/apify-lead-generation

name: apify-lead-generation
description: "Scrape leads from multiple platforms using Apify Actors."
risk: critical
source: community
date_added: "2026-09-04"

Lead Generation

Scrape leads from multiple platforms using Apify Actors.

When to Use

• You need business, creator, or contact leads from maps, search, social, or video platforms.
• The task involves selecting an Apify Actor to discover prospects and extract outreach data.
• You need exported lead data plus a concise summary of lead quality or segmentation.

Prerequisites

(No need to check it upfront)

• `.env` file with `APIFY_TOKEN`
• Node.js 20.6+ (for native `--env-file` support)
• `mcpc` CLI tool: `npm install -g @apify/mcpc`

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Task Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Determine lead source (select Actor)
- [ ] Step 2: Fetch Actor schema via mcpc
- [ ] Step 3: Ask user preferences (format, filename)
- [ ] Step 4: Run the lead finder script
- [ ] Step 5: Summarize results

Step 1: Determine Lead Source

Select the appropriate Actor based on user needs:

| User Need | Actor ID | Best For | |-----------|----------|----------| | Local businesses | `compass/crawler-google-places` | Restaurants, gyms, shops | | Contact enrichment | `vdrmota/contact-info-scraper` | Emails, phones from URLs | | Instagram profiles | `apify/instagram-profile-scraper` | Influencer discovery | | Instagram posts/comments | `apify/instagram-scraper` | Posts, comments, hashtags, places | | Instagram search | `apify/instagram-search-scraper` | Places, users, hashtags discovery | | TikTok videos/hashtags | `clockworks/tiktok-scraper` | Comprehensive TikTok data extraction | | TikTok hashtags/profiles | `clockworks/free-tiktok-scraper` | Free TikTok data extractor | | TikTok user search | `clockworks/tiktok-user-search-scraper` | Find users by keywords | | TikTok profiles | `clockworks/tiktok-profile-scraper` | Creator outreach | | TikTok followers/following | `clockworks/tiktok-followers-scraper` | Audience analysis, segmentation | | Facebook pages | `apify/facebook-pages-scraper` | Business contacts | | Facebook page contacts | `apify/facebook-page-contact-information` | Extract emails, phones, addresses | | Facebook groups | `apify/facebook-groups-scraper` | Buying intent signals | | Facebook events | `apify/facebook-events-scraper` | Event networking, partnerships | | Google Search | `apify/google-search-scraper` | Broad lead discovery | | YouTube channels | `streamers/youtube-scraper` | Creator partnerships | | Google Maps emails | `poidata/google-maps-email-extractor` | Direct email extraction |

Step 2: Fetch Actor Schema

Fetch the Actor's input schema and details dynamically using mcpc:

export $(grep APIFY_TOKEN .env | xargs) && mcpc --json mcp.apify.com --header "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" tools-call fetch-actor-details actor:="ACTOR_ID" | jq -r ".content"

Replace `ACTOR_ID` with the selected Actor (e.g., `compass/crawler-google-places`).

This returns:

• Actor description and README
• Required and optional input parameters
• Output fields (if available)

Step 3: Ask User Preferences

Before running, ask: 1. **Output format**:

• **Quick answer** - Display top few results in chat (no file saved)
• **CSV** - Full export with all fields
• **JSON** - Full export in JSON format

2. **Number of results**: Based on character of use case

Step 4: Run the Script

**Quick answer (display in chat, no file):**

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT'

**CSV:**

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.csv \
  --format csv

**JSON:**

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.json \
  --format json

Step 5: Summarize Results

After completion, report:

• Number of leads found
• File location and name
• Key fields available
• Suggested next steps (filtering, enrichment)

Error Handling

`APIFY_TOKEN not found` - Ask user to create `.env` with `APIFY_TOKEN=your_token` `mcpc not found` - Ask user to install `npm install -g @apify/mcpc` `Actor not found` - Check Actor ID spelling `Run FAILED` - Ask user to check Apify console link in error output `Timeout` - Reduce input size or increase `--timeout`

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.