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Scraping YouTube Comments
Exports the full comment dataset from any YouTube video. Returns comment text, author, and engagement for downstream analysis.
Prerequisites
APIFY_TOKENenvironment variable set- Optional: Apify MCP server installed
Inputs
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
startUrls | array | Optional | [] | YouTube URLs — channels, playlists, Shorts, search results |
youtubeHandles | array | Optional | [] | YouTube channel handles (e.g. @kurzgesagt) |
getTrending | boolean | Optional | false | Retrieve trending videos |
keywords | array | Optional | [] | Search keywords |
gl | string | Optional | us | Country code for results (e.g. US, GB) |
hl | string | Optional | en | Language code (e.g. en, de) |
uploadDate | string | Optional | all | Upload date filter: any, hour, today, week, month, year |
duration | string | Optional | all | Duration filter: any, short, long |
features | string | Optional | all | Feature filter: 4k, hd, live, cc, 3d, hdr, etc. |
sort | string | Optional | r | Sort order for search results |
maxItems | number | Optional | Unlimited | Maximum videos to return |
customMapFunction | string | Optional | — | JavaScript function to transform each output object |
Workflow
Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Validate video URLs
- [ ] Step 2: Run youtube-scraper (comment mode)
- [ ] Step 3: Poll for SUCCEEDED
- [ ] Step 4: Deliver comment datasetStep 2: Run the Actor
Recommended — run_actor.js (handles waiting, output, and file saving automatically):
bash
# Quick answer (prints table to chat)
node scripts/run_actor.js \
--actor "apidojo~youtube-comments-scraper" \
--input '{"param": "value"}'
# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js \
--actor "apidojo~youtube-comments-scraper" \
--input '{"param": "value"}' \
--output YYYY-MM-DD_results.csv --format csv
# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js \
--actor "apidojo~youtube-comments-scraper" \
--input '{"param": "value"}' \
--output YYYY-MM-DD_results.json --format jsonAPIFY_TOKENmust be set in environment or.envfile.
If Apify MCP is available:
Tool: apify:run-actor
Actor: "apidojo~youtube-comments-scraper"
Input:
{
"videoUrls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<VIDEO_ID>"],
"maxComments": 200,
"includeReplies": false
}REST API fallback:
bash
curl -X POST \
"https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~youtube-comments-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"videoUrls": ["<url>"], "maxComments": 200}'Save id as RUN_ID. Poll until status = SUCCEEDED:
bash
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/actor-runs/$RUN_ID?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" | grep '"status"'Fetch results:
bash
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/actor-runs/$RUN_ID/dataset/items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN&format=json"Step 3: Handle Edge Cases
- Comments disabled: Returns 0 — inform user.
- Live streams: Comment data may be incomplete for live/premiere videos.
- Deleted comments: May appear as empty text strings — filter out rows with
text: "".
Output Format
# YouTube Comment Dataset
Video: <url> | Comments collected: N | Includes replies: YES/NO
| Comment ID | Author | Text | Likes | Replies | Timestamp |
|------------|--------|------|-------|---------|-----------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
Available fields: id, authorDisplayName, textDisplay, likeCount, totalReplyCount,
publishedAt, isReply, parentIdTroubleshooting
Comments disabled: Creator has turned off comments — cannot be retrieved. Truncated text: YouTube API may truncate very long comments; full text requires reply fetching.
