📰 Google News API: News Search Results in Clean JSON

The efficient, reliable, and developer-friendly way to use the Google News API.

Actor page: apify.com/johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI Input schema: apify.com/johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI/input-schema

The Google News API searches Google News and returns clean, structured JSON, one item per page of results. Each item carries the search parameters, search metadata (total results, pages processed), and a news_results array where every article includes title, link, source, snippet, and ranking position. Supports location targeting, country and language filtering, safe search, duplicate filtering, and pagination control.

Video Walkthrough

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Python 3.11 or higher
An Apify account and API key (get a free key here)

Clone the repository

bash

git clone https://github.com/johnisanerd/Apify-Google-News-Scraper.git
cd Apify-Google-News-Scraper

Install dependencies with UV

bash

# Install UV if you do not have it:
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# Install project dependencies:
uv sync

Configure your API key

bash

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your Apify API key
# Get your free API key at: https://apify.com?fpr=9n7kx3

Run the example
bash
```
uv run python google-news-scraper.py
```

Alternative: set the API key directly

server.ts

export APIFY_API_TOKEN="your_api_key_here"
uv run python google-news-scraper.py

Why Use This Google News API?

Real-time coverage at scale. Google News aggregates tens of thousands of publishers. Instead of maintaining a client for each outlet, you query the aggregated index and get ranked results across all of them in a single call.

Geo-targeted results. Filter by country code (gl), language (hl), Google domain, and location string for precise control over the geographic and linguistic scope.

Configurable depth. Set max_pages for a quick headline snapshot or a deeper sweep. Each page is returned as a discrete item, easy to stream, filter, or load into a pipeline.

Predictable, pay-per-use pricing. A small per-run setup fee plus a per-page fee, with no subscription. You control cost with the page limit.

Consistent JSON output. Every article comes back with the same fields (title, link, source, snippet, position), so there is no schema variance between publishers.

Easy to automate. Call it from Python in a few lines, or load it as an MCP tool so assistants like Claude and Cursor can pull fresh news for you on demand.

Features

Core Capabilities

Aggregated news search across thousands of publishers in one call
Location targeting by country code (gl), language (hl), and Google domain
Safe search and duplicate filtering toggles
Auto-correction control with nfpr for exact-match queries
Pagination control with a configurable page cap

Data Quality

One item per page with a stable structure
news_results array with title, link, source, snippet, and position per article
Search metadata (total results, pages processed) on every item
Echoed search parameters so each item is self-describing
Consistent JSON shape across every query

Usage Examples

Basic search

config.json

{
  "q": "artificial intelligence",
  "max_pages": 1
}

Geo-targeted search with language filtering

config.json

{
  "q": "artificial intelligence breakthroughs",
  "google_domain": "google.com",
  "gl": "us",
  "hl": "en",
  "safe": "off",
  "max_pages": 2
}

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`q`	`string`	Yes	-	Search query, e.g. `artificial intelligence`, `coffee`.
`location`	`string`	No	-	Location string for localized results, e.g. `Austin, TX, Texas, United States`.
`google_domain`	`string`	No	`google.com`	Google domain to search, e.g. `google.co.uk`.
`gl`	`string`	No	-	Country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2), e.g. `us`, `gb`.
`hl`	`string`	No	-	Language code (ISO 639-1), e.g. `en`, `fr`.
`lr`	`string`	No	-	Language restriction, e.g. `lang_en`.
`safe`	`string`	No	`off`	Safe search: `active` or `off`.
`nfpr`	`string`	No	`0`	Exclude auto-corrected results: `0` or `1`.
`filter`	`string`	No	`0`	Filter duplicate results: `0` or `1`.
`max_pages`	`integer`	No	`1`	Maximum pages to fetch (~10 articles each); `0` = unlimited. Each page is billed separately.
`output_file`	`string`	No	-	Optional filename to save results.

Output Format

A real result for artificial intelligence (one item per page; the news_results array is trimmed to a single article here, and search_information carries additional fields).

config.json

{
  "search_parameters": {
    "q": "artificial intelligence",
    "gl": "us",
    "hl": "en",
    "safe": "off",
    "nfpr": "0",
    "filter": "0",
    "max_pages": 1
  },
  "search_metadata": {
    "total_results": 9,
    "news_count": 9,
    "pages_processed": 1,
    "max_pages_set": 1,
    "pagination_limit_reached": false
  },
  "search_information": {
    "query_displayed": "artificial intelligence"
  },
  "search_timestamp": "2026-05-29T11:27:03",
  "page_number": 1,
  "news_results": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "title": "Improving multimodal wearable sensing for healthcare with artificial intelligence",
      "link": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-026-03134-z",
      "source": "Nature",
      "snippet": "This Comment explores artificial intelligence-driven strategies to accelerate the clinical translation of multimodal wearable sensors."
    }
  ]
}

Each page item echoes the search_parameters you sent, reports search_metadata (total results and pages processed), and lists every article in news_results with its ranking position, title, link, source, and snippet.

Use as an MCP tool

You can load the Google News API as an MCP tool so assistants call it for you. The MCP server URL preloads just this one Actor:

Code

https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI

Authenticate with OAuth in the browser when offered, or with your Apify API token (the same APIFY_API_TOKEN used by the Python example). Get a token at https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations and a free Apify account at https://apify.com?fpr=9n7kx3 .

Install in Claude Cowork Desktop

Cowork is the desktop app's automation mode. To give it the Google News API as a tool, add the Apify MCP server as a connector.

Open the Claude desktop app and go to Settings → Connectors (or Settings → Developer → Edit Config to edit claude_desktop_config.json directly).
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Add the Apify MCP server, preloaded with only this Actor:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Restart the app. When Cowork first calls the tool, complete the OAuth prompt in your browser, or add your Apify API token in the connector settings to skip OAuth.
In a Cowork chat, confirm the tool is available and ask it to run the Google News API.

Download the desktop app and start a free trial: https://claude.ai/referral/uIlpa7nPLg More help: https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/claude-desktop

Install in Claude Code

Claude Code is the command-line tool. Add the Actor's MCP server with one command:

Terminal

claude mcp add --transport http apify \
  "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI"

To use a token instead of browser OAuth:

Terminal

claude mcp add --transport http apify \
  "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN"

Then verify with claude mcp list, or run /mcp inside a session. Ask Claude Code to call the Google News API.

Try Claude Code free: https://claude.ai/referral/uIlpa7nPLg Claude Code MCP docs: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp

Install in Claude (website)

On claude.ai you add Apify as a connector, then enable just this Actor's tool.

Go to Settings → Connectors → Browse connectors and search for Apify MCP server. Install it (enable or update if prompted).
When connecting, authenticate with your Apify API token, and enable the tool johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI.
In any chat, open + → Connectors and turn on Apify.
Alternatively, choose Add custom connector and paste the full MCP URL https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI, using OAuth when prompted.
Ask Claude to run the Google News API.

Open Claude on the web: https://claude.ai/referral/uIlpa7nPLg

Install in Cursor

Cursor reads MCP servers from a project file at .cursor/mcp.json.

In your project, create .cursor/mcp.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI"
    }
  }
}

If you prefer token auth over browser OAuth, add a header:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

Open Cursor → Settings → MCP and confirm the apify server is connected (green dot).
In Composer or Chat, ask Cursor to call the Google News API.

New to Cursor? Get it here: https://cursor.com/referral?code=XQP4VBLI3NNX

Install in ChatGPT

ChatGPT connects to the Apify MCP server through Developer mode (available on ChatGPT Pro, Plus, Business, Enterprise, and Education plans).

Click your profile icon, then go to Settings > Apps. If you do not see a Create app button, open Advanced settings and enable Developer mode.
Click Create app and fill out the form:
- Name: Apify
- MCP Server URL: https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=actors,docs,johnvc/GoogleNewsAPI
- Authentication: OAuth
Click Create and authorize the connection with Apify.
To use the app in a conversation, click + in the chat, choose Developer mode, and select Apify.

More help: https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp

Made with care

Use the Google News API to power media monitoring, competitive intelligence, trend detection, and LLM context pipelines with reliable, structured results.

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Last Updated: 2026.09.10