{ "data": { "id": "UaThvrincu7zNKHUy", "actId": "iUDQnZLC66Ye2jePm", "userId": "IYgBDiXtHOijAaUel", "startedAt": "2026-10-26T16:19:18.401Z", "finishedAt": "2026-10-26T16:19:30.635Z", "status": "SUCCEEDED", "meta": { "origin": "CLI" }, "stats": { "durationMillis": 12125, "runTimeSecs": 12.125, "computeUnits": 0.013472222222222222, "imageSizeBytes": 371033088 }, "options": { "useCache": true, "betaPackages": false, "memoryMbytes": 4096, "diskMbytes": 8192 }, "createdByOrganizationMemberUserId": "QYo53EZkJk0prePWY", "exitCode": 0, "inputSchema": "{\n \"title\": \"YouTube Email Scraper Input\",\n \"description\": \"Find publicly listed contact emails for YouTube channels and creators.\",\n \"type\": \"object\",\n \"schemaVersion\": 1,\n \"properties\": {\n \"mode\": {\n \"title\": \"Mode\",\n \"type\": \"string\",\n \"description\": \"Choose whether to scrape the channels you provide or discover channels from search queries.\",\n \"editor\": \"select\",\n \"enum\": [\n \"channels\",\n \"search\"\n ],\n \"enumTitles\": [\n \"Paste channels\",\n \"Search YouTube\"\n ],\n \"default\": \"channels\",\n \"prefill\": \"channels\"\n },\n \"channels\": {\n \"title\": \"Channels\",\n \"type\": \"array\",\n \"description\": \"YouTube channel URLs, @handles, UC... channel IDs, or video URLs (mode=channels). Video URLs resolve to their channel.\",\n \"editor\": \"stringList\",\n \"prefill\": [\n \"@mkbhd\",\n \"@LinusTechTips\"\n ]\n },\n \"searchQueries\": {\n \"title\": \"Search queries\",\n \"type\": \"array\",\n \"description\": \"Keywords used to discover channels through YouTube search (mode=search). Each query returns up to about 20 channels; duplicates and maxChannels are applied across queries.\",\n \"editor\": \"stringList\"\n },\n \"maxChannels\": {\n \"title\": \"Max channels\",\n \"type\": \"integer\",\n \"description\": \"Maximum number of unique channels processed per run, across both modes.\",\n \"default\": 100,\n \"prefill\": 2,\n \"minimum\": 1,\n \"maximum\": 500\n },\n \"includeWebsite\": {\n \"title\": \"Scan linked websites and link hubs\",\n \"type\": \"boolean\",\n \"description\": \"Visit up to two linked websites (home, contact/about pages and common paths) and one link-in-bio hub per channel.\",\n \"default\": true,\n \"prefill\": true\n },\n \"includeVideoDescriptions\": {\n \"title\": \"Scan recent video descriptions\",\n \"type\": \"boolean\",\n \"description\": \"Read the descriptions of the latest five videos on each channel.\",\n \"default\": true,\n \"prefill\": true\n },\n \"onlyWithEmail\": {\n \"title\": \"Only channels with a public email\",\n \"type\": \"boolean\",\n \"description\": \"When enabled, channels with no public email are left out of the dataset. Error records are still reported.\",\n \"default\": false,\n \"prefill\": false\n },\n \"emailDomains\": {\n \"title\": \"Email domain allowlist\",\n \"type\": \"array\",\n \"description\": \"Optional list of domains to keep, for example brand.com or gmail.com. Leave empty to keep every discovered email.\",\n \"editor\": \"stringList\"\n },\n \"maxEmailsPerChannel\": {\n \"title\": \"Max emails per channel\",\n \"type\": \"integer\",\n \"description\": \"Upper bound on the emails returned for each channel. The highest-value public contact is chosen as primaryEmail.\",\n \"default\": 5,\n \"prefill\": 5,\n \"minimum\": 1,\n \"maximum\": 20\n },\n \"proxyConfiguration\": {\n \"title\": \"Proxy configuration\",\n \"type\": \"object\",\n \"description\": \"Optional. The actor works without a proxy; set this only when your runs need a specific Apify Proxy connection.\",\n \"editor\": \"proxy\"\n }\n },\n \"required\": [\n \"mode\"\n ]\n}", "readme": "# YouTube Channel Contact Email Finder\n\nBuild a public contact list from YouTube channels: channel metadata, linked websites and socials, and every public email address found across the channel description, linked site, recent videos, and link-in-bio pages. Start from channel URLs or let keyword search discover creators.\n\nNo login, cookies, API key, or CAPTCHA solving required.\n\n## What this actor does\n\n- Accepts channel URLs, `@handles`, `UC...` channel IDs, and video URLs (the channel is resolved from the video).\n- Discovers channels from one or more keyword searches (about 20 channels per query).\n- Reads the About page through `ytInitialData.aboutChannelViewModel`: name, handle, channel ID, subscriber count, country, description, and links.\n- Unwraps YouTube's `/redirect?q=...` link wrapper, so you get the real website and social URLs.\n- Runs a bounded email cascade:\n 1. channel About description;\n 2. up to two linked websites (home, contact/about pages, and common paths such as `/contact` and `/about`);\n 3. the latest five video descriptions;\n 4. one linked link-in-bio hub (Linktree, Beacons, and similar).\n- Deduplicates emails, filters placeholder/asset/no-reply noise, ranks role mailboxes, and returns the best address as `primaryEmail`.\n- Flags channels that have a native YouTube business email behind the sign-in wall with `hasHiddenEmail: true`. The gated address itself is never claimed or guessed.\n- Omits empty fields from every record.\n\n## Input\n\n| Field | Type | Default | Description |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| `mode` | select | `channels` | `channels` scrapes the list you provide; `search` discovers channels from `searchQueries`. |\n| `channels` | array | – | Channel URLs, `@handles`, `UC...` IDs, or video URLs (mode=channels). |\n| `searchQueries` | array | – | Keywords for channel discovery (mode=search). Each query yields about 20 channels. |\n| `maxChannels` | integer | `100` | Maximum unique channels per run, 1–500. |\n| `includeWebsite` | boolean | `true` | Scan up to two linked websites and one link-in-bio hub per channel. |\n| `includeVideoDescriptions` | boolean | `true` | Read descriptions of the latest five videos per channel. |\n| `onlyWithEmail` | boolean | `false` | Drop channel records that have no public email. Error records are still reported. |\n| `emailDomains` | array | – | Optional allowlist such as `[\"brand.com\", \"gmail.com\"]`. Matching is case-insensitive and includes subdomains. |\n| `maxEmailsPerChannel` | integer | `5` | Cap after ranking, 1–20. |\n| `proxyConfiguration` | object | – | Optional Apify Proxy override. The actor works without a proxy. |\n\n### Example: channels\n\n```json\n{\n \"mode\": \"channels\",\n \"channels\": [\n \"@mkbhd\",\n \"@LinusTechTips\",\n \"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ\",\n \"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN953UW8iJ8\"\n ],\n \"maxChannels\": 10,\n \"includeWebsite\": true,\n \"includeVideoDescriptions\": true,\n \"onlyWithEmail\": false,\n \"maxEmailsPerChannel\": 5\n}\n```\n\n### Example: keyword search\n\n```json\n{\n \"mode\": \"search\",\n \"searchQueries\": [\"home espresso\", \"personal finance\"],\n \"maxChannels\": 30,\n \"includeWebsite\": true,\n \"includeVideoDescriptions\": true,\n \"onlyWithEmail\": true,\n \"emailDomains\": [\"gmail.com\", \"outlook.com\"]\n}\n```\n\n## Output\n\nOne record per channel. Fields with no value are omitted.\n\n```json\n{\n \"recordType\": \"channel\",\n \"channelId\": \"UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ\",\n \"handle\": \"@mkbhd\",\n \"name\": \"Marques Brownlee\",\n \"url\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd\",\n \"subscriberCount\": 21400000,\n \"country\": \"United States\",\n \"description\": \"MKBHD: Quality Tech Videos... business@MKBHD.com\",\n \"links\": [\n {\"title\": \"Twitter\", \"url\": \"https://twitter.com/MKBHD\", \"type\": \"social\"},\n {\"title\": \"Instagram\", \"url\": \"https://instagram.com/MKBHD\", \"type\": \"social\"}\n ],\n \"socials\": {\n \"x\": \"https://twitter.com/MKBHD\",\n \"instagram\": \"https://instagram.com/MKBHD\"\n },\n \"emails\": [\n {\n \"email\": \"business@mkbhd.com\",\n \"source\": \"channel_description\",\n \"sourceUrl\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd/about\"\n }\n ],\n \"primaryEmail\": \"business@mkbhd.com\",\n \"emailSource\": \"channel_description\",\n \"hasHiddenEmail\": true,\n \"sourceUrl\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd/about\",\n \"scrapedAt\": \"2026-10-26T12:00:00+00:00\"\n}\n```\n\n**Field notes**\n\n- `recordType` – `channel` for a contact record, `error` for a failed input/search.\n- `channelId` / `handle` / `name` / `url` – stable channel identity. `url` is the canonical channel URL.\n- `subscriberCount` – expanded from YouTube's displayed label (`21.4M` becomes `21400000`; approximate for large channels).\n- `country` – the country shown in the About panel.\n- `description` – the full About description.\n- `links` – every external link with a title, absolute URL, and `type` (`website`, `social`, or `link_hub`).\n- `socials` – one URL per recognised platform (`x`, `instagram`, `tiktok`, `facebook`, `linkedin`, `discord`, `twitch`, `patreon`, `telegram`, `threads`, `spotify`, `github`, and more).\n- `websiteCandidate` – the first non-social, non-hub linked website.\n- `emails` – deduplicated and ranked email objects. `source` tells you where the address came from; `sourceUrl` points at the exact page.\n- `primaryEmail` / `emailSource` – the highest-value public address and its source.\n- `hasHiddenEmail` – `true` when the About page shows YouTube's `Sign in to see email address` gate. The actor cannot read that address without login, so it does not pretend to.\n- `sourceUrl` / `scrapedAt` – canonical About page and UTC timestamp.\n\n**Email sources**\n\n| `source` | Where the address was found |\n| --- | --- |\n| `channel_description` | The channel's About description. |\n| `website` | A linked website page (home, contact/about page, or common path). |\n| `video_description` | One of the latest five video descriptions. |\n| `link_hub` | A Linktree/Beacons-style link-in-bio page. |\n\n### Error record\n\n```json\n{\n \"recordType\": \"error\",\n \"reason\": \"not_found\",\n \"message\": \"Channel page returned 404.\",\n \"input\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@missing-handle\",\n \"sourceUrl\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@missing-handle/about\",\n \"scrapedAt\": \"2026-10-26T12:00:00+00:00\"\n}\n```\n\n`reason` is one of: `invalid_input`, `invalid_url`, `not_found`, `fetch_failed`, `blocked`, `rate_limited`, `parse_failed`, `channel_unavailable`, `video_resolve_failed`, or `scrape_error`. If every channel fails, the run fails loudly instead of silently returning an empty dataset.\n\n## How the email cascade works\n\n1. **Channel description first.** This is the creator-authored text on the About page and the highest-signal source.\n2. **Linked websites next.** For up to two non-social websites, the actor reads the home page, selected contact/about links, and common paths (`/contact`, `/contact-us`, `/about`, `/about-us`, `/impressum`, `/support`, `/press`). Website emails must share the site's registrable domain, which removes support addresses from embedded vendors and analytics scripts.\n3. **Recent video descriptions.** The latest five videos are read from the channel's Videos tab. This catches creators who put business contacts in every upload description.\n4. **One link hub.** Linktree, Beacons, and similar pages are read for public addresses.\n\nAll hits are deduplicated. The primary email favours role mailboxes such as `business@`, `partnerships@`, `contact@`, and `press@`, with the source order above as the next tie-breaker. `maxEmailsPerChannel` caps the ranked list.\n\n## Limits and honest limitations\n\n- **The native YouTube business email is login-gated.** The About page exposes only a sign-in prompt; the address is not in the HTML. This actor reports `hasHiddenEmail` and never claims the gated value. Treat `hasHiddenEmail: true` plus no `emails` as a real lead that needs manual or logged-in follow-up.\n- **Public coverage is not 100%.** Many creators publish no public address anywhere the actor can read. Coverage is higher for large brands and creators who link a website.\n- **Website crawling is bounded.** Two sites × up to five pages, plus one link hub and five videos per channel. This keeps runs affordable and predictable.\n- **Search returns about 20 channels per query.** Add more queries to widen discovery; `maxChannels` is the hard ceiling.\n- **TikTok bios are not a core source.** Anonymous TikTok pages are frequently replaced by a challenge page. Instagram/TikTok links are still returned in `links` and `socials`, but the email cascade focuses on sources that are reliably public.\n- **Subscriber counts are rounded** to YouTube's public display value.\n- **Countries can be missing** for some brand or very small channels; the field is omitted rather than guessed.\n- **Websites that expose contact only through a form** cannot yield an email.\n\n## FAQ\n\n**Does this actor bypass CAPTCHAs or log in to YouTube?**\nNo. It reads public pages anonymously. When a page is blocked or challenged, that channel gets a clear error record and the run continues.\n\n**Why is `hasHiddenEmail` true but `primaryEmail` missing?**\nYouTube only shows the native business address to signed-in users. The flag means the address exists, but it is not public. The actor does not invent or scrape it.\n\n**Are emails validated or checked for deliverability?**\nNo. The actor reports addresses exactly as published, with provenance. Validate with your own email-verification step before outreach.\n\n**What happens to duplicate channels or emails?**\nDuplicate channels (by ID/URL) are processed once. Duplicate emails are merged, keeping the first/highest-priority source.\n\n**Can I restrict results to one domain?**\nYes. Use `emailDomains`, for example `[\"gmail.com\"]` or `[\"brand.com\"]`. Subdomains are included.\n\n**What if a channel has no email?**\nThe channel record is still returned with metadata (unless `onlyWithEmail` is on). This is useful for spotting channels that have a hidden gate.\n\n**Is this affiliated with YouTube?**\nNo. This is an independent third-party tool that reads publicly available pages. You are responsible for complying with YouTube's terms and applicable outreach/privacy laws.\n", "actorDefinition": { "actorSpecification": 1, "name": "youtube-channel-contact-email-finder", "title": "YouTube Channel Contact Email Finder", "description": "Find publicly listed contact emails for YouTube channels by scanning About pages, linked websites, recent video descriptions, and link hubs. Supports channel URLs, @handles, channel IDs, video URLs, and keyword search. No login or API key needed.", "version": "2.0", "buildTag": "latest", "input": { "title": "YouTube Email Scraper Input", "description": "Find publicly listed contact emails for YouTube channels and creators.", "type": "object", "schemaVersion": 1, "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "type": "string", "description": "Choose whether to scrape the channels you provide or discover channels from search queries.", "editor": "select", "enum": [ "channels", "search" ], "enumTitles": [ "Paste channels", "Search YouTube" ], "default": "channels", "prefill": "channels" }, "channels": { "title": "Channels", "type": "array", "description": "YouTube channel URLs, @handles, UC... channel IDs, or video URLs (mode=channels). Video URLs resolve to their channel.", "editor": "stringList", "prefill": [ "@mkbhd", "@LinusTechTips" ] }, "searchQueries": { "title": "Search queries", "type": "array", "description": "Keywords used to discover channels through YouTube search (mode=search). Each query returns up to about 20 channels; duplicates and maxChannels are applied across queries.", "editor": "stringList" }, "maxChannels": { "title": "Max channels", "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of unique channels processed per run, across both modes.", "default": 100, "prefill": 2, "minimum": 1, "maximum": 500 }, "includeWebsite": { "title": "Scan linked websites and link hubs", "type": "boolean", "description": "Visit up to two linked websites (home, contact/about pages and common paths) and one link-in-bio hub per channel.", "default": true, "prefill": true }, "includeVideoDescriptions": { "title": "Scan recent video descriptions", "type": "boolean", "description": "Read the descriptions of the latest five videos on each channel.", "default": true, "prefill": true }, "onlyWithEmail": { "title": "Only channels with a public email", "type": "boolean", "description": "When enabled, channels with no public email are left out of the dataset. Error records are still reported.", "default": false, "prefill": false }, "emailDomains": { "title": "Email domain allowlist", "type": "array", "description": "Optional list of domains to keep, for example brand.com or gmail.com. Leave empty to keep every discovered email.", "editor": "stringList" }, "maxEmailsPerChannel": { "title": "Max emails per channel", "type": "integer", "description": "Upper bound on the emails returned for each channel. The highest-value public contact is chosen as primaryEmail.", "default": 5, "prefill": 5, "minimum": 1, "maximum": 20 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Optional. The actor works without a proxy; set this only when your runs need a specific Apify Proxy connection.", "editor": "proxy" } }, "required": [ "mode" ] }, "output": { "actorOutputSchemaVersion": 1, "title": "YouTube Channel Contact Email Finder Output", "description": "Dataset of YouTube channel contact records with channel metadata, public emails and their sources, links, socials, and hidden-email flags.", "properties": { "channels": { "type": "string", "title": "YouTube channel contacts", "description": "Dataset containing all scraped YouTube channel contact records.", "template": "{{links.apiDefaultDatasetUrl}}/items" } } }, "storages": { "dataset": { "actorSpecification": 1, "views": { "overview": { "title": "Overview", "description": "Channel metadata and public contact emails, with provenance.", "transformation": { "fields": [ "channelId", "handle", "name", "url", "subscriberCount", "country", "primaryEmail", "emailSource", "emails", "hasHiddenEmail", "websiteCandidate", "links", "socials", "sourceUrl", "scrapedAt", "recordType" ] }, "display": { "component": "table", "properties": { "channelId": { "label": "Channel ID" }, "handle": { "label": "Handle" }, "name": { "label": "Channel name" }, "url": { "label": "Channel URL", "format": "link" }, "subscriberCount": { "label": "Subscribers", "format": "number" }, "country": { "label": "Country" }, "primaryEmail": { "label": "Primary email" }, "emailSource": { "label": "Email source" }, "emails": { "label": "All emails", "format": "array" }, "hasHiddenEmail": { "label": "Hidden email gate", "format": "boolean" }, "websiteCandidate": { "label": "Website", "format": "link" }, "links": { "label": "Links", "format": "array" }, "socials": { "label": "Socials", "format": "object" }, "sourceUrl": { "label": "About page", "format": "link" }, "scrapedAt": { "label": "Scraped at", "format": "date" }, "recordType": { "label": "Record type" } } } } } } }, "readme": "# YouTube Channel Contact Email Finder\n\nBuild a public contact list from YouTube channels: channel metadata, linked websites and socials, and every public email address found across the channel description, linked site, recent videos, and link-in-bio pages. Start from channel URLs or let keyword search discover creators.\n\nNo login, cookies, API key, or CAPTCHA solving required.\n\n## What this actor does\n\n- Accepts channel URLs, `@handles`, `UC...` channel IDs, and video URLs (the channel is resolved from the video).\n- Discovers channels from one or more keyword searches (about 20 channels per query).\n- Reads the About page through `ytInitialData.aboutChannelViewModel`: name, handle, channel ID, subscriber count, country, description, and links.\n- Unwraps YouTube's `/redirect?q=...` link wrapper, so you get the real website and social URLs.\n- Runs a bounded email cascade:\n 1. channel About description;\n 2. up to two linked websites (home, contact/about pages, and common paths such as `/contact` and `/about`);\n 3. the latest five video descriptions;\n 4. one linked link-in-bio hub (Linktree, Beacons, and similar).\n- Deduplicates emails, filters placeholder/asset/no-reply noise, ranks role mailboxes, and returns the best address as `primaryEmail`.\n- Flags channels that have a native YouTube business email behind the sign-in wall with `hasHiddenEmail: true`. The gated address itself is never claimed or guessed.\n- Omits empty fields from every record.\n\n## Input\n\n| Field | Type | Default | Description |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| `mode` | select | `channels` | `channels` scrapes the list you provide; `search` discovers channels from `searchQueries`. |\n| `channels` | array | – | Channel URLs, `@handles`, `UC...` IDs, or video URLs (mode=channels). |\n| `searchQueries` | array | – | Keywords for channel discovery (mode=search). Each query yields about 20 channels. |\n| `maxChannels` | integer | `100` | Maximum unique channels per run, 1–500. |\n| `includeWebsite` | boolean | `true` | Scan up to two linked websites and one link-in-bio hub per channel. |\n| `includeVideoDescriptions` | boolean | `true` | Read descriptions of the latest five videos per channel. |\n| `onlyWithEmail` | boolean | `false` | Drop channel records that have no public email. Error records are still reported. |\n| `emailDomains` | array | – | Optional allowlist such as `[\"brand.com\", \"gmail.com\"]`. Matching is case-insensitive and includes subdomains. |\n| `maxEmailsPerChannel` | integer | `5` | Cap after ranking, 1–20. |\n| `proxyConfiguration` | object | – | Optional Apify Proxy override. The actor works without a proxy. |\n\n### Example: channels\n\n```json\n{\n \"mode\": \"channels\",\n \"channels\": [\n \"@mkbhd\",\n \"@LinusTechTips\",\n \"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ\",\n \"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN953UW8iJ8\"\n ],\n \"maxChannels\": 10,\n \"includeWebsite\": true,\n \"includeVideoDescriptions\": true,\n \"onlyWithEmail\": false,\n \"maxEmailsPerChannel\": 5\n}\n```\n\n### Example: keyword search\n\n```json\n{\n \"mode\": \"search\",\n \"searchQueries\": [\"home espresso\", \"personal finance\"],\n \"maxChannels\": 30,\n \"includeWebsite\": true,\n \"includeVideoDescriptions\": true,\n \"onlyWithEmail\": true,\n \"emailDomains\": [\"gmail.com\", \"outlook.com\"]\n}\n```\n\n## Output\n\nOne record per channel. Fields with no value are omitted.\n\n```json\n{\n \"recordType\": \"channel\",\n \"channelId\": \"UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ\",\n \"handle\": \"@mkbhd\",\n \"name\": \"Marques Brownlee\",\n \"url\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd\",\n \"subscriberCount\": 21400000,\n \"country\": \"United States\",\n \"description\": \"MKBHD: Quality Tech Videos... business@MKBHD.com\",\n \"links\": [\n {\"title\": \"Twitter\", \"url\": \"https://twitter.com/MKBHD\", \"type\": \"social\"},\n {\"title\": \"Instagram\", \"url\": \"https://instagram.com/MKBHD\", \"type\": \"social\"}\n ],\n \"socials\": {\n \"x\": \"https://twitter.com/MKBHD\",\n \"instagram\": \"https://instagram.com/MKBHD\"\n },\n \"emails\": [\n {\n \"email\": \"business@mkbhd.com\",\n \"source\": \"channel_description\",\n \"sourceUrl\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd/about\"\n }\n ],\n \"primaryEmail\": \"business@mkbhd.com\",\n \"emailSource\": \"channel_description\",\n \"hasHiddenEmail\": true,\n \"sourceUrl\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd/about\",\n \"scrapedAt\": \"2026-10-26T12:00:00+00:00\"\n}\n```\n\n**Field notes**\n\n- `recordType` – `channel` for a contact record, `error` for a failed input/search.\n- `channelId` / `handle` / `name` / `url` – stable channel identity. `url` is the canonical channel URL.\n- `subscriberCount` – expanded from YouTube's displayed label (`21.4M` becomes `21400000`; approximate for large channels).\n- `country` – the country shown in the About panel.\n- `description` – the full About description.\n- `links` – every external link with a title, absolute URL, and `type` (`website`, `social`, or `link_hub`).\n- `socials` – one URL per recognised platform (`x`, `instagram`, `tiktok`, `facebook`, `linkedin`, `discord`, `twitch`, `patreon`, `telegram`, `threads`, `spotify`, `github`, and more).\n- `websiteCandidate` – the first non-social, non-hub linked website.\n- `emails` – deduplicated and ranked email objects. `source` tells you where the address came from; `sourceUrl` points at the exact page.\n- `primaryEmail` / `emailSource` – the highest-value public address and its source.\n- `hasHiddenEmail` – `true` when the About page shows YouTube's `Sign in to see email address` gate. The actor cannot read that address without login, so it does not pretend to.\n- `sourceUrl` / `scrapedAt` – canonical About page and UTC timestamp.\n\n**Email sources**\n\n| `source` | Where the address was found |\n| --- | --- |\n| `channel_description` | The channel's About description. |\n| `website` | A linked website page (home, contact/about page, or common path). |\n| `video_description` | One of the latest five video descriptions. |\n| `link_hub` | A Linktree/Beacons-style link-in-bio page. |\n\n### Error record\n\n```json\n{\n \"recordType\": \"error\",\n \"reason\": \"not_found\",\n \"message\": \"Channel page returned 404.\",\n \"input\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@missing-handle\",\n \"sourceUrl\": \"https://www.youtube.com/@missing-handle/about\",\n \"scrapedAt\": \"2026-10-26T12:00:00+00:00\"\n}\n```\n\n`reason` is one of: `invalid_input`, `invalid_url`, `not_found`, `fetch_failed`, `blocked`, `rate_limited`, `parse_failed`, `channel_unavailable`, `video_resolve_failed`, or `scrape_error`. If every channel fails, the run fails loudly instead of silently returning an empty dataset.\n\n## How the email cascade works\n\n1. **Channel description first.** This is the creator-authored text on the About page and the highest-signal source.\n2. **Linked websites next.** For up to two non-social websites, the actor reads the home page, selected contact/about links, and common paths (`/contact`, `/contact-us`, `/about`, `/about-us`, `/impressum`, `/support`, `/press`). Website emails must share the site's registrable domain, which removes support addresses from embedded vendors and analytics scripts.\n3. **Recent video descriptions.** The latest five videos are read from the channel's Videos tab. This catches creators who put business contacts in every upload description.\n4. **One link hub.** Linktree, Beacons, and similar pages are read for public addresses.\n\nAll hits are deduplicated. The primary email favours role mailboxes such as `business@`, `partnerships@`, `contact@`, and `press@`, with the source order above as the next tie-breaker. `maxEmailsPerChannel` caps the ranked list.\n\n## Limits and honest limitations\n\n- **The native YouTube business email is login-gated.** The About page exposes only a sign-in prompt; the address is not in the HTML. This actor reports `hasHiddenEmail` and never claims the gated value. Treat `hasHiddenEmail: true` plus no `emails` as a real lead that needs manual or logged-in follow-up.\n- **Public coverage is not 100%.** Many creators publish no public address anywhere the actor can read. Coverage is higher for large brands and creators who link a website.\n- **Website crawling is bounded.** Two sites × up to five pages, plus one link hub and five videos per channel. This keeps runs affordable and predictable.\n- **Search returns about 20 channels per query.** Add more queries to widen discovery; `maxChannels` is the hard ceiling.\n- **TikTok bios are not a core source.** Anonymous TikTok pages are frequently replaced by a challenge page. Instagram/TikTok links are still returned in `links` and `socials`, but the email cascade focuses on sources that are reliably public.\n- **Subscriber counts are rounded** to YouTube's public display value.\n- **Countries can be missing** for some brand or very small channels; the field is omitted rather than guessed.\n- **Websites that expose contact only through a form** cannot yield an email.\n\n## FAQ\n\n**Does this actor bypass CAPTCHAs or log in to YouTube?**\nNo. It reads public pages anonymously. When a page is blocked or challenged, that channel gets a clear error record and the run continues.\n\n**Why is `hasHiddenEmail` true but `primaryEmail` missing?**\nYouTube only shows the native business address to signed-in users. The flag means the address exists, but it is not public. The actor does not invent or scrape it.\n\n**Are emails validated or checked for deliverability?**\nNo. The actor reports addresses exactly as published, with provenance. Validate with your own email-verification step before outreach.\n\n**What happens to duplicate channels or emails?**\nDuplicate channels (by ID/URL) are processed once. Duplicate emails are merged, keeping the first/highest-priority source.\n\n**Can I restrict results to one domain?**\nYes. Use `emailDomains`, for example `[\"gmail.com\"]` or `[\"brand.com\"]`. Subdomains are included.\n\n**What if a channel has no email?**\nThe channel record is still returned with metadata (unless `onlyWithEmail` is on). This is useful for spotting channels that have a hidden gate.\n\n**Is this affiliated with YouTube?**\nNo. This is an independent third-party tool that reads publicly available pages. You are responsible for complying with YouTube's terms and applicable outreach/privacy laws.\n" }, "buildNumber": "2.0.1", "imageDigest": "34cff38f402ada8bb39a1becc3f1672c6a99f69601119810eb88bb892712099f", "actVersion": { "sourceType": "SOURCE_FILES", "buildTag": "latest", "versionNumber": "2.0" }, "usage": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": 0.013472222222222222 } } }