# Sherlock (`misceres/sherlock`) Actor

🔎 Hunt down social media accounts by username across social networks using open-source project https://github.com/sherlock-project/sherlock

- **URL**: https://apify.com/misceres/sherlock.md
- **Developed by:** [Misceres](https://apify.com/misceres) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Open source
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 39,591 total users, 167 monthly users, 98.6% runs succeeded, 196 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 4.80 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

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

## 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

## Sherlock Actor on Apify

[![Sherlock Actor](https://apify.com/actor-badge?actor=netmilk/sherlock)](https://apify.com/netmilk/sherlock?fpr=sherlock)

This Actor wraps the [Sherlock Project](https://sherlockproject.xyz/) to provide serverless username reconnaissance across social networks in the cloud. It helps you find usernames across multiple social media platforms without installing and running the tool locally.

### What are Actors?

[Actors](https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors?fpr=sherlock) are serverless microservices running on the [Apify Platform](https://apify.com/?fpr=sherlock). They are based on the [Actor SDK](https://docs.apify.com/sdk/js?fpr=sherlock) and can be found in the [Apify Store](https://apify.com/store?fpr=sherlock). Learn more about Actors in the [Apify Whitepaper](https://whitepaper.actor?fpr=sherlock).

### Usage

#### Apify Console

1. Go to the Apify Actor page
2. Click "Run"
3. In the input form, fill in **Username(s)** to search for
4. The Actor will run and produce its outputs in the default datastore

#### Apify CLI

```bash
apify call YOUR_USERNAME/sherlock --input='{
  "usernames": ["johndoe", "janedoe"]
}'
```

#### Using Apify API

```bash
curl --request POST \
  --url "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/YOUR_USERNAME~sherlock/run" \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN' \
  --data '{
  "usernames": ["johndoe", "janedoe"],
  }
}'
```

### Input Parameters

The Actor accepts a JSON schema with the following structure:

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|-------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `usernames` | array | Yes | - | List of usernames to search for |
| `usernames[]` | string | Yes | "json" | Username to search for |

#### Example Input

```json
{
  "usernames": ["techuser", "designuser"],
}
```

### Output

The Actor provides three types of outputs:

#### Dataset Record\*

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|-------|------|----------|-------------|
| `username` | string | Yes | Username the search was conducted for |
| `links` | arrray | Yes | Array with found links to the social media |
| `links[]`| string | No | URL to the account

#### Example Dataset Item (JSON)

```json
{
  "username": "johndoe",
  "links": [
    "https://github.com/johndoe" 
  ]
}
```

### Performance & Resources

- **Memory Requirements**:
  - Minimum: 512 MB RAM
  - Recommended: 1 GB RAM for multiple usernames
- **Processing Time**:
  - Single username: ~1-2 minutes
  - Multiple usernames: 2-5 minutes
  - Varies based on number of sites checked and response times

For more help, check the [Sherlock Project documentation](https://github.com/sherlock-project/sherlock) or raise an issue in the Actor's repository.

# Actor input Schema

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

A list of usernames to be checked for existence across social media

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "johndoe"
  ]
}
```

# 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": [
        "johndoe"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("misceres/sherlock").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": ["johndoe"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("misceres/sherlock").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": [
    "johndoe"
  ]
}' |
apify call misceres/sherlock --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/sSuwVmyjxzabXcoMh/builds/Lu9JOi0WtAVKQYqVF/openapi.json