Trend Analysis

Discover and track emerging trends using Apify Actors to extract data from multiple platforms.

Prerequisites

(No need to check it upfront)

• .env file with APIFY_TOKEN
• Node.js 20.6+ (for native --env-file support)
• mcpc CLI tool: npm install -g @apify/mcpc

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Task Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Identify trend type (select Actor)
- [ ] Step 2: Fetch Actor schema via mcpc
- [ ] Step 3: Ask user preferences (format, filename)
- [ ] Step 4: Run the analysis script
- [ ] Step 5: Summarize findings

Step 1: Identify Trend Type

Select the appropriate Actor based on research needs:

User Need	Actor ID	Best For
Search trends	apify/google-trends-scraper	Google Trends data
Hashtag tracking	apify/instagram-hashtag-scraper	Hashtag content
Hashtag metrics	apify/instagram-hashtag-stats	Performance stats
Visual trends	apify/instagram-post-scraper	Post analysis
Trending discovery	apify/instagram-search-scraper	Search trends
Comprehensive tracking	apify/instagram-scraper	Full data
API-based trends	apify/instagram-api-scraper	API access
Engagement trends	apify/export-instagram-comments-posts	Comment tracking
Product trends	apify/facebook-marketplace-scraper	Marketplace data
Visual analysis	apify/facebook-photos-scraper	Photo trends
Community trends	apify/facebook-groups-scraper	Group monitoring
YouTube Shorts	streamers/youtube-shorts-scraper	Short-form trends
YouTube hashtags	streamers/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag	Hashtag videos
TikTok hashtags	clockworks/tiktok-hashtag-scraper	Hashtag content
Trending sounds	clockworks/tiktok-sound-scraper	Audio trends
TikTok ads	clockworks/tiktok-ads-scraper	Ad trends
Discover page	clockworks/tiktok-discover-scraper	Discover trends
Explore trends	clockworks/tiktok-explore-scraper	Explore content
Trending content	clockworks/tiktok-trends-scraper	Viral content

Step 2: Fetch Actor Schema

Fetch the Actor's input schema and details dynamically using mcpc:

export $(grep APIFY_TOKEN .env | xargs) && mcpc --json mcp.apify.com --header "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" tools-call fetch-actor-details actor:="ACTOR_ID" | jq -r ".content"

Replace ACTOR_ID with the selected Actor (e.g., apify/google-trends-scraper).

This returns:

• Actor description and README
• Required and optional input parameters
• Output fields (if available)

Step 3: Ask User Preferences

Before running, ask:

1. Output format:
   • Quick answer - Display top few results in chat (no file saved)
   • CSV - Full export with all fields
   • JSON - Full export in JSON format
2. Number of results: Based on character of use case

Step 4: Run the Script

Quick answer (display in chat, no file):

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT'

CSV:

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.csv \
  --format csv

JSON:

node --env-file=.env ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "ACTOR_ID" \
  --input 'JSON_INPUT' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_OUTPUT_FILE.json \
  --format json

Step 5: Summarize Findings

After completion, report:

• Number of results found
• File location and name
• Key trend insights
• Suggested next steps (deeper analysis, content opportunities)

Error Handling

APIFY_TOKEN not found - Ask user to create .env with APIFY_TOKEN=your_token mcpc not found - Ask user to install npm install -g @apify/mcpc Actor not found - Check Actor ID spelling Run FAILED - Ask user to check Apify console link in error output Timeout - Reduce input size or increase --timeout

When to Use

Use this skill when tackling tasks related to its primary domain or functionality as described above.