---
title: "Run actors"
description: "Run job:actors.run through the looot API: 1 provider, from $0.06 per call. Inputs, prices, output shape and code for curl, JavaScript and Python."
sidebar:
  hidden: true
---

{/* Generated by scripts/generate-api-reference.mjs from data/api-reference.json. Do not edit. */}

Run actors.

Job id `actors.run`, in Scrapers (Scraping actors). As of 2026-10-01, 1 provider serve it through 1 tool. Run `job:actors.run` and looot picks one of them; with `fallback` on, a miss moves on to the next. See [Jobs](/concepts/jobs).

## Inputs

This job has one tool, so it takes that tool's fields. Any key you send passes through unchanged.

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `input` | object | no | The actor's own input document, sent as the request body exactly as Apify's Run Actor API expects (the body IS the actor's input, never wrapped in an 'input' key). Shape is actor-specific -- read it from apify-actors-builds-openapi-json for this actorId, or the actor's public Apify Store page, before calling. Optional: omitting it runs the actor with its own default input, when it has one. |
| `maxItems` | number | no | Server-side cap on results returned/produced -- always set this for a bounded call. Example: 10 |
| `maxTotalChargeUsd` | number | no | Hard USD ceiling Apify enforces on this run's pay-per-event charges. Kept at round 3's bound (0.001-0.04) -- real metering (see price.estimateFormula) makes billing ACCURATE, it does not raise what's actually safe to let Apify itself spend on this shared account, which is still governed by this cap. Example: 0.04 |
| `memory` | number | no | Actor run memory in MB. Example: 512 |
| `timeout` | number | no | Seconds before APIFY ITSELF aborts the run server-side. Raised from round 3's sync ceiling (120) since this endpoint no longer runs inside the gateway's own 15s outbound-fetch window -- it submits and polls, so a slower cold start no longer needs to fit in 15s. Bounded 5-300 so one call still can't run forever; see the description's 'No cleanup-on-timeout' note for why this bound is the only real protection. Example: 60 |
| `actorId` | string | yes | Apify actor id, e.g. 'apify~website-content-crawler' (~ in place of /). |

## Providers and prices

| Provider | Tool | Price |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Apify](/providers/apify) | [`apify-actor-run`](/reference/tools/apify-actor-run) | $0.06 per call |

A call that fails at the provider costs $0. See [What's free](/money/free-and-failures).

## Output

Shape of the run's `result`, checked against 1 real answer:

```txt
{ data: { id, meta: { origin, userAgent }, actId, stats: { metamorph, netRxBytes, netTxBytes, cpuAvgUsage, cpuMaxUsage, memAvgBytes, memMaxBytes, rebootCount, runTimeSecs, computeUnits, inputBodyLen, ... ...
```

The shape is cut here. Signed in, `looot inspect apify-actor-run` prints all of it.

## Run it

Every call needs your API token in `LOOOT_TOKEN`; [Sign in](/get-started/sign-in#use-the-token-in-scripts-and-agents) shows how to get one. Each run also needs a new idempotency key, so a retry never pays twice. With `wait: 30` the answer comes back inline when the run ends within 30 seconds. Otherwise you get the running run back: poll `GET /v1/runs/<runId>`.

Example input with placeholder values:

<CodeGroup>

```bash curl
curl -X POST "https://api.looot.ai/v1/runs" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LOOOT_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  -d '{"endpointId":"job:actors.run","input":{"actorId":"<actorId>","memory":512,"timeout":60,"maxItems":10,"maxTotalChargeUsd":0.04},"wait":30}'
```

```js JavaScript
const response = await fetch("https://api.looot.ai/v1/runs", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.LOOOT_TOKEN}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Idempotency-Key": crypto.randomUUID(),
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    endpointId: "job:actors.run",
    input: {
      actorId: "<actorId>",
      memory: 512,
      timeout: 60,
      maxItems: 10,
      maxTotalChargeUsd: 0.04,
    },
    wait: 30,
  }),
});
const run = await response.json();
console.log(run.status, run.result);
```

```python Python
import os
import uuid

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.looot.ai/v1/runs",
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['LOOOT_TOKEN']}",
        "Idempotency-Key": str(uuid.uuid4()),
    },
    json={
        "endpointId": "job:actors.run",
        "input": {
            "actorId": "<actorId>",
            "memory": 512,
            "timeout": 60,
            "maxItems": 10,
            "maxTotalChargeUsd": 0.04,
        },
        "wait": 30,
    },
    timeout=90,
)
run = response.json()
print(run["status"], run.get("result"))
```

</CodeGroup>

To pin one provider, send its tool id as `endpointId` instead of `job:actors.run`.