VS Code Marketplace Scraper

VS Code Marketplace Scraper

Scrape VS Code extensions by keyword, category, or publisher, up to a million per run. Each extension comes with its install count, rating, description, and publisher details. No API key required. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Finding the right VS Code extension means sifting through thousands of listings with no bulk export. This Actor reads the public VS Code Marketplace search and filter pages directly, so you can collect extensions by name, category, or publisher in one dataset. It returns every matching extension in a flat, consistent schema ready for analysis.

Who uses it	What they scrape VS Code Marketplace for
Developer tooling teams	Monitor which extensions their users install alongside their own.
Extension publishers	Track competitor extensions in the same category.
Market researchers	Analyze the most installed extensions in a niche like Data Science or Themes.
DevOps engineers	Audit extensions by a publisher for compliance before allowing them in an organization.

What it does

This Actor collects VS Code Marketplace extensions by search query, category, or publisher and returns each one as a flat row.

• 🔍 Keyword search: find extensions by name, tag, or description text.
• 🗂️ Category filter: restrict results to a single category like Linters, Themes, or Snippets.
• 🏢 Publisher filter: collect every extension from one publisher, e.g. ms-python or GitHub.
• 📊 Sort control: order results by installs, rating, publication date, or update date.

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

What you can do with VS Code Marketplace data

📈 Track category trends.

A market researcher collects the top 500 extensions in the Data Science category sorted by installs to see which tools are gaining adoption this quarter.

🏢 Audit a publisher's catalog.

A platform team scrapes every extension by the 'ms-python' publisher to review descriptions and ratings before approving them for internal use.

🔍 Discover new tools by keyword.

A developer searches for 'copilot' extensions, collects the top 100 by rating, and compares their feature lists to pick the best fit.

📊 Benchmark your own extension.

An extension author scrapes the Formatters category sorted by installs to see where their extension ranks and which competitors sit above them.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	Reads the public marketplace pages with no registration or token.
Fixed schema	Every extension lands as a flat row with the same columns every run.
Bulk exports	Download as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML for your existing toolchain.
Up to 1M rows	Collect a handful of extensions or a full category in one run.

How it compares

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

	VS Code Marketplace Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When VS Code Marketplace 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 from a search query, a category, and a publisher name, alone or together, and filters run as each extension is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

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

A larger pull:

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

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.01867 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$1.87
1,000 results	$18.67
10,000 results	$186.70

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 VS Code Marketplace 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 VS Code Marketplace 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/vs-code-marketplace-scraper"

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

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check that your query, category, or publisher filter is not too narrow. Try a broader keyword or remove one filter. Also confirm the publisher name is spelled exactly as it appears in the marketplace.

The run stopped before reaching my maxItems limit.

The Actor stops when the marketplace returns no more matching extensions. If you set a high maxItems but the category or query has fewer total extensions, the run ends early. Try broadening your filters.

Some extensions are missing from the results.

The VS Code Marketplace search may not return every extension for a given query, especially if the sort order changes. Try sorting by installs or alphabetical to get a consistent list, or use a publisher filter for a complete catalog.

The run is taking too long.

Lower your maxItems value or narrow your filters. Collecting hundreds of thousands of extensions will take time because the Actor paginates through results respectfully.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Do I need a Microsoft account or API key?	No. This Actor reads the public VS Code Marketplace web pages and requires no login, token, or registration.
Can I scrape all extensions in a category?	Yes. Set the category filter and a high maxItems value. The Actor will paginate through results until it hits your limit or exhausts the category.
What fields does each extension row include?	Each row includes the extension name, publisher, description, install count, rating, review count, last update date, and more. The exact field list is shown in the sample output on the Actor's page.
How do I search for an exact extension name?	Enter the name in the query field. The VS Code Marketplace search matches against extension names, tags, and descriptions, so a precise name will surface it at the top.
Can I combine a search query with a category filter?	Yes. You can set a keyword query and a category at the same time. The Actor applies both filters so you get extensions that match the keyword inside that category.
What sort orders are available?	You can sort by installs (popularity), average rating, recently published date, recently updated date, or alphabetically by extension name.
How many extensions can I collect in one run?	You can set maxItems up to 1,000,000. The Actor stops when it reaches that count or when no more results match your filters.
Can I get the extension's full README or changelog?	This Actor collects the search listing data. It does not fetch the full extension detail page, README, or changelog.
Is this faster than the VS Code Marketplace API?	The official API has rate limits and requires a token. This Actor reads the public pages directly and can run at a steady pace without hitting API quotas.
What export formats do you support?	You can export your dataset as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify platform after the run finishes.

Related actors

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 Microsoft Corporation. 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.