# Sherlock Scraper (`crawlerbros/sherlock-scraper`) Actor

Search for usernames across 400+ social networks and websites. Find all social media accounts linked to a username using the Sherlock OSINT tool.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/sherlock-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Social media, Automation
- **Stats:** 710 total users, 46 monthly users, 96.9% runs succeeded, 6 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Sherlock Username Search

Search for usernames across **400+ social networks** and websites. Find all social media accounts linked to a given username using Sherlock, the most popular open-source OSINT tool for username reconnaissance.

### What does Sherlock Username Search do?

This actor takes one or more usernames and searches across 400+ popular platforms — including GitHub, Twitter/X, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and hundreds more — to find matching profiles. It returns a list of confirmed profile URLs for each username.

### Features

- Search **400+ social networks** in a single run
- **Batch processing** — search multiple usernames at once
- **Wildcard expansion** — use `{?}` to search username variations (e.g., `john{?}doe` searches `john_doe`, `john-doe`, `john.doe`)
- **No login required** — works with publicly available information only
- **Fast execution** — typically 1-2 minutes per username
- Export results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or other formats

### Input

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|-------|------|----------|-------------|
| `usernames` | Array of strings | Yes | Usernames to search for. Supports `{?}` wildcard for variations. |

#### Example Input

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

#### Wildcard Example

```json
{
  "usernames": ["john{?}doe"]
}
```

This expands to search for: `john_doe`, `john-doe`, `john.doe`

### Output

Each result contains the username and an array of discovered profile URLs.

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `username` | String | The username that was searched |
| `links` | Array of strings | URLs of social media profiles where the username was found |

#### Example Output

```json
{
  "username": "johndoe",
  "links": [
    "https://github.com/johndoe",
    "https://www.reddit.com/user/johndoe",
    "https://www.instagram.com/johndoe",
    "https://twitter.com/johndoe",
    "https://www.tiktok.com/@johndoe"
  ]
}
```

### Supported Platforms

Sherlock checks 400+ platforms including:

- **Social Media**: Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Mastodon, Bluesky
- **Professional**: LinkedIn, GitHub, GitLab, Stack Overflow, Kaggle, LeetCode
- **Content**: YouTube, Twitch, SoundCloud, Spotify, Medium, DeviantArt, Behance
- **Gaming**: Steam, Roblox, Chess.com, Lichess
- **Communication**: Discord, Telegram, Signal
- And 350+ more platforms

### Use Cases

- **OSINT Investigations** — Discover all online accounts associated with a username
- **Social Media Auditing** — Map a person's or brand's online presence
- **Username Availability** — Check if a username is taken across major platforms
- **Digital Forensics** — Find accounts for security research purposes
- **Brand Monitoring** — Track brand name usage across social networks

### FAQ

#### How many social networks does Sherlock search?

Sherlock searches over 400 social networks and websites, including all major platforms like Twitter, Instagram, GitHub, Reddit, TikTok, and hundreds more.

#### How long does a search take?

A single username search typically takes 1-2 minutes. Multiple usernames are processed sequentially.

#### Does it find private or deleted accounts?

No. Sherlock only finds publicly accessible profiles. Private accounts, deleted accounts, or accounts with restricted visibility will not appear in results.

#### What does the {?} wildcard do?

The `{?}` wildcard expands a username into three variations using common separators: underscore (`_`), hyphen (`-`), and period (`.`). For example, `john{?}doe` searches for `john_doe`, `john-doe`, and `john.doe`.

#### Can I search for multiple usernames at once?

Yes. Simply add multiple usernames to the `usernames` array. Each username produces a separate result with its own list of found profiles.

#### Are there any rate limits?

Sherlock makes one request per site per username. Some websites may temporarily block requests if they detect automated access, which may result in those sites not appearing in results.

#### Does this require a login or API key?

No. Sherlock works entirely with publicly accessible information and does not require any authentication or API keys.

#### Can false positives occur?

Yes, occasionally. Some websites may report a username as existing when the page actually shows an error or belongs to a different user. Review the profile links to confirm accuracy.

#### What output formats are available?

Results can be exported as JSON, CSV, Excel (XLSX), HTML, RSS, or XML directly from the Apify platform.

# Actor input Schema

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

List of usernames to search for across social networks. Supports wildcard expansion with {?} (e.g., 'john{?}doe' expands to 'johnadoe', 'johnbdoe', ..., 'john9doe').

## 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("crawlerbros/sherlock-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 = { "usernames": ["johndoe"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlerbros/sherlock-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).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 crawlerbros/sherlock-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/sherlock-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/MRgpMbiExEg0JYmke/builds/dJeaTBV7qGK4elX0C/openapi.json