# Substack Notes Scraper (`fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper`) Actor

Collect public Substack Notes, author profiles, engagement, attachments, publication links, and thread context for monitoring and creator research.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Fetch Cat](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 6 total users, 1 monthly users, 84.4% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.02 / 1,000 substack notes

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?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

Collect **public Substack Notes** as structured records for creator research and social listening. Substack Notes Scraper exports Note text, author details, engagement counts, attachment metadata and publication links to JSON, CSV or Excel. It reads anonymous public pages, not private or subscriber-only content.

Topic phrases filter text from the public Notes feed. They are not a site-wide search or an author lookup.

### Quick start

Paste a public Note URL or use the public Notes feed, choose a small result limit and click **Start**. Open the dataset when the run finishes.

```json
{
  "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://substack.com/notes" }],
  "queries": [],
  "maxItems": 25
}
```

The feed may redirect or expose limited anonymous content. For a specific Note, use its public URL instead. The limit is a maximum, not a promise of that many records.

Prefer a video guide? This short Apify walkthrough shows you how to set up and run an Actor. It uses a different Actor, but the setup steps are the same.

https://youtu.be/1OW8gOqlZbY?t=25

### Ready-to-run examples

Choose an example to start with a small, preconfigured input.

- [Scrape public Substack Notes feed](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper/examples/scrape-public-substack-notes-feed) — Collect up to 25 public Notes with text, authors and engagement.
- [Extract a public Substack Note](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper/examples/extract-a-public-substack-note) — Read a specific public Note and its available author and publication context.
- [Track new Substack Notes since a date](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper/examples/track-new-substack-notes-since-date) — Try the publication-date filter. Adjust the saved example's date before running.

### What you get

- **One row per unique Note:** Stable IDs, public URLs, text and timestamps.
- **Author context:** Public name, handle, bio and primary publication when available.
- **Engagement and media:** Reaction, restack and reply counts, attachment links and dimensions.
- **Thread context:** Parent and root IDs when supplied. Reply counts do not mean every reply is downloaded.
- **Publication filtering:** Keep Notes published at or after your chosen date. This is not an edit-history tracker.

### Who is it for?

- **Creator researchers** comparing public authors and their publications.
- **Social-listening teams** reviewing conversations visible in collected Notes.
- **Content analysts** comparing engagement and preparing downstream reports.
- **Data teams** merging repeat exports by stable Note ID.

### Input settings

| Setting | API key | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Public Notes URLs | `startUrls` | Feed, profile Notes or individual Note URLs on `substack.com`. Omission uses the public Notes feed. |
| Note text phrases | `queries` | Case-insensitive substring filters on Note text collected from the public Notes feed. Not author or site-wide search. |
| Maximum Notes | `maxItems` | Global unique-record limit from 1 to 1,000. The form defaults to 20. API omission uses 25. |
| Published since | `changedSince` | Optional inclusive publication-time cutoff as an ISO date-time. Does not filter by edit time. |

#### Input recipes

**Collect a public author feed**

```json
{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://substack.com/@hamishmckenzie/notes"}],"queries":[],"maxItems":25}
```

**Filter collected feed Notes by text**

```json
{"startUrls":[],"queries":["AI"],"maxItems":10}
```

An empty `startUrls` array prevents adding an unfiltered URL target when using phrases. If you supply both URLs and phrases, URL results are collected independently and are not restricted to the phrases. There is no sorting control. At least one URL or nonblank phrase is needed.

**Keep Notes published since a date**

```json
{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://substack.com/notes"}],"queries":[],"maxItems":25,"changedSince":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z"}
```

Change the date for your own collection. Repeated runs do not remember previously saved IDs.

### Output data

The following is a **synthetic shape-only excerpt**, not a claimed live result. Optional fields can be `null`, and arrays or objects can be empty.

```json
{
  "id": "example-note-id",
  "url": "https://substack.com/@example/note/c-example-note-id",
  "content": "Example public Note text",
  "publishedAt": "2026-10-01T12:00:00Z",
  "authorName": "Example author",
  "authorHandle": "example",
  "reactionCount": 5,
  "restackCount": 2,
  "replyCount": 0,
  "engagementTotal": 7,
  "attachments": [],
  "publicationName": null
}
```

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `id`, `entityKey`, `type` | Stable source identifiers and entity type |
| `url` | Canonical public Note URL |
| `content`, `contentTextLength` | Plain Note text and character count |
| `publishedAt`, `editedAt`, `scrapedAt` | Publication, edit, and collection timestamps |
| `authorId`, `authorName`, `authorHandle` | Public author identity |
| `authorUrl`, `authorPhotoUrl`, `authorBio` | Public profile links and metadata |
| `reactionCount`, `reactions` | Total and per-emoji public reactions |
| `restackCount`, `replyCount`, `engagementTotal` | Public engagement metrics and derived total |
| `attachments`, `hasAttachments` | Attached media/post metadata, URLs, and dimensions |
| `publicationId`, `publicationName`, `publicationUrl` | Linked public publication where available |
| `authorPublicationId`, `authorPublicationName`, `authorPublicationUrl` | Author's primary public publication, independently of the Note's linked publication. `null` when absent |
| `parentId`, `rootId`, `isReply` | Thread and reply relationships |
| `sourceUrl`, `sourceQuery` | Exact collection provenance |

#### Download your results

Open your run's dataset, choose **Export** and select JSON, CSV or Excel. JSON keeps nested fields together. CSV and Excel are useful when you want to review the records in a spreadsheet.

See [Apify's download and export guide](https://docs.apify.com/storage/dataset#apify-console) for the available formats and field options.

### Pricing

The `start` event is charged once after input validation, even if no Note is saved.

A `result` event is charged for each Note saved to the dataset. Skipped Notes and target-error summaries do not produce result charges. `maxItems` limits saved records, not guaranteed matches.

See the [live Pricing tab](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper/pricing) for current rates and discounts.

### Tips for best results

- **Start small.** Check a few public URLs before increasing the result limit.
- **Use publication dates carefully.** `changedSince` filters published time, not changes made to older Notes.
- **Merge by `id`.** Deduplicate repeat exports in your own workflow.
- **Keep nested data in JSON.** Attachments and reactions are easier to inspect without flattening.
- **Review partial results.** A target failure can coexist with useful records from other targets. The run fails rather than claiming complete extraction; check `SUMMARY` in the key-value store.

### Limits and caveats

- Public anonymous Notes only. No login, private messages, subscriber-only material or newsletter article bodies.
- Anonymous availability can change, and feeds may redirect. A successful page load alone does not guarantee extractable Notes.
- Phrase filtering only checks Note text available from the public feed. It does not discover every matching Note or search author names.
- No guaranteed completeness or newest-first order. A profile or individual Note target does not guarantee complete thread retrieval.
- Optional author, publication and attachment fields depend on what the public source exposes. Media URLs are returned, not downloaded files.
- Profile Notes are collected from public profile feeds, including later pages. Newsletter posts mixed into those feeds are skipped. Requests require no login.
- Extraction errors fail the run even when some Notes were saved. Existing saved records are preserved when another target fails. Completed feeds with no matching Notes succeed with an empty dataset and a reason in `SUMMARY`.

### Automation and integrations

#### Save your settings for next time

Once you have an input that works for you, [save it as an Apify task](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/tasks). This keeps your settings together so you can use them again without filling in the form from scratch.

#### Run on a schedule

Need fresh results regularly? You can [schedule the Actor or a saved task](https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/schedules) to run at a time that suits you.

Each scheduled run collects the data again. If you want to compare results or highlight changes, add that step in your own workflow.

#### Send results to your other tools

Use **n8n, Make or Zapier** to connect this scraper to the rest of your workflow. For example, you could pass its results to an AI assistant or add records to a spreadsheet. Follow the [Apify integration guides](https://docs.apify.com/integrations) for your chosen tool.

For a custom connection, an [Apify webhook](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/webhooks) can notify your app when a run finishes or fails. Your app can then fetch the results or handle the failure.

### API usage

Want to collect this data from your own app or automation? The examples below send input to the scraper and show how to collect its results.

The Node.js and Python examples wait for the run to finish before reading its results. The cURL example starts the run and returns its details. Wait for that run to finish, then use its `defaultDatasetId` to fetch the results.

For setup instructions, see Apify's [JavaScript client guide](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js), [Python client guide](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python) and [Actor runs API reference](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2/acts-runs-post).

#### cURL

```bash
curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~substack-notes-scraper/runs' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://substack.com/notes"}],"queries":[],"maxItems":25}'
```

#### Node.js

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

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper').call({
  startUrls: [{ url: 'https://substack.com/notes' }],
  queries: [],
  maxItems: 25,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);
```

#### Python

```python
import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"])
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper").call(run_input={
    "startUrls": [{"url": "https://substack.com/notes"}],
    "queries": [],
    "maxItems": 25,
})
items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items
print(items)
```

### MCP and AI agents

You can ask your AI assistant to collect data with **Substack Notes Scraper** and help you work with the results. The scraper returns the data, and your assistant can then summarize it, compare records or prepare notes.

Connect your assistant through the [Apify MCP server](https://mcp.apify.com/). MCP gives your assistant a way to find this scraper, run it and read the results. Follow the [official setup and sign-in guide](https://docs.apify.com/mcp) for your app.

#### Easier setup with an Apify plugin

If you use a supported coding assistant, the [official Apify plugin](https://docs.apify.com/agents/plugins) can set up the connection for you. It connects your assistant to Apify and includes instructions for common tasks. Follow the guide for your particular app.

#### Use Apify AI in Console

Prefer to keep everything in Apify? Open [Apify AI in Console](https://docs.apify.com/account/apify-ai) and ask it to find Fetch Cat's **Substack Notes Scraper**. You can describe the data you want and ask questions about the results.

Apify AI is currently in beta. It asks for confirmation before starting an Actor, and normal run charges apply.

#### Choose your assistant

- **Claude and Claude Code (Anthropic):** [Apify setup guide](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/claude).
- **ChatGPT and Codex (OpenAI):** [Apify setup guides](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/openai).
- **Grok Bot (xAI):** [Apify plugin guide](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/grok-bot).
- **Gemini CLI (Google):** [MCP server setup guide](https://geminicli.com/docs/tools/mcp-server/). Use the server URL below with the HTTP configuration supported by Gemini CLI.

#### Connect just this scraper

To keep your setup focused on this scraper, add this server configuration to a compatible MCP client:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper"
    }
  }
}
```

Sign in to Apify when your client asks. If your client uses a Bearer token instead, follow its setup guide and keep the token in its secure configuration. Configuration formats vary by app, so use the linked guide if your client needs a different format.

#### Use Apify's general server

Already connected to the general Apify MCP server at `https://mcp.apify.com`? You can use it to find this scraper without adding another server. Ask your assistant to use **Substack Notes Scraper** by Fetch Cat, or give it the identifier `fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper`.

Your assistant can check the available settings and retrieve the results from the returned run. If the run is still working, it should follow that run rather than start it again. Both connection options use Apify's hosted service.

#### Example requests

- "Collect up to 25 public Substack Notes and summarize the topics in the returned text."
- "Read this public Substack Note URL and list its available author details and engagement counts."
- "Collect up to 20 Notes from this public profile published since October 1, 2026, and group the returned records by publication."

Normal Apify charges apply. Check the [live Pricing tab](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper/pricing) before asking your assistant to run a larger batch.

### Pay with x402

If your AI agent has a funded wallet, it can pay for Apify usage through [x402](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/x402). This experimental option lets an agent use Apify without a conventional account.

[Apify AGI](https://agi.apify.com/) provides a prepaid API token with a spending cap after payment. Your agent can use that token to run this scraper through the Apify API or an authenticated MCP connection.

Some MCP setups also support paying for each request directly. That is a different payment option, so check the official guide for its availability.

Follow the official guide for wallet setup, supported payment options and current terms. Apify handles the payments. Keep wallet keys and payment tokens in your agent's secure configuration.

#### Other ways for agents to pay

Apify also supports **MPP** for prepaid access through AGI and **Skyfire** for eligible Actors. If your agent already uses one of these, see the [agentic payment guide](https://docs.apify.com/agents/payments) to choose the right setup.

### FAQ

#### Can I use this as a Substack Notes API?

Yes, through the Apify API or MCP examples above. This is not Substack's official API. Public availability and coverage limits still apply.

#### Do queries search all of Substack or find authors?

No. Each phrase filters the text of Notes collected from the public Notes feed. To collect an author's public Notes, supply their profile Notes URL.

#### Does changedSince find edits to older Notes?

No. It checks publication time. Use stable IDs and compare exported records in your own workflow if you need change tracking.

#### Can I export CSV or Excel?

Yes. Open the run dataset and choose Export. JSON preserves nested attachment and reaction details.

#### Does it require login or scrape paid content?

No login is required, and private or subscriber-only content is outside the supported scope.

#### Why did I get fewer Notes or no records?

Filters, public availability and the source's exposed content can reduce results. A completed feed with no matching Notes succeeds with an empty dataset. Target or extraction errors fail the run while preserving any saved Notes. Inspect `SUMMARY` in the key-value store instead of assuming a page is private or deleted.

#### How do I repeat a collection?

Save your input as a task and run it again when needed. Update date cutoffs yourself and merge exports by `id`. Scheduling is an Apify platform feature, not built-in monitoring by this scraper.

### Related Actors

- [Substack Posts Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-posts-scraper) — newsletter posts and archives rather than Notes.
- [Medium Articles Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/medium-articles-scraper) — recent public Medium article metadata and snippets from feeds, without full article extraction.
- [DEV.to Articles Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/devto-articles-scraper) — developer articles by tags or authors.
- [Hacker News Search Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/hacker-news-search-scraper) — adjacent public discussion research.
- [RSS Feed Reader](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/rss-feed-reader) — collect feed entries for a broader publishing workflow.

### Support and feedback

For custom additions or integrations, email <hello@fetchcat.dev>.

Found an error or have a feature request? [Open an issue](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper/issues) with the run URL, a non-sensitive input example and what you expected.

Need help sharing it? See [Apify’s guide to sharing a run when reporting an issue](https://docs.apify.com/account/collaboration/general-resource-access#automatically-sharing-runs-via-actor-issues). Sharing a run can give the developer access to its input, logs and results, so use a run that contains no sensitive data. Please leave out API tokens, passwords, cookies, private documents and personal data. Use a public sample URL or a redacted example instead.

Tried this scraper? We'd love to hear how it worked for you. [Leave a review from the Actor page](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper) to help others choose the right tool and help us improve it. Your feedback means a lot to us.

Made with care for curious people, AI agents and the possibilities in data. ♥

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Public HTTPS substack.com Notes feed, profile Notes, or individual Note URLs. Omission uses the public Notes feed. Supply an empty array when using only Note text phrases. Only anonymous public content is supported, and availability or redirects can limit extraction.

## `queries` (type: `array`):

Filter Note text from the public Notes feed by case-insensitive substring. This is not site-wide search or an author lookup. Set startUrls to an empty array to collect only phrase-filtered feed targets. When both are supplied, URL targets are collected independently without phrase filtering.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum unique Notes across all targets, from 1 to 1,000. Form default and prefill: 20. API calls omitting this field use the existing runtime default of 25. Fewer matches may be available.

## `changedSince` (type: `string`):

Return only Notes published at or after this inclusive ISO date-time. Checks publication time, not edit time, and does not remember results from previous runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://substack.com/notes"
    }
  ],
  "queries": [],
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (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 = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://substack.com/notes"
        }
    ],
    "queries": [],
    "maxItems": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/substack-notes-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 = {
    "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://substack.com/notes" }],
    "queries": [],
    "maxItems": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/substack-notes-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 '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://substack.com/notes"
    }
  ],
  "queries": [],
  "maxItems": 20
}' |
apify call fetch_cat/substack-notes-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,fetch_cat/substack-notes-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/HZUjn2RhUgMelKMbP/builds/uQxr3GkxqWlkzVRXt/openapi.json