apify-local-dev-loop

name	apify-local-dev-loop
description	Set up local Apify Actor development with the Apify CLI and Crawlee. Use when creating Actors locally, testing with the apify run command, inspecting local storage, or establishing a fast develop-test-deploy cycle before pushing to the platform. Trigger with "apify dev setup", "apify local development", "develop actor locally", "apify run local".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash(npm:*), Bash(npx:*), Bash(apify:*)
version	1.5.0
license	MIT
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>
tags	["saas","scraping","automation","apify"]
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code

Apify Local Dev Loop

Overview

Build and test Apify Actors on your local machine before deploying to the platform. The Apify CLI (apify run) emulates the platform environment locally — creating storage directories for datasets, key-value stores, and request queues — giving you a tight edit → run → inspect loop with no cloud round-trip.

Prerequisites

• npm install -g apify-cli (global CLI)
• apify login completed with valid token
• Node.js 18+

Authentication

The CLI authenticates with your Apify API token. Run apify login once (it stores the token under ~/.apify/), or export APIFY_TOKEN in the shell for non-interactive use. Local runs (apify run) do not require auth — only apify push / apify call reach the platform. Never commit the token or a plaintext .env containing it.

Actor Project Structure

my-actor/
├── .actor/
│   ├── actor.json          # Actor metadata and config
│   └── INPUT_SCHEMA.json   # Input schema (auto-generates UI on platform)
├── src/
│   └── main.ts             # Entry point
├── storage/                # Created by apify run (git-ignored)
│   ├── datasets/default/
│   ├── key_value_stores/default/
│   └── request_queues/default/
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

Instructions

Full config files and Actor source live in implementation.md; the high-level loop is:

Step 1: Create a New Actor Project

# Create from template (interactive)
apify create my-actor

# Or create from specific template
apify create my-actor --template project_cheerio_crawler_ts
# Templates: project_empty, project_cheerio_crawler_ts,
#   project_playwright_crawler_ts, project_puppeteer_crawler_ts

Step 2: Configure and code

Read and Edit the scaffolded .actor/actor.json (metadata + optional dataset view), define .actor/INPUT_SCHEMA.json (validates input and auto-generates the platform UI), and write your crawler in src/main.ts. See implementation.md for the complete actor.json, input schema, and a Cheerio-based main.ts that reads validated input and pushes structured rows via .