Multiscraper — Instagram / TikTok / Google Business exporter

A Chrome extension (Manifest V3) that exports all posts from a profile you can view — not the 10-post preview a third-party tool gives you — including the real like/comment counts, and optionally downloads every image/video.

It also scrapes Google Business listings: open a business page (e.g. via a share.google/... link, a Google Search knowledge panel, or a Google Maps place), and export the business info (name, category, rating, address, phone, hours, price range, website) plus every user review it can page through — including Google's auto-translations of foreign-language reviews — as JSON, CSV, or a polished Markdown report. Note: Google's web endpoint does not expose owner replies to reviews, so those are reported as "Not Available".

Why this works where a direct request doesn't

Meta blocks external, session-less requests to its data. This extension runs inside your logged-in tab on instagram.com, so its requests carry your own session cookies and are treated as first-party. It calls Instagram's own web API (/api/v1/feed/user/...) and pages through the entire feed. The "10 posts" and PREMIUM FIELD limits you hit before were the other tool's paywall, not a technical limit of Instagram.

TikTok signs its API requests, so instead of forging signatures the extension lets the page make its own signed calls and captures the responses while auto-scrolling the profile.

Install (unpacked)

1. Open chrome://extensions.
2. Turn on Developer mode (top-right).
3. Click Load unpacked and select the extension/ folder in this repo.
4. Pin the "Multiscraper" extension for easy access.

Chrome download settings (do this once)

For silent, no-prompt downloads that land in the right place, adjust two settings at chrome://settings/downloads:

1. Location → set to where you want files, e.g. C:\Users\<you>\Downloads. The extension saves into a multiscraper/<profile> subfolder of this location. (It cannot save outside your Downloads folder — a Chrome rule.)
2. Turn OFF "Ask where to save each file before downloading." If this is on, Chrome pops a Save As dialog for every file and anchors the path to the last folder you picked — so you'll see repeated prompts and files landing in an unexpected folder (e.g. a stray mooz-cool/). The extension asks Chrome to save silently, but this global setting overrides that, so it must be off.

If the toggle is greyed out or keeps turning itself back on, a policy is forcing it (common on managed/work machines or with some bundled software). Check chrome://policy for PromptForDownloadLocation (forces the prompt) or DownloadDirectory (forces the folder) — those must be removed by whoever manages the policy before the setting will stick.

Use

1. Log in to Instagram (or TikTok) in Chrome.
2. Open the profile page you want to export (e.g. https://www.instagram.com/some_username/).
3. Click the Multiscraper toolbar icon. The username auto-fills from the tab.
4. Set Max posts (0 = every post) and click Scrape profile. Watch the live count.
5. When it finishes: Export JSON, Export CSV, or Download media files.
   • JSON matches your original tool's schema: { "data": [ { ...same field names... } ] }, with Post Likes / Post Comments Count now filled in.
   • Save to folder: set it once per batch (defaults to multiscraper/<username>, and remembers your last choice). Everything — media, JSON, CSV — goes there under your Downloads folder with no per-file "Save As" prompt. Change the folder anytime for the next batch.
   • Chrome can only save silently inside Downloads, so the destination is a subfolder of Downloads rather than an arbitrary location.

Reliability features

• Live progress bar while downloading media: "Saved 14 / 60…", counting only files Chrome confirms are actually on disk.
• Retry failed downloads: Instagram's CDN links expire, so a big batch can leave a few misses — a one-click Retry button re-downloads just those.
• Rate-limit resilience: the Instagram scraper auto-retries with exponential backoff on 429 / server / network errors, so long profiles don't die midway. Real auth failures (401/403) stop immediately with a clear message.
• Survives popup close: downloads keep running in the background; reopening the popup shows the last run's result (and any Retry button).

Notes & limits

• Private profiles: only work if the logged-in account can view them.
• Rate limits: the Instagram scraper pauses ~1s between pages to stay gentle. If you see HTTP 401/403, you're logged out or rate-limited — wait and retry.
• CDN URLs expire: exported image/video links are time-limited by Meta/TikTok. Use Download media to keep the files.
• TikTok relies on auto-scroll capture; keep the tab focused while it runs.

Documentation

Detailed architectural, usage, and development manuals are available in the docs/ folder:

• Architecture & Component Design: Details extension execution contexts, TikTok/Instagram scraping loops, and the message passing bus (includes Mermaid flow diagrams).
• API Reference: Internal namespace window.MS parameters, common.js helper methods, and PlatformAdapter specifications.
• User Guide: Installation, silent downloads Chrome configuration, marketing stats calculations, and CDN link expiration.
• Developer Guide: Sandbox vm testing setups, repo structure, and a tutorial for writing new platform adapters.
• Security Audit: Chrome extension security controls audit, XSS patching, path traversals, and credential security.

Files

File	Role
manifest.json	MV3 config, permissions, content scripts
common.js	Shared schema, CSV, capture buffer, interceptor loader
inject.js	MAIN-world fetch/XHR patch that harvests feed responses
platforms/instagram.js	Resolve user + paginate full feed + normalize
platforms/tiktok.js	Auto-scroll + capture item_list + normalize
content.js	Orchestrates a scrape for the active tab
background.js	Downloads media via chrome.downloads
popup.*	UI: scrape, progress, export JSON/CSV, download media

Legal / ethical

Only scrape profiles you're permitted to view, and use exported data in line with each platform's Terms of Service and applicable law (copyright, privacy/GDPR). This tool is for your own data, public research, and archival of content you have the right to use.

Contributing

Forks and pull requests are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup, project layout, and how to run the tests. Quick start:

# fork + clone, then:
npm test              # run the offline test suites (needs only Node, no install)
# load extension/ as an unpacked extension at chrome://extensions

Please only build features for data a logged-in user can already view, and keep npm test green.

License

MIT © 2026 Dimitrios Misios. See LICENSE.