IntAct Molecular Interactions Scraper

IntAct Molecular Interactions Scraper

Scrape molecular interaction data from IntAct by query, up to a million records per run. Every interaction comes with its participants, detection method, interaction type, and source database. No API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

IntAct's official API requires learning PSICQUIC and dealing with rate limits. This reads the public molecular interaction database directly, filtered by your search term, and returns each match in one fixed schema. Get protein-protein, protein-DNA, and other molecular interactions without writing a single line of code.

Who uses it	What they scrape IntAct for
Bioinformaticians	Building interaction networks for a protein of interest
Drug discovery researchers	Finding all known binding partners of a target
Systems biologists	Assembling pathway maps from interaction data
Data journalists	Investigating relationships between genes and diseases

What it does

This Actor collects molecular interactions from IntAct by search query and returns each one as a flat row.

• 🔍 Search by query: enter a gene name, protein ID, or use * to fetch all interactions.
• 📊 Flat row output: each interaction is one row with participants, method, type, and source.
• 📁 Multiple export formats: download as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.
• ⚡ Up to a million records: set maxItems to collect large datasets in one run.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with IntAct data

🧬 Build a protein interaction network.

A bioinformatician queries IntAct for brca1 and exports all interactions to CSV for import into Cytoscape.

💊 Find drug targets.

A researcher searches for p53 and filters interactions by detection method to identify high-confidence binding partners.

📈 Track interaction data over time.

A systems biologist runs the Actor weekly with * to collect all new interactions and monitor database growth.

🔎 Investigate gene-disease links.

A data journalist queries a disease-associated gene and cross-references interaction partners with public health data.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	Start scraping immediately without registration or authentication.
Fixed schema	Every interaction returns the same fields, so downstream analysis is predictable.
Large volume	Collect up to 1,000,000 interactions in a single run.
Flexible query	Search by gene name, protein ID, or use * to get everything.

How it compares

No other Store actor targets IntAct the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	IntAct Molecular Interactions Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When IntAct changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Drive the Actor with a free-text query like brca1 or p53, and set the maximum number of interactions to collect per run. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
 "maxItems": 10,
 "query": "brca1"
}

A larger pull:

{
 "maxItems": 200,
 "query": "brca1"
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.0085 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$0.85
1,000 results	$8.50
10,000 results	$85.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the IntAct Molecular Interactions Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to IntAct through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/intact-interactions-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Your query may be too specific or misspelled. Try a known gene name like brca1 or use * to fetch all interactions. If * returns nothing, the database may be temporarily unavailable.

Why is my run slow?

Large maxItems values take longer. Reduce maxItems or narrow your query to a specific gene or protein.

Why are some fields empty?

Not all interactions have every field populated. IntAct records vary in completeness depending on the source.

Can I get more than 1,000,000 interactions?

The maximum is 1,000,000 per run. If you need more, split your query into smaller chunks or run multiple times with different filters.

FAQ

Question	Answer
What is IntAct?	IntAct is a public molecular interaction database maintained by EMBL-EBI. It contains protein-protein, protein-DNA, and other molecular interactions from curated literature and direct submissions.
Do I need an API key?	No. This Actor accesses the public IntAct database directly without authentication.
What query should I use?	Use a gene name like brca1, a protein ID like P04637, or * to fetch all interactions. The query is forwarded to IntAct's search.
How many interactions can I get?	You can set maxItems up to 1,000,000. The actual number returned depends on how many match your query.
What format is the output?	Each interaction is a flat row with fields like participants, detection method, interaction type, and source database. You can export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.
Can I filter by interaction type?	The input schema only supports a free-text query and maxItems. For advanced filtering, include terms in your query or post-process the output.
Is this the same as the IntAct API?	It returns the same underlying data but without requiring you to write code or handle API rate limits.
How often is the data updated?	The Actor reads live data from IntAct on each run, so you always get the latest interactions.
Can I run this on a schedule?	Yes, you can schedule the Actor to run daily, weekly, or at any interval to keep your dataset current.
What if I get no results?	Check your query spelling. Try a broader term or use * to see if the database returns anything at all.

Related actors

• uniprot-scraper: Use this to get detailed protein annotations for the participants in your interactions.

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by EMBL-EBI. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.