active public profile directory. 'both' = the two merged and deduped. Only applies when no URLs are provided. Choices: trending, directory, both
`onlyLocal`boolean	When using the directory source, return only accounts that are local to the chosen instance (skip federated accounts from other servers).
`urls`array	Mastodon URLs to scrape. Supported: profile (/@user, /@user/with_replies, /@user.rss, /users/user, /web/@user, other-instance /@user), post (/@user/ID, /@user/ID/embed, /users/user/statuses/ID, /web/statuses/ID), tag page (/tags/news), explore (/explore), profile directory (/directory), and the matching /api/v1 JSON URLs. Unsupported URLs are skipped with a warning. The prefilled list is one example per shape and runs as-is only when Output mode is 'Pasted URLs'; in other modes an unedited list is ignored, an edited list always applies.
`accounts`array	Profile names to scrape, typed as people write them: Mastodon, @Mastodon, or user@other.instance. A leading @ is ignored. Names that do not resolve are skipped with a warning. Works in profiles and reviews modes.
`keywords`array	Topics to bulk-scrape when mode is 'keyword'. Enter one word per entry, with or without a leading # (for example: news, art, climate). Each keyword is matched as a Mastodon tag and its public timeline is walked back via load-more pagination up to Max posts. Note: keywords match single tags, not free-text phrases (free-text search needs a token). A keyword with no matching posts is reported with a warning.

Show 20 more inputs

More input fields
Input	What it controls
`hashtags`array	Same as Keywords: tags to scrape without the # symbol (for example: opensource, linux). Merged with Keywords.
`includeReplies`boolean	Fetch the reply thread under each post. Replies are added as reviews of type 'reply'. Turning this off makes runs faster and cheaper (one fewer request per post).
`includeBoosts`boolean	Include posts the profile boosted (reblogged) from other accounts. Turn off to keep only the profile's own posts.
`since`string	Keep only posts created on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD or ISO datetime). Applied to the posts fetched for each profile, pasted tag URL, keyword tag or pasted post URL, so raise Max posts / Max reviews per profile to reach back further. Example: 2026-01-01.
`until`string	Keep only posts created on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD includes that whole day, or ISO datetime). Applied to the fetched window like Posts since. Example: 2026-12-31.
`sortBy`string	Order of posts within each profile or tag: newest (default, platform order), oldest, most favourited, most reblogged or most replied. Sorting applies to the fetched window, not the whole history. Choices: newest, oldest, mostFavourited, mostReblogged, mostReplied
`maxProfiles`integer	Maximum number of trending or directory profiles to scrape (profiles mode, or as review sources in reviews mode). Also caps how many recent posts are fetched from each pasted tag URL (/tags/NAME) and from each pasted explore or directory URL.
`maxReviewsPerProfile`integer	How many of each profile's most recent posts to fetch. The profile timeline is walked back via load-more pagination, so you can pull deep history (up to 5000). Each post may also bring its replies (see Include replies).
`maxRepliesPerPost`integer	Cap on how many replies to keep per post when Include replies is on.
`maxReviews`integer	Hard cap on total reviews returned in reviews mode (maximum 100000). 0 (older saved tasks) is treated as the default of 1000.
`maxPosts`integer	Hard cap on total posts returned in keyword mode, split evenly across the keywords you list. Each keyword timeline is walked via load-more until this many posts are collected.
`resumeFromRunId`string	Paste a previous run ID or dataset ID to continue an interrupted crawl without returning or charging for records already collected there. Use this after an interrupted run. For recurring monitoring of the same search (daily/weekly), use Incremental mode below instead.
`incrementalMode`boolean	Turn this on for daily or recurring monitoring. The first run returns everything as NEW. Later runs normally return only NEW, UPDATED, and REAPPEARED records. Compared: every profile field (bio, display name, avatar, counts, locked, fields) and every post field (text, media, tags, counts on a post record). Excluded from the comparison (still returned in the output): the engagement counters of posts nested inside a profile record, the embedded author's follower/following/post counters on a post record, list ordering, and any field you name in "Ignore fields when detecting changes". Replies never produce EXPIRED, and EXPIRED is only produced for pasted profile/post URL runs, account-list runs and keyword runs that reached the natural end of every scope, never for explore (trending/directory) discovery and never when a pasted explore, directory or tag URL is among the sources. Turn on "Emit unchanged" or "Emit expired" only when you also want those records returned (and billed). State is kept separately for each mode/instance/search/filter setup (including Accounts, Include boosts and the since/until dates); use State key when you want to name or deliberately share a monitoring campaign. To continue one specific interrupted run instead, use Resume from a previous run above.
`stateKey`string	Optional. Name this monitoring campaign to keep its state stable, or to deliberately share state across differently-configured runs. Leave empty to let the actor derive a key automatically from mode, instance, and every query/filter setting, different searches then never mix state with each other.
`emitUnchanged`boolean	Off by default. Turn on to also return records that have not changed since the last run, marked UNCHANGED. This returns, and bills, extra rows you already have, so leave it off unless you specifically want the full snapshot every run.
`emitExpired`boolean	Off by default. Turn on to also return records that were present in a previous run but are no longer found, marked EXPIRED. Only produced once a run has fully scanned the tracked scope, not when a cap or Resume cut it short. This returns, and bills, extra synthetic rows, so leave it off unless you need expiry tracking.
`ignoreFieldsForChanges`array	Optional. Field names that must NOT make a record UPDATED or appear in changedFields, for example bio or followersCount. A bare name applies to the record and to each post inside a profile's reviews list; use reviews.name to limit it to posts inside the list. Ignored fields are still returned in the output; they are only left out of the comparison.
`mcpConnectors`array	Optionally send the scraped results into the apps you already use, via Model Context Protocol (MCP) connectors. Authorize a connector once under Apify → Settings → Integrations, then select it here. The connector receives a condensed, human-readable summary per item (title + key fields), not the full JSON, the complete record stays in the dataset. Leave empty to skip. Supported: Notion (https://mcp.notion.com/mcp), Linear (https://mcp.linear.app/sse), Airtable (https://mcp.airtable.com/mcp), Apify (https://mcp.apify.com).
`notionParentPageUrl`string	URL (or id) of the Notion page under which item pages are created. Required to enable the Notion export; ignored by other connectors.
`maxNotifyListings`integer	Cap on items written to each connector per run. Does not affect the dataset.

Fields in the output

The documented dataset includes the fields below. Availability can depend on the source page and selected mode.

recordTypeType (text)

idID (text)

reviewTypeReview type (text)

sourceKeywordKeyword (text)

acctHandle (text)

displayNameName (text)

contentTextContent (text)

urlURL (link)

followersCountFollowers (number)

statusesCountPosts (number)

reviewCountReviews (number)

repliesCountReplies (number)

Show 8 more fields

reblogsCountReblogs (number)

favouritesCountFavourites (number)

createdAtCreated (text)

changeTypeChange type (incremental mode) (text)

changedFieldsChanged fields (incremental mode) (text)

firstSeenAtFirst seen (incremental mode) (text)

lastSeenAtLast seen (incremental mode) (text)

authorAcctAuthor (text)

Example output

An example from this actor’s documentation. Values are illustrative; this is not a fresh live result.

{
  "recordType": "profile",
  "id": "990011223",
  "acct": "exampleuser",
  "username": "exampleuser",
  "displayName": "Example User",
  "bio": "Notes on open community projects and weekend hiking trips.",
  "followersCount": 4820,
  "followingCount": 312,
  "statusesCount": 1560,
  "url": "https://mastodon.example/@exampleuser",
  "avatar": "https://files.mastodon.example/accounts/avatars/000/990/011/223/original/avatar.png",
  "bot": false,
  "createdAt": "2019-05-02T00:00:00.000Z",
  "fields": [
    {
      "name": "Homepage",
      "value": "example.org"
    }
  ],
  "reviewCount": 2,
  "reviews": [
    {
      "recordType": "review",
      "id": "112233445566778899",
      "reviewType": "post",
      "contentText": "Sharing our monthly update on the project roadmap.",
      "createdAt": "2026-03-14T09:12:00.000Z",
      "repliesCount": 14,
      "reblogsCount": 37,
      "favouritesCount": 120,
      "url": "https://mastodon.example/@exampleuser/112233445566778899",
      "authorAcct": "exampleuser"
    },
    {
      "recordType": "review",
      "id": "112233445566778900",
      "reviewType": "reply",
      "contentText": "Thanks for the detailed writeup, this is helpful context.",
      "createdAt": "2026-03-14T09:40:00.000Z",
      "inReplyToId": "112233445566778899",
      "authorAcct": "sampleuser2"
    }
  ]
}

Ways to use this data

Community and trend research: track who and what topics are trending on a Mastodon server over time.
Social listening: bulk-collect posts under a hashtag to study a topic or event at scale.
Account monitoring: watch specific profiles for new posts and replies on a recurring schedule.
Fediverse research and journalism: build datasets of public conversation threads for analysis.
Community growth tracking: monitor follower counts and posting activity for chosen accounts.

Before you run

Start with a small input and check the resulting records against your expected fields. Source content and actor options can change; the current Apify listing is the reference for availability and pricing.

Questions about this actor

What data does Mastodon Scraper return?

The documented output for Mastodon Scraper includes type, id, review type, keyword, handle, name, content and url. Availability of each field depends on the source page and the selected mode.

How much does Mastodon Scraper cost?

It costs $1.70 per 1,000 results on the Apify Free plan and from $1.00 on paid plans, with smaller per-run or optional feature charges listed on Apify. The Apify listing shows the current rate for every plan.

Can I get only new or changed posts on a schedule?

Yes. Schedule the actor from the Schedules tab and turn on Incremental mode. Each run then returns only new, updated and reappeared records since the last run, and anything unchanged is not billed unless you turn Emit unchanged on.

What is the difference between Resume and Incremental mode?

Resume continues one specific interrupted run using a run or dataset ID you paste in; it is a one-time cleanup step. Incremental mode is for scheduling the same search again and again and getting a self-tracked diff each time, with no ID to paste. Use Resume after a run stops partway through; use Incremental mode for ongoing monitoring.

Why did my run finish with zero results instead of failing?

If a mode's source could not be reached at all, or nothing matched your input (an empty keyword list, URLs that do not resolve, and so on), the run finishes successfully with an explanatory status message and no dataset items, so you are never billed for a result you did not get. A run only fails outright when the input itself cannot be honored, such as a resumeFromRunId that does not resolve to a run or dataset you can access, or turning on Incremental mode together with resumeFromRunId while that search already has saved incremental state.

Can I use it with AI agents or MCP?

Yes. Call it from any Apify integration or MCP client, and use the connector field to push a summary of each record into Notion, Linear or Airtable.