Scrape data from TikTok

What I mean by scraping TikTok

Scraping TikTok means a bot reads public data off the website into a sheet. The videos under a hashtag or a search, a public profile's name and counts, the caption and stats on a public video. Point it at a hashtag or a list of profiles and it gathers the same fields, so tracking a trend becomes rows instead of endless scrolling.

Public data, and TikTok hunts for bots

TikTok is mobile-first and aggressive about detecting automation, so scraping it is a careful, slow job. Push it and you get blocked. The website also shows less than the app, so a browser scraper reaches what the web exposes, not everything that exists.

So keep it to public data, gathered gently. Public hashtag results, public profiles, public video stats, into a sheet, with real pauses and a stop the moment TikTok pushes back. Private accounts and anything behind a login are not public, and not for scraping. Read what is open to everyone, slowly.

Who this is for

This is for the researcher or marketer tracking public TikTok trends. Mapping what is posted under a hashtag, watching a public creator's output, gathering public stats for analysis. Public data, low volume. If you want private data or scale, this is not the tool. No-coders and coders both, since you can build it without code and drop into code when you want.

How I'd approach it

Pick the hashtag or profiles you want to track. Point the bot at the first page, read the public captions, links, and counts into a sheet, and go slowly with pauses. Watch for a block and back off if you see one. Check the web can show the data, since much of TikTok lives only in the app.

Public fields, slow, stop on a block. I would lay out the first draft with Build with description.

Scrape TikTok from a description

Describe what you want in plain words in the Chrome extension and it builds the steps for you. Give it a few short lines, check what it made, and run it. Explore no-code.

Scrape TikTok in code

Build with code. If you would rather script it yourself, this is the path. Explore code

import { chromium } from "playwright";

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(
  `wss://cdp-lb.axiom.ai/?token=${process.env.AXIOM_API_KEY}`
);

try {
  const context = browser.contexts()[0];
  const page = context.pages()[0] ?? await context.newPage();

  // Public hashtag page, scraped slowly
  await page.goto("https://www.tiktok.com/tag/yourtopic");
  await page.waitForSelector("[data-e2e='challenge-item']");

  const videos = await page.$$eval("[data-e2e='challenge-item']", els =>
    els.map(el => ({
      caption: el.querySelector("[data-e2e='challenge-item-desc']")?.textContent.trim(),
      link:    el.querySelector("a")?.getAttribute("href"),
    }))
  );

  console.log(videos); // public data only, write to your sheet
} finally {
  await browser.close();
}

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Build with a Claude skill

Build no-code or code bots with a skill.

Add the Claude skill and describe the public TikTok data you want. It builds the scraper for you, no-code or code, into a sheet, slowly.

Install the skillLearn more

What can you scrape?

Public data, slow and steady. A couple of lines to stay on the right side of.

What I'd watch out for

TikTok is mobile-first and hunts for bots, so read this one carefully. Here is what I would watch for.

Go slow or get blocked

TikTok detects bursts of activity fast. Space requests out, take a little at a time, and stop at the first block.

Public only

Read public hashtags, profiles, and videos, never private accounts or data behind a login. Respect what is actually public.

The web does less than the app

A browser scraper reaches what the website exposes, which is not everything. Check the web shows the data before you build.

Pick fields reliably

TikTok changes its markup, so pick what you read with the selector tool and recheck after an update.