GitHub Repo Dossier API
Returns one bundle for a repository: its details, a README excerpt, the latest three releases, the top feature request, and the top complaint.
GET /v1/github/repo/dossierLast updated November 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
When to use the GitHub Repo Dossier API
Use it when a single call should give you enough to summarise a project, instead of calling repo, README, releases, and issues separately.
From the API reference
Composite endpoint: fetches repo metadata, README excerpt, latest 3 releases, top feature request, and top complaint in parallel and returns a structured dossier { info, readme, releases, top_issues }. Useful for AI-grounding workflows where a single call should return everything you'd need to summarise a project. 5 credits per call.
Searching 69 platforms in parallel
What can you do with the Repo Dossier API?
The Repo Dossier endpoint gives you structured GitHub data with computed fields in a single request. No scraping infrastructure to build or maintain.
Example Request
# GET /v1/github/repo/dossier: 5 credits per call. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
# --max-time 60: the API's own time limit for this endpoint.
# --retry 3: retries timeouts, 429 and 5xx, honoring Retry-After.
# -o response.json keeps only the final attempt's body.
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
IDEMPOTENCY_KEY=$(od -An -N16 -tx1 /dev/urandom | tr -d ' \n')
curl -sS --max-time 60 --retry 3 -o response.json \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: $IDEMPOTENCY_KEY" \
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/repo/dossier?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Ffacebook%2Freact" && cat response.json# GET /v1/github/repo/dossier: 5 credits per call. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
# Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
import os
import random
import time
import uuid
import requests
API_KEY = os.environ.get("SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")
TIMEOUT_S = 60 # the API's own time limit for this endpoint.
MAX_RETRIES = 3
URL = "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/repo/dossier"
def backoff(attempt):
# Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
return 2 ** attempt * (0.5 + random.random() / 2)
def socialcrawl(params):
# One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
idempotency_key = str(uuid.uuid4())
for attempt in range(MAX_RETRIES + 1):
try:
res = requests.get(
URL,
params=params,
headers={"x-api-key": API_KEY, "Idempotency-Key": idempotency_key},
timeout=TIMEOUT_S,
)
body = res.json()
except (requests.RequestException, ValueError):
# A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise
time.sleep(backoff(attempt))
continue
if body["success"]:
return body
error = body["error"]
# Branch on error["type"], never on the message text.
if error["type"] == "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND":
return None # refunded: nothing to read
retry_after = res.headers.get("Retry-After")
# SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
permanent = error["type"] == "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" and retry_after is None
if not error.get("retryable") or permanent or attempt == MAX_RETRIES:
raise RuntimeError(f"{error['type']}: {error['message']} (request_id {body['request_id']})")
# Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
time.sleep(float(retry_after) if retry_after else backoff(attempt))
params = {
"url": "https://github.com/facebook/react",
}
body = socialcrawl(params)
if body is not None:
print(body["data"])// GET /v1/github/repo/dossier: 5 credits per call. Cache hits are free and failed calls are refunded.
// Check the price first for 0 credits: add dry_run=1 to the query. Nothing is fetched or charged.
const API_KEY = process.env.SOCIALCRAWL_API_KEY ?? "YOUR_API_KEY";
const TIMEOUT_MS = 60_000; // the API's own time limit for this endpoint.
const MAX_RETRIES = 3;
type Page = { next_cursor: string | null; has_more: boolean };
type SocialCrawlResponse =
| { success: true; data: any; pagination?: Page; credits_used: number; request_id: string }
| { success: false; error: { type: string; message: string; retryable: boolean }; request_id: string };
const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
// Exponential backoff with jitter: about 1 s, 2 s, then 4 s.
const backoffMs = (attempt: number) => 2 ** attempt * 1000 * (0.5 + Math.random() / 2);
async function socialcrawl(url: URL) {
// One Idempotency-Key per request, reused on every retry, so a retried call is never charged twice.
const idempotencyKey = crypto.randomUUID();
for (let attempt = 0; ; attempt++) {
let res: Response;
let body: SocialCrawlResponse;
try {
res = await fetch(url, {
headers: {
"x-api-key": API_KEY,
"Idempotency-Key": idempotencyKey,
},
signal: AbortSignal.timeout(TIMEOUT_MS),
});
body = (await res.json()) as SocialCrawlResponse;
} catch (error) {
// A timeout, a dropped connection or a non-JSON gateway page: retry with the same key.
if (attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) throw error;
await sleep(backoffMs(attempt));
continue;
}
if (body.success) return body;
// Branch on error.type, never on the message text.
if (body.error.type === "RESOURCE_NOT_FOUND") return null; // refunded: nothing to read
const retryAfter = res.headers.get("Retry-After");
// SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE without Retry-After is a withdrawn endpoint: permanent.
const permanent = body.error.type === "SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE" && retryAfter === null;
if (!body.error.retryable || permanent || attempt >= MAX_RETRIES) {
throw new Error(`${body.error.type}: ${body.error.message} (request_id ${body.request_id})`);
}
// Retry-After (seconds) wins; otherwise back off.
await sleep(retryAfter ? Number(retryAfter) * 1000 : backoffMs(attempt));
}
}
const url = new URL("https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/github/repo/dossier");
url.searchParams.set("url", "https://github.com/facebook/react");
const body = await socialcrawl(url);
if (body) console.log(body.data);Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| url | Yes | GitHub repo URL: `https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}`. |
What does the GitHub Repo Dossier API return?
Every response follows one unified schema. Here is a real, unmodified response body, so you can see the exact fields you get back before spending a credit.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"platform": "github",
"endpoint": "/v1/github/repo/dossier",
"data": {
"info": {
"id": 10270250,
"full_name": "react/react",
"description": "The library for web and native user interfaces.",
"language": "JavaScript",
"stars": 250859,
"forks": 51424,
"open_issues": 1402,
"watchers": 6602,
"created_at": "2013-05-24T16:15:54Z",
"pushed_at": "2026-10-01T15:08:09Z",
"homepage": "https://react.dev",
"topics": [
"declarative",
"frontend"
]
},
"readme": "# [React](https://react.dev/) · [](https://github.com/facebook/react/blob/main/LICENSE) [](https://www.npmjs.com/package/react) [](https://github.com/facebook/react/actions/workflows/runtime_build_and_test.yml) [](https://github.com/facebook/react/actions/workflows/compiler_typescript.yml) [](https://legacy.reactjs.org/docs/how-to-contribute.html#your-first-pull-request)\n\nReact is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces.\n\n* **Declarative:** React makes it painless to create interactive UIs. Design simple views for each state in your application, and React will efficiently update and render just the right components when your data changes. Declarative views make your code more predictable, simpler to understand, and easier to debug.\n* **Component-Based:** Build encapsulated components that manage their own state, then compose them to make complex UIs. Since component logic is written in JavaScript instead of templates, you can easily pass rich data through your app and keep the state out of the DOM.\n* **Learn Once, Write Anywhere:** We don't make assumptions about the rest of your technology stack, so you can develop new features in React without rewriting existing code. React can also render on the server using [Node](https://nodejs.org/en) and power mobile apps using [React Native](https://reactnative.dev/).\n\n[Learn how to use React in your project](https://react.dev/learn).\n\n## Installation\n\nReact has been designed for gradual adoption from the start, and **you can use as little or as much React as you need**:\n",
"releases": [
{
"tag": "v19.3.0",
"name": "19.3.0 (September 9, 2026)",
"date": "2026-09-09T18:01:33Z",
"body": "Below is a list of all new features, APIs, and bug fixes.\r\n\r\nRead the [React 19.3 release post](https://react.dev/blog/2026/09/09/react-19-3) for more information.\r\n\r\n## New React Features\r\n\r\n- `<ViewTransition />`: Adds `<ViewTransition />` and `addTransitionType` APIs to power View Transition animations in React (@sebmarkbage, @jackpope, @gaearon: [#31975](https://github.com/facebook/react/pull/31975), [#31987](https://github.com/facebook/react/pull/31987), [#31996](https://github.com/facebook"
},
{
"tag": "v19.2.8",
"name": "19.2.8 (July 21st, 2026)",
"date": "2026-07-21T15:49:09Z",
"body": "## React Server Components\r\n\r\n- Performance improvements when decoding\r\n ([#37087](https://github.com/facebook/react/pull/37087) by @eps1lon)"
}
],
"top_issues": {
"top_feature_request": null,
"top_complaint": null
}
},
"credits_used": 5,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false,
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"source": "captured",
"captured_at": "2026-10-02T15:36:53.474Z",
"redacted": true
}Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.
How does the GitHub Repo Dossier API work?
Send a GET request with your API key and get back clean, structured JSON in our unified schema. Supported computed fields are populated when the source provides the required inputs.
Method
GET
Response
JSON
How do you scrape social media data in seconds?
The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 69 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.
One schema, every platform
Query 69 platforms with identical response structures. Write your integration once.
Computed fields, not just scraped
When an endpoint supports these metrics and the source provides the required inputs, the normalized record includes engagement_rate, estimated_reach, content_category, and language. Ready to use.
See your data before you code
Visual Data Explorer. Paste any URL, get rich result cards, sortable tables, CSV export.
import requests
response = requests.get(
'https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/tiktok/profile',
params={'handle': 'charlidamelio'},
headers={'x-api-key': 'sc_YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json(){
"success": true,
"platform": "tiktok",
"data": {
"author": {
"username": "charlidamelio",
"followers": 152400000
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 12400000000,
"engagement_rate": 0.087
},
"metadata": {
"language": "en",
"content_category": "lifestyle"
}
}
}Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usWhat does the GitHub Repo Dossier API do?
How do I call the dossier endpoint?
What goes into the dossier?
Why not just call the repo and issues endpoints myself?
How much does the GitHub Repo Dossier API cost?
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