# Apify

> Canonical: https://www.yalc.ai/mcps/apify/

Run any of 4,000+ scraping actors from Claude Code via the Apify MCP server.

## Categories

- prospecting
- intelligence

**Website:** https://apify.com/

**Repo:** https://github.com/apify/actors-mcp-server

## Glance

- Maintainer: Apify (official)
- Label: Actors available
  - Value: 4
- Auth: API token

**Install Command:** claude mcp add apify --env APIFY_TOKEN=apify_api_xxx -- npx -y @apify/actors-mcp-server

**Install Notes:** Sign up at apify.com, generate an API token in your account settings. Replace `apify_api_xxx` with the token, run the command, restart Claude Code. Apify charges per actor compute unit consumed, not per actor install. Free tier includes $5/mo of credits, enough for low-volume piloting.

**Yalc Fit Score:** 8

**Yalc Verdict:** The right MCP when the workflow needs platform-specific scraping (Reddit, LinkedIn engagement, Twitter, Instagram). Apify's actor library is broader than Firecrawl for these vertical use cases.

## Plain Description

Apify maintains an official MCP server that exposes their entire actor marketplace as Claude tool calls. Where Firecrawl is a general-purpose web scraper, Apify is a marketplace of pre-built scrapers tuned for specific platforms: Reddit posts and comments, LinkedIn profile and post engagement, Twitter timelines, Instagram profiles, Google Maps listings, Amazon products, etc.

For Yalc workflows, Apify is the right intake when the data lives behind a platform-specific anti-bot wall that Firecrawl can't reliably bypass. The Earleads Reddit GEO playbook depends heavily on Apify's `oAuCIx3ItNrs2okjQ` actor for subreddit feed scraping. The MCP makes invoking these actors a one-shot prompt instead of a custom integration.

## Yalc Framework

**Workflow Step:** intake

### Workflow Narrative

The Apify MCP sits at the **intake** node for platform-specific data. It complements Firecrawl: Firecrawl for general web pages, Apify for Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms with hostile anti-scraping postures.

Yalc workflows that benefit most: Reddit thread monitoring (Earleads' core product), LinkedIn post engagement scrapes (when Unipile's API doesn't cover the use case), competitive intel from social platforms, and any workflow that says "scrape data from platform X".

**Workflow Position:** The platform-specific scraping node. Yalc invokes Apify when the data lives on Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, or any platform with a battle-tested actor in the Apify store.

### Prompt Patterns

- Yalc, run the Apify Reddit scraper actor on r/SaaS for the last 24 hours. Filter posts mentioning "outbound" or "GTM tools". Surface 5 with the highest engagement.
→ Yalc invokes the actor via MCP, filters via Claude, returns matches.

- Yalc, scrape this LinkedIn post's reactions and comments via the Apify LinkedIn engagement actor. Match commenters against my CRM. Surface unworked prospects.
→ Yalc runs the actor, joins with HubSpot or Notion, returns a prioritized list.

- Yalc, every morning at 8am pull yesterday's Twitter mentions of "[my brand]" via Apify's Twitter actor. Classify sentiment, summarize, post to #social Slack channel.
→ Yalc schedules the actor run, classifies via Claude, posts via Slack MCP.


### Chaining

**Upstream:** Yalc prompt → Apify MCP (run actor)

**Downstream:** Apify run output → Notion (writeback) or Slack (alert) or Claude (analysis)


### Anti Patterns

- Don't use Apify when Firecrawl can do the job. Firecrawl is cheaper for general web pages. Apify is the right tool when platform-specific anti-bot resistance matters.
- Don't run actors without a budget cap. Some actors (full LinkedIn searches) can rack up significant compute charges if left unbounded. Set maxItems and timeouts.
- Don't trust the keyword search of Reddit actor `oAuCIx3ItNrs2okjQ`. The Earleads playbook found it broken; only `/new/` and `/hot/` subreddit feeds work reliably.


**Compatibility:** Works in Claude Code (primary), Claude Desktop, Cursor. Apify's API rate limits depend on your plan. The MCP server is the same across all clients.

## Pros

- 4,000+ pre-built actors. Most platforms covered out of the box.
- Pay per compute unit, not per seat. Predictable scaling.
- Free $5/mo credit. Enough for low-volume piloting.
- Actors are maintained by the Apify community, with official Apify-built ones for the major platforms.
- Pairs cleanly with Yalc's `apify-reddit-scraping` first-party skill for Reddit-specific patterns.

## Cons

- Per-actor pricing is opaque until you run. Set budget caps before scaling.
- Some community-built actors are abandoned. Stick with verified or Apify-built actors when possible.
- Reddit actor keyword search is broken (per Earleads experience). Only feed-based scraping works reliably.
- Higher latency than Firecrawl for general web pages because actor compute spins up per run.

## Who For

- Yalc operators running Reddit GEO, LinkedIn engagement scraping, or social monitoring
- Agencies needing platform-specific data at production volume
- Anyone who tried Firecrawl on a hostile platform and got blocked

## Related

### Mcp

**Rule:** Pair both. Firecrawl for general web, Apify for platform-specific scraping.

**Url:** /mcps/firecrawl/


### Skill

**Rule:** First-party Yalc skill that wraps the canonical Reddit actor with Earleads' learned conventions.



## Alternatives

- **Firecrawl MCP**
  - Rule: Switch when the data is on a general web page rather than a hostile platform.
  - Url: /mcps/firecrawl/
- **ScrapeGraph**
  - Rule: Switch when you want a different LLM-driven scraper marketplace.
  - Url: #
- **Direct Apify REST API**
  - Rule: Skip the MCP for high-volume batch scraping. Direct REST is more efficient.
  - Url: #

## Faq

- Q: How is Apify different from Firecrawl?
  - A: Firecrawl is one general-purpose scraper. Apify is a marketplace of 4,000+ specialized scrapers. For platforms with aggressive anti-bot (Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter), Apify is the right tool. For general web pages, Firecrawl is cheaper and faster.
- Q: How much does Apify cost?
  - A: Free tier includes $5/mo of compute credit. Above that, pricing is per compute unit (a fraction of a cent per second of actor execution). A typical Reddit scrape costs a few cents.
- Q: Which Reddit actor should I use?
  - A: For subreddit feed scraping, `oAuCIx3ItNrs2okjQ` works on `/new/` and `/hot/` paths. Avoid keyword search on this actor (it's broken per Earleads playbook). For richer Reddit access, evaluate other community actors.
- Q: How do I prevent runaway compute costs?
  - A: Set maxItems, maxRequestRetries, and timeoutSecs on every actor run. Most actors expose these as input parameters. The Yalc `apify-reddit-scraping` skill enforces sensible defaults.
- Q: Can the MCP run actors I built myself?
  - A: Yes. Once your actor is published in the Apify store (private or public), the MCP can invoke it like any other actor. Same input/output contract.
- Q: Does the MCP support actor scheduling?
  - A: Apify itself supports scheduled runs configured in the Apify dashboard. The MCP triggers ad-hoc runs from Claude Code. For recurring scrapes, schedule in Apify and have the MCP read results.

**Reviewer:** Othmane Khadri