# Threads Fast Scraper (`sones/threads-scraper`) Actor

Fast scraper for Meta Threads. Extract profiles, posts, replies, and engagement metrics. HTTP-only, optimized for cost.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/sones/threads-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Samy](https://apify.com/sones) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.80 / 1,000 profile scrapeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Threads Scraper

Fast HTTP-only scraper for public Meta Threads data. It extracts profiles, user posts, replies, search users, search threads, and engagement metrics without launching a browser.

### Supported Actions

| Action | Input | Output |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `getProfiles` | `usernames` | Profile metadata for each user |
| `getUserPosts` | `usernames`, optional `sessionId` | Posts/threads from each user |
| `getReplies` | `postUrls` | Replies or the main post for each URL |
| `searchUsers` | `searchQuery` | Matching public usernames |
| `searchThreads` | `searchQuery` | Matching public threads found in search HTML |

### Input

```json
{
    "action": "getUserPosts",
    "usernames": ["zuck", "mosseri"],
    "maxResults": 50,
    "concurrency": 12,
    "proxy": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
    }
}
```

For deeper user-post pagination, provide an Instagram/Threads `sessionid` cookie:

```json
{
    "action": "getUserPosts",
    "usernames": ["zuck"],
    "maxResults": 200,
    "sessionId": "YOUR_SESSIONID_COOKIE"
}
```

### Fields

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `action` | enum | Yes | `getProfiles`, `getUserPosts`, `getReplies`, `searchUsers`, or `searchThreads` |
| `usernames` | string\[] | For profiles/posts | Threads usernames, with or without `@` |
| `postUrls` | string\[] | For replies | Full Threads post URLs from `threads.net` or `threads.com` |
| `searchQuery` | string | For search | Search term |
| `maxResults` | integer | No | Max results per user/query. Default: `50`, max: `1000` |
| `concurrency` | integer | No | Parallel targets to process. Default: `12`, max: `25` |
| `sessionId` | string | No | Optional `sessionid` cookie for authenticated mobile API pagination |
| `proxy` | object | No | Apify proxy or custom proxy URLs. Residential proxies are recommended |

### Session ID

`searchThreads`, `searchUsers`, and `getProfiles` are fully public and need **no** Session ID. You only need one for `getReplies` and for deeper `getUserPosts` pagination (beyond ~25 posts).

When you do need it, paste the `sessionid` cookie value (not the whole Cookie header) into the `sessionId` input.

#### How to get your Session ID

1. In a desktop browser, log in to https://www.threads.com (or https://www.instagram.com — they share the cookie).
2. Open DevTools (F12 or right-click then Inspect).
3. Go to the **Application** tab (Chrome/Edge) or **Storage** tab (Firefox).
4. In the sidebar, expand **Cookies** and select the site (e.g. `https://www.threads.com`).
5. Find the row named `sessionid` and copy its **Value**. It looks like `12345678%3AAbCdEf...%3A12%3A...`.
6. Paste that value into the `sessionId` field.

> **Use a throwaway account, not your main one.** Meta can flag, rate-limit, or ban accounts used for scraping. Create a dedicated secondary Threads/Instagram account and use its `sessionid`. Only use a session you are authorized to use. The cookie grants account access, so treat it like a password — the input is stored as a secret.

### Pagination

Public, logged-out scraping is limited by Threads. The logged-out search page returns a single page (~10-25 results) with no working public next-page request, and the logged-out GraphQL/profile paths hit a login wall after ~25 posts.

When `sessionId` is provided, the scraper uses the authenticated mobile API and paginates until `maxResults`, the API stops returning pages, or rate limiting/session expiry occurs.

### Output Examples

#### Profile

```json
{
    "id": "314216",
    "username": "zuck",
    "fullName": "Mark Zuckerberg",
    "bio": "CEO of Meta",
    "followers": 3200000,
    "following": 523,
    "isVerified": true,
    "profilePicUrl": "https://.../",
    "threadCount": 1234,
    "url": "https://www.threads.net/@zuck",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-06-26T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

#### Post

```json
{
    "id": "3456789012345678",
    "shortcode": "CuXyz123",
    "text": "Post content here...",
    "timestamp": "2026-06-26T08:00:00.000Z",
    "likes": 12500,
    "replies": 340,
    "reposts": 890,
    "author": {
        "username": "zuck",
        "fullName": "Mark Zuckerberg",
        "profilePicUrl": "https://.../",
        "isVerified": true
    },
    "mediaUrls": ["https://.../"],
    "url": "https://www.threads.net/@zuck/post/CuXyz123",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-06-26T10:30:00.000Z"
}
```

### Development

```bash
bun install
bun test
bun run typecheck
bun run lint
```

### Notes

- Residential proxies are recommended because Meta frequently blocks datacenter IPs.
- The scraper retries rate limits and transient server errors with exponential backoff.
- Private accounts and login-only content are not available in public mode.
- Threads internal endpoints can change without notice; keep parser tests current when response shapes change.

# Actor input Schema

## `action` (type: `string`):

Choose one workflow. Fill only the target field used by that workflow.

## `usernames` (type: `array`):

Used by Get user posts and Get profiles. Add one Threads username per row; @ is optional. Start with a mix of active public accounts for better sample output.

## `postUrls` (type: `array`):

Used by Get replies. Add full Threads post URLs from threads.net or threads.com. Reply pagination requires Session ID.

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Used by Search users and Search threads.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

For user posts, this applies per username. Public user-post scraping usually stops around 25 results without Session ID.

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many targets to process in parallel. Increase with strong residential proxies; reduce if you see rate limits.

## `sessionId` (type: `string`):

Only needed for Get replies and deeper user-post pagination. Search and profile actions do not need it. Paste the sessionid cookie value (not the full Cookie header). Use a throwaway Threads/Instagram account, not your main one. See the README for how to copy it from your browser's DevTools.

## `proxy` (type: `object`):

Residential proxies are recommended because Meta often blocks datacenter IPs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "action": "getUserPosts",
  "usernames": [
    "zuck",
    "mosseri",
    "instagram",
    "threads",
    "nasa",
    "natgeo",
    "nba",
    "f1",
    "openai",
    "github",
    "vercel",
    "spotify"
  ],
  "searchQuery": "startup funding",
  "maxResults": 25,
  "concurrency": 10,
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "usernames": [
        "zuck",
        "mosseri",
        "instagram",
        "threads",
        "nasa",
        "natgeo",
        "nba",
        "f1",
        "openai",
        "github",
        "vercel",
        "spotify"
    ],
    "searchQuery": "startup funding",
    "proxy": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("sones/threads-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "usernames": [
        "zuck",
        "mosseri",
        "instagram",
        "threads",
        "nasa",
        "natgeo",
        "nba",
        "f1",
        "openai",
        "github",
        "vercel",
        "spotify",
    ],
    "searchQuery": "startup funding",
    "proxy": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("sones/threads-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "usernames": [
    "zuck",
    "mosseri",
    "instagram",
    "threads",
    "nasa",
    "natgeo",
    "nba",
    "f1",
    "openai",
    "github",
    "vercel",
    "spotify"
  ],
  "searchQuery": "startup funding",
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call sones/threads-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,sones/threads-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/v2bQ8QfE4I0n9xyb9/builds/7Sh23p3xFX7dEw1Hc/openapi.json