Use Substack Publication Post Exporter with Python

Export posts from any Substack newsletter: title, author, publish date, body, categories and cover image, filtered by category, date or keyword. No login or proxy needed.

1. Choose the data you need

Review the published README for supported collection modes, examples, and limits. The recipe below uses the current published input definition.

2. Prepare a source-based input

This JSON contains published prefills and required-field defaults. Review every value for your task before running it; it is not a promise of successful collection.

{
  "audienceFilter": "all",
  "bodyFormat": "none",
  "includeComments": false,
  "includePaidPreview": false,
  "includePublicationInfo": false,
  "maxCommentsPerPost": 20,
  "maxItems": 3,
  "maxPostsPerPublication": 3,
  "mediaFilter": "any",
  "mode": "publicationPosts",
  "postType": "all",
  "postUrls": [],
  "publications": [
    "platformer.news"
  ],
  "sortBy": "newest",
  "tagsAnyOf": []
}

Download input.example.json and save your reviewed copy as input.json.

Field	Type	Required	Description
`mode`	string	optional	What to scrape. substack.com-hosted inputs are reported as blocked_egress.
`publications`	array	optional	(mode=publicationPosts) Custom-domain publication URLs or RSS-capable sites, e.g. `https://www.slowboring.com` or `https://platformer.news`. Bare subdomains and substack.com links are blocked from this actor's cloud network.
`postUrls`	array	optional	(mode=postUrls) Custom-domain post URLs, e.g. `https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-internet-breaks`. substack.com share links are reported as blocked_egress.
`sortBy`	string	optional	(mode=publicationPosts) Newest first or all-time most popular first.
`publishedAfter`	string	optional	Keep posts published on or after this date (`YYYY-MM-DD`).
`publishedBefore`	string	optional	Keep posts published on or before this date (`YYYY-MM-DD`).
`containsKeyword`	string	optional	(mode=publicationPosts) Keep posts whose title, teaser or text contains this keyword. Uses Substack's publication search when possible.
`tagsAnyOf`	array	optional	Keep posts carrying at least one of these tags (case-insensitive).
`audienceFilter`	string	optional	Keep all posts, only free posts, or only paid posts.
`postType`	string	optional	Keep all post types or a single type.
`mediaFilter`	string	optional	Keep all posts, audio posts, video posts, or text-only posts.
`bodyFormat`	string	optional	Body fields to include. `none` is fastest; `all` adds HTML, plain text and Markdown.
`includePaidPreview`	boolean	optional	For paid posts, include the public preview body and flag it as a preview. Turn off for faster metadata-only runs.
`includeComments`	boolean	optional	Include public comment threads for free posts. Paid-post comments are members-only.
`maxCommentsPerPost`	integer	optional	Cap on comments per post, including replies. Set to 0 for no limit.
`includePublicationInfo`	boolean	optional	Add publication details such as pricing plans, sections, language and payment status.
`maxItems`	integer	optional	Hard cap on emitted records.
`maxPostsPerPublication`	integer	optional	Optional per-publication cap. Set to 0 for no per-publication limit.

3. Start an Actor run

Set APIFY_TOKEN in your environment. Python 3.10 or newer is sufficient; this recipe uses no third-party packages.

Execution may incur charges. Review current pricing on Apify. The request asks for a 120-second timeout and a charge limit; these settings are subject to Apify’s pricing and do not guarantee an all-inclusive spending cap.

import json
import os
import urllib.request

# Save the schema-derived example as input.json; review and edit it first.
with open("input.json", encoding="utf-8") as stream:
    actor_input = json.load(stream)

token = os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"]
request = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/n7xofJAWyJUILJ0N1/runs?timeout=120&maxTotalChargeUsd=0.50",
    data=json.dumps(actor_input).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer " + token, "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    method="POST",
)
# This starts a potentially billable run. Do not automatically retry this POST.
with urllib.request.urlopen(request, timeout=40) as response:
    run = json.load(response)["data"]
print("Run ID:", run["id"])
print("Status:", run["status"])
# Inspect and download results in Apify Console once the run succeeds.

4. Inspect the actual results

Open the run in Apify Console and wait for a successful completion. Use the published output schema to locate results and the dataset schema to understand declared views. Missing or optional record fields must not be treated as guaranteed values.

One record per post (metadata, free body HTML/text/Markdown, flagged paid teaser, media, engagement, comments) or one blocked_egress status row per substack.com-hosted input.

Questions before you run

Which inputs are required?

No top-level fields are marked required in the published schema. Conditional requirements can still apply; check the README.

What does this guide verify?

The fields, prefills, and schema links are rendered from the published build. This is a usage recipe, not a paid live extraction test. Source availability and collection results can vary.

What if the run request times out?

Check Apify Console before retrying. The first request may already have created a run. Do not automatically repeat a run-creation POST.

Open on Apify Full Actor reference

Generated from source build izi31evru0SmgKMn3 and its README and schemas. Source changes regenerate this guide; no third-party editorial claims are inferred.