Scraping Youtube Channel Info
Raw data collection. No assumed use case — returns the full dataset for downstream analysis.
Inputs
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
startUrls | array | Optional | [] | YouTube channel URLs |
youtubeHandles | array | Optional | [] | YouTube handles (e.g. @kurzgesagt) |
keywords | array | Optional | [] | Search keywords to find channels |
gl | string | Optional | us | Country code (e.g. US) |
hl | string | Optional | en | Language code (e.g. en) |
sort | string | Optional | r | Sort order |
maxItems | number | Optional | Unlimited | Maximum channels to return |
customMapFunction | string | Optional | — | JavaScript function to transform each output object |
How to Run
Using run_actor.js (recommended)
# Quick answer (table)
node scripts/run_actor.js --actor "apidojo~youtube-channel-scraper" --input '{"keywords": ["cooking channel"], "gl": "us", "maxItems": 20}'
# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js --actor "apidojo~youtube-channel-scraper" --input '{"keywords": ["cooking channel"], "gl": "us", "maxItems": 20}' --output results.csv --format csv
# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js --actor "apidojo~youtube-channel-scraper" --input '{"keywords": ["cooking channel"], "gl": "us", "maxItems": 20}' --output results.json --format json
REST API fallback
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~youtube-channel-scraper/runs" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"keywords": ["cooking channel"], "gl": "us", "maxItems": 20}'
If Apify MCP is available:
Use the Apify MCP call_actor tool with actor apidojo~youtube-channel-scraper and the input above.
Output Fields
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
id | string | YouTube channel ID |
name | string | Channel name |
url | string | Channel URL |
description | string | Channel description |
subscriberCount | number | Subscriber count |
videosCount | number | Total videos published |
thumbnails | array | Channel thumbnails |
isVerified | boolean | Verification badge |
isFamilySafe | boolean | Family-safe flag |
keywords | array | Channel keywords |
availableCountries | array | Countries where available |
tags | array | Channel tags |
Edge Cases
- Channel not found: Check if handle is correct or try with URL instead.
- subscriberCount as text: Field returns '1.2M subscribers' not a number — parse downstream if needed.
- No keywords in metadata: Some channels don't set keywords — tags array will be empty.
- Private/terminated channel: Returns no results for that channel.