scraping-tiktok-videos-by-hashtag

Scraping TikTok Videos by Hashtag

Raw video dataset for any TikTok hashtag or keyword. Returns full video metadata including engagement metrics and author info.

Prerequisites

• APIFY_TOKEN environment variable set
• Optional: Apify MCP server installed

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Notes
startUrls	array	Optional	[]	TikTok URLs — user profiles, hashtags, music pages, search, locations
keywords	array	Optional	[]	Search keywords/terms to find posts
sortType	string	Optional	RELEVANCE	Sort order for keyword results: RELEVANCE, MOST_LIKED, DATE_POSTED
location	string	Optional	—	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for regional filtering (e.g. US, GB)
maxItems	number	Optional	Unlimited	Maximum posts to return across the run
includeSearchKeywords	boolean	Optional	false	Add the matched search keyword field to each post
customMapFunction	string	Optional	—	JavaScript function to transform each output object

Workflow

Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Normalize hashtag list
- [ ] Step 2: Run tiktok-scraper
- [ ] Step 3: Poll for SUCCEEDED
- [ ] Step 4: Deliver video dataset

Step 2: Run the Actor

Recommended — run_actor.js (handles waiting, output, and file saving automatically):

# Quick answer (prints table to chat)
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~tiktok-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}'

# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~tiktok-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.csv --format csv

# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~tiktok-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.json --format json

APIFY_TOKEN must be set in environment or .env file.

If Apify MCP is available:

Tool: apify:run-actor
Actor: "apidojo~tiktok-scraper"
Input:
{
  "keywords": ["tag1", "tag2"],
  "maxItems": 100
}

REST API fallback:

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~tiktok-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"keywords": ["tag1", "tag2"], "maxItems": 100}'

Save id as RUN_ID. Poll until status = SUCCEEDED:

curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/actor-runs/$RUN_ID?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" | grep '"status"'

Fetch results:

curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/actor-runs/$RUN_ID/dataset/items?token=$APIFY_TOKEN&format=json"

Step 3: Handle Edge Cases

• 0 results for hashtag: Hashtag may be banned on TikTok or spelled incorrectly. Try alternate spelling.
• < 20 results: Hashtag may be very niche — inform user, return what is available.
• Duplicate video IDs across hashtags: Deduplicate by videoId field.

Output Format

# TikTok Video Dataset: #<hashtag>
Videos collected: N | Hashtags queried: N

| Video ID | Author | Caption (truncated) | Views | Likes | Comments | Shares | Posted |
|----------|--------|---------------------|-------|-------|----------|--------|--------|
| ...      | ...    | ...                 | ...   | ...   | ...      | ...    | ...    |

Available fields: videoId, authorUsername, desc, playCount, diggCount, commentCount,
shareCount, createTime, videoUrl, musicTitle, hashtags, isAd

Troubleshooting

Banned hashtag returns 0: Some hashtags are restricted by TikTok — try parent category tag. Slow run: TikTok rate-limits heavily; maxItems: 200 is a safe cap per run.