x-apify

What This Skill Does

The x-apify skill is a powerful integration for OpenClaw that enables seamless retrieval of X (formerly Twitter) data without requiring expensive, restrictive official API access. By leveraging the Apify ecosystem, this skill allows agents to search for live tweets, scrape detailed user profiles, and fetch specific conversation threads including replies. A core feature of this skill is its intelligent local caching mechanism; by default, the agent stores fetched data locally to minimize API credit consumption. This is particularly useful for agents performing research, trend analysis, or monitoring specific accounts, as repetitive queries become free after the initial fetch.

Installation

To install this skill, use the ClawHub command: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/robbyczgw-cla/x-apify. Before running the skill, ensure you have an Apify account. Obtain your API token from the Apify console and set it as an environment variable named APIFY_API_TOKEN in your .env file or shell configuration. This allows the agent to authenticate securely with the Apify infrastructure to execute scraping tasks on your behalf.

Use Cases

This skill is ideal for social media monitoring, market research, and sentiment analysis. For example, a business analyst agent could use x-apify to track mentions of a competitor to gauge public reaction to a product launch. A content creator could use it to gather trending topics within specific niches to inform their next video or article. Furthermore, the ability to fetch full thread histories makes it perfect for archiving or summarizing complex digital discussions.

Example Prompts

1. "Search for the latest tweets about 'Quantum Computing' from the last 24 hours and summarize the key sentiment."
2. "Retrieve the last 5 tweets from @OpenAI and tell me if they have mentioned any major new model releases."
3. "Get the full thread from this URL: https://x.com/user/status/123456789 and save the replies to a JSON file."

Tips & Limitations

To maximize your $5/month in free credits, always utilize the built-in caching system; avoid using the --no-cache flag unless absolutely necessary for real-time verification. Be aware that the TTL (Time-to-Live) for cache is set at 1 hour for searches and 24 hours for user profiles; plan your agent's autonomy accordingly. The skill relies on external Apify actors, so ensure your internet connection is stable. Finally, remember that while this tool bypasses official API restrictions, it must still be used in compliance with X's terms of service regarding data privacy and scraping.