How to Set Up Craigslist Alerts for New Listings

To get email alerts for matching Craigslist listings, run the search you want, click save search on the results page, sign in, open your account’s searches tab, and check the box in that search’s alert column. Craigslist sends a welcome email when you enable an alert. Craigslist’s Saved Searches help and Search Alerts help describe the workflow.

Set up a Craigslist email alert

1. Choose the right local Craigslist site. Craigslist searches are tied to the location you use, so start on the local site where you want to find listings.
2. Build and check your search. Enter keywords, choose the relevant category, and apply any available filters. Review the results first: a saved search will keep using those criteria.
3. Save the search. On the results page, click save search, usually near the top right. Sign in if Craigslist asks. Saved searches are managed from your account.
4. Enable its alert. Open your account’s searches tab, find the saved search, and check the box in its alert column.
5. Confirm the email. Craigslist sends a welcome email after you sign up for an alert. If it does not arrive, check spam and junk folders.

The alert is an email for one saved search. It is not a general notification for every post on Craigslist.

What Craigslist alerts include and when they arrive

Craigslist does not promise a fixed delivery interval in its reviewed help instructions. How often it checks depends on how many results appeared in the previous alert: fewer results lead to more frequent searches. Do not rely on an alert as an instant notification.

An alert email shows up to 20 results, with the most recent first. Matching posts can include renewed, reposted, or edited listings, so an item that appears may not be a first-time post.

Make the search more useful

• Use the narrowest relevant location and category, then check whether the result list contains the kinds of posts you want before saving.
• Keep keywords specific enough to avoid unrelated matches, but broad enough to catch common variations in how sellers describe an item.
• Watch for the ampersand caveat. Craigslist says a saved search containing & searches only the text before the ampersand. Use boolean logic to modify results instead of putting & in the saved search text.
• Remember the 20-result email limit. If a search is broad, review Craigslist directly as well; an email may not show every matching post.

For details on saved-search behavior, see Craigslist Saved Searches.

Change or stop an alert

You cannot edit a saved search in place. To change its keywords, location, category, or other criteria, create and save a replacement search, enable its alert, then remove the old saved search if you no longer need it.

To stop one alert, use any of these options:

• Click Unsubscribe from this alert in the alert email.
• In your account’s searches tab, uncheck the search’s alert box.
• Delete the saved search from your account.

Unsubscribing from or disabling an alert stops its emails; deleting the saved search also removes that stored query. Craigslist documents these controls in its Search Alerts help.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
No welcome email	The message may have been filtered, or the alert may not have been enabled.	Check spam and junk folders. Sign in, open searches, and confirm the alert checkbox is checked. Craigslist’s email help guidance also points users to spam and junk folders.
No later alert messages	The search may not have matching results, or delivery timing may vary with the prior alert’s result count.	Open the saved search on Craigslist and review its results and criteria. Craigslist does not state a guaranteed interval.
The alert contains a post that is not actually new	Renewed, reposted, and edited posts can match and appear.	Check the post details and date. Alerts cover matching posts, not only first-time listings.
Search results stop at an unexpected word	The saved-search text may contain &, which Craigslist says makes it search only the text before that character.	Replace the saved search with one that uses boolean logic to adjust the query.
Search criteria cannot be changed	Saved searches cannot be edited in place.	Create a new search with the desired criteria, save it, enable its alert, and delete the old saved search if appropriate.
An email does not show every matching result	Each alert email displays at most 20 results.	Open the search on Craigslist to review its results, especially when the query is broad.

Or skip the browser setup

If your goal is to capture a Craigslist results page for review or a record, ScreenshotNeo can return a screenshot with one API request. See the ScreenshotNeo API docs for options.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://craigslist.org -o shot.webp

import requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
    params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://craigslist.org"},
    timeout=90,
)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://craigslist.org' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot request failed: ${res.status}`);
await Bun.write('shot.webp', res);

ScreenshotNeo removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture. Bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. Its MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. These screenshots capture a page; they do not create or deliver Craigslist listing alerts.

Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month, with no card.

Frequently asked questions

Can Craigslist notify me when a listing matches my search?

Yes. Save the search while signed in, then turn on the alert checkbox for it in your account’s searches tab.

Are Craigslist alerts instant?

Craigslist does not give a fixed schedule in the reviewed instructions. Search frequency depends on the results in the previous alert.

Why did an alert show a listing I had seen before?

A renewed, reposted, or edited post can match the saved search and appear in an alert.

Can I change a saved search without making another one?

No. Create a replacement saved search with the updated criteria, then remove the old one if you no longer need it.

How do I turn off Craigslist email alerts?

Unsubscribe from the alert email, uncheck its alert box in the account, or delete the saved search.