Apify Ultimate Scraper
ApifyOfficialPublished by Apify
- Skill
- Tool integration
- Automation and integrations
- Apache-2.0
- Low risk
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
The apify-ultimate-scraper skill provides a structured, AI-assisted approach to web data extraction. It leverages the Apify CLI to interact with a wide range of platform-specific Actors, ensuring consistent telemetry, machine-readable output, and cost-conscious execution. The skill includes a comprehensive index for selecting the right tool for tasks ranging from social media analytics to e-commerce price monitoring, while enforcing safety protocols for cost estimation and error handling.
What it does
- Provides a standardized CLI workflow for searching, configuring, and running web scrapers.
- Ensures machine-readable output by enforcing JSON formatting and stderr redirection.
- Includes a cost estimation protocol for pay-per-event (PPE) Actors to prevent unexpected billing.
- Facilitates dynamic retrieval of Actor input schemas and documentation.
- Supports both synchronous execution for quick lookups and asynchronous polling for large-scale scrapes.
- Integrates with a library of workflow guides for specific use cases like lead generation and SEO.
When to use it
- When you need to extract structured data from social media, e-commerce, or search engine platforms.
- When performing competitive intelligence, brand monitoring, or market research.
- When you require a repeatable, automated pipeline for data collection.
- When you need to verify the cost implications of a scraping task before execution.
Advantages
- Reduces manual configuration errors through standardized CLI usage patterns.
- Prevents budget overruns with built-in cost estimation and warning thresholds.
- Provides a unified interface for interacting with over 100 different scraping tools.
- Ensures stable, parseable output for downstream data processing.
Usage examples
- “Find a scraper for Instagram follower counts.”
- The agent searches the Actor index, identifies 'apify/instagram-followers-count-scraper', and provides the command to fetch its input schema.
- “Scrape the top 50 results for 'AI tools' on Google Search.”
- The agent selects the appropriate Google Search Actor, estimates the cost if applicable, runs the scrape, and presents the results as a formatted JSON list.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/apify/apify-ultimate-scraper/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip apify-ultimate-scraper.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Apify
Universal web scraper
AI-driven data extraction from ~100 Actors across 15+ platforms via the Apify CLI.
Rules for every apify command:
Pass
--jsonfor machine-readable output (stable across CLI versions).Pass
--user-agent apify-agent-skills/apify-ultimate-scraperfor telemetry attribution.Redirect stderr with
2>/dev/null(stderr contains progress messages that break JSON parsers).
Prerequisites
Apify CLI v1.5.0+ (
npm install -g apify-cli)Authenticated session (see below)
Authentication
If a CLI command fails with an auth error, authenticate using one of these methods:
OAuth (interactive):
apify login(opens browser)Environment variable:
export APIFY_TOKEN=your_token_hereFrom .env file:
source .env(if the file containsAPIFY_TOKEN=...)
Generate token: https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations
Workflow
Step 1: Understand goal and select Actor
Identify the target platform and use case. Read references/actor-index.md to find the right Actor.
If the task involves a multi-step pipeline, also read the matching workflow guide:
| Task involves... | Read |
|---|---|
| leads, contacts, emails, B2B | references/workflows/lead-generation.md |
| competitor, ads, pricing | references/workflows/competitive-intel.md |
| influencer, creator | references/workflows/influencer-vetting.md |
| brand, mentions, sentiment | references/workflows/brand-monitoring.md |
| reviews, ratings, reputation | references/workflows/review-analysis.md |
| SEO, SERP, crawl, content, RAG | references/workflows/content-and-seo.md |
| analytics, engagement, performance | references/workflows/social-media-analytics.md |
| trends, keywords, hashtags | references/workflows/trend-research.md |
| jobs, recruiting, candidates | references/workflows/job-market-and-recruitment.md |
| real estate, listings, hotels | references/workflows/real-estate-and-hospitality.md |
| price monitoring, e-commerce, products | references/workflows/ecommerce-price-monitoring.md |
| contact enrichment, email extraction | references/workflows/contact-enrichment.md |
| knowledge base, RAG, LLM data feed | references/workflows/knowledge-base-and-rag.md |
| company research, due diligence | references/workflows/company-research.md |
If no Actor matches in the index, search dynamically:
apify actors search "KEYWORDS" --user-agent apify-agent-skills/apify-ultimate-scraper --json --limit 10 2>/dev/nullFrom results: items[].username/items[].name (Actor ID), items[].title, items[].stats.totalUsers30Days, items[].currentPricingInfo.pricingModel.
Step 2: Fetch Actor schema and check gotchas
Fetch the input schema dynamically:
apify actors info "ACTOR_ID" --user-agent apify-agent-skills/apify-ultimate-scraper --input --json 2>/dev/nullAlso read references/gotchas.md to check for common pitfalls for the selected Actor.
For Actor documentation: apify actors info "ACTOR_ID" --user-agent apify-agent-skills/apify-ultimate-scraper --readme
Step 3: Configure and run
Skip user preferences for simple lookups (e.g., "Nike's follower count"). Go straight to running with quick answer mode.
For larger tasks, confirm output format (quick answer / CSV / JSON) and result count.
Standard run (blocking):
apify actors call "ACTOR_ID" --input-file input.json --user-agent apify-agent-skills/apify-ultimate-scraper --json 2>/dev/nullPrefer --input-file input.json for large or complex inputs. For tiny inputs, inline JSON is acceptable with shell quoting: --input '{"maxItems":10}'.
From output: .id (run ID), .status, .defaultDatasetId, .stats.durationMillis
Fetch results:
apify datasets get-items DATASET_ID --user-agent apify-agent-skills/apify-ultimate-scraper --format jsonFor CSV: apify datasets get-items DATASET_ID --user-agent apify-agent-skills/apify-ultimate-scraper --format csv
Quick answer mode: Fetch results as JSON, pick top 5, present formatted in chat.
Save to file: Fetch results, use Write tool to save as YYYY-MM-DD_descriptive-name.csv or .json.
Large/long-running scrapes:
apify actors start "ACTOR_ID" --input-file input.json --user-agent apify-agent-skills/apify-ultimate-scraper --json 2>/dev/nullPoll: apify runs info RUN_ID --user-agent apify-agent-skills/apify-ultimate-scraper --json 2>/dev/null (check .status for SUCCEEDED).
Step 4: Deliver results
Report: result count, file location (if saved), key data fields, and links:
Dataset:
https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/DATASET_IDRun:
https://console.apify.com/actors/runs/RUN_ID
For multi-step workflows: suggest the next pipeline step from the workflow guide.
Troubleshooting
Common errors and pitfalls are documented in references/gotchas.md. Read it before running PPE (pay-per-event) Actors.
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer967 B
- LICENSEAdded by AutoGineer10.0 KiB
- SKILL.md5.3 KiB
- references/actor-index.md9.7 KiB
- references/gotchas.md7.3 KiB
- references/workflows/brand-monitoring.md3.7 KiB
- references/workflows/company-research.md4.6 KiB
- references/workflows/competitive-intel.md3.5 KiB
- references/workflows/contact-enrichment.md3.6 KiB
- references/workflows/content-and-seo.md5.1 KiB
- references/workflows/ecommerce-price-monitoring.md4.4 KiB
- references/workflows/influencer-vetting.md3.9 KiB
- references/workflows/job-market-and-recruitment.md3.5 KiB
- references/workflows/knowledge-base-and-rag.md3.7 KiB
- references/workflows/lead-generation.md5.2 KiB
- references/workflows/real-estate-and-hospitality.md3.7 KiB
- references/workflows/review-analysis.md4.1 KiB
- references/workflows/social-media-analytics.md3.3 KiB
- references/workflows/trend-research.md3.3 KiB
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Requirements and compatibility
Written for: Claude Code
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Names Claude Code tools, Needs Node.js
Security
What our scanner noticed· Low risk
- Instructions that use the network
A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.
Attribution and licence
- Published by
- Apify
- Publisher
- Apify (Official)
- Source
- apify/agent-skills · skills/apify-ultimate-scraper · commit f22557f
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (written by AutoGineer)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apify.
Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download apify-ultimate-scraper.zip