SEDAR+ Filing Collection

Python tooling for authorized collection of Canadian securities filings from SEDAR+, with legacy pre-2023 sedar.com code preserved for reference.

SEDAR+ has no official public API. This project uses Playwright browser automation against the public UI, with compliance gates, rate limiting, and audit logging. Do not run live commands without written authorization — see docs/sedar-plus-and-data-access.md.

What This Tool Does

• Imports manual SEDAR+ CSV exports for documents or issuers without live browser automation.
• Searches current SEDAR+ profile, document, and reporting issuer screens when live access has been explicitly authorized.
• Stores issuer/profile metadata, filing metadata, sync audit records, and local downloaded files.
• Preserves legacy sedar.com scraping code only for historical reference.

Quick Start

# Install package and Playwright browser
make setup

# Copy and edit configuration
cp .env.example .env
# Set SEDAR_AUTHORIZATION_FILE to your authorization document

# Verify configuration
sedar check-auth

# Live commands require explicit authorization
sedar sync-issuers --confirm-authorized
sedar search-profiles --query "Example Corp." --confirm-authorized
sedar search-docs --profile "Example Corp." --from-date 2024-01-01 --confirm-authorized
sedar download --limit 30 --confirm-authorized

# Import a manual CSV export (no live browser)
sedar import-csv exports/documents.csv --kind documents
sedar import-csv exports/issuers.csv --kind issuers

Configuration

Variable	Description	Default
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL or SQLite connection	sqlite:///sedar.db
SEDAR_AUTHORIZATION_FILE	Path to authorization document	./docs/authorization.example.txt
SEDAR_CONFIRM_AUTHORIZED	Opt-in for live automation (1/0)	0
SEDAR_RATE_LIMIT_SECONDS	Delay between browser actions	4
SEDAR_DOWNLOAD_DIR	Local filing storage	./filings
SEDAR_HEADLESS	Headless browser (false for manual CAPTCHA)	true
SEDAR_BASE_URL	SEDAR+ public website base URL	https://www.sedarplus.ca
SEDAR_MAX_DOWNLOAD_BATCH	Max documents per batch	30
SEDAR_MAX_PROFILES_PER_SEARCH	Max profiles per document search	50
SEDAR_LOCALE	SEDAR+ UI locale used in service links	en
SEDAR_BROWSER_STATE_DIR	Persisted Playwright browser state	.sedar/browser_state

CLI Commands

Command	Description
sedar check-auth	Verify authorization file and database
sedar sync-issuers	Sync reporting issuers list
sedar search-profiles	Search SEDAR+ profiles and store metadata
sedar search-docs	Search documents and store metadata
sedar download	Download pending filings (max 30)
sedar import-csv	Import manual SEDAR+ CSV export
sedar legacy-scrape	Historical legacy scraper (deprecated)

Command Options

sedar sync-issuers [--max-pages N] --confirm-authorized
sedar search-profiles [--query TEXT] [--max-pages N] --confirm-authorized
sedar search-docs [--profile TEXT] [--query TEXT] [--from-date YYYY-MM-DD] [--to-date YYYY-MM-DD] [--max-pages N] --confirm-authorized
sedar download [--limit N] --confirm-authorized
sedar import-csv CSV_PATH --kind documents|issuers

Use sedar COMMAND --help for the exact option list installed in your environment.

Manual CSV Workflow

Use this path when you do not have written permission for live automation, or when you want a reproducible import from files exported through the SEDAR+ UI.

sedar import-csv path/to/documents.csv --kind documents
sedar import-csv path/to/issuers.csv --kind issuers

The importer accepts common SEDAR+ CSV headers and normalizes them into the local filing and company tables. Document links generated by SEDAR+ are preserved as download_url when present.

Live SEDAR+ Workflow

Live commands call the public SEDAR+ browser UI and require both an authorization file and an explicit runtime confirmation.

sedar check-auth
sedar search-profiles --query "Example Corp." --max-pages 1 --confirm-authorized
sedar search-docs --profile "Example Corp." --query "Annual financial statements" --confirm-authorized
sedar download --limit 30 --confirm-authorized

search-docs supports --profile, --query, --from-date, --to-date, and --max-pages. Date filters use YYYY-MM-DD.

Project Layout

sedar/
  cli.py                 # CLI entry point
  config.py              # Settings
  compliance.py          # Authorization and rate limits
  storage/               # PostgreSQL / SQLite via dataset
  sedarplus/             # Playwright client (profiles, documents, issuers, downloads)
  legacy/                # Pre-SEDAR+ scraper and CAPTCHA helper
docs/                    # Data access guidance and authorization checklist
tests/                   # Fixture-based unit tests

Storage

Metadata is stored in company, filing, and sync_run tables. Filings are saved under SEDAR_DOWNLOAD_DIR/{profile_id}/{document_id}/.

The company table stores profile and issuer fields such as legal name, profile number, jurisdiction, reporting jurisdictions, profile type, default status, and active cease-trade-order status when available. The filing table stores document metadata such as document ID, document name/type, submitted date, jurisdiction, file size, company/profile name, generated URL, local path, and checksum.

Use PostgreSQL for production:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost/sedar

Use SQLite for local development:

DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///sedar.db

Generated Files

The tool writes local runtime state outside the source package:

• sedar.db when using the default SQLite database.
• filings/ for downloaded documents.
• .sedar/browser_state/state.json for persisted Playwright browser state.
• Browser downloads in temporary Playwright directories before files are saved into SEDAR_DOWNLOAD_DIR.

Do not commit authorization documents, browser state, downloaded filings, or local databases unless your project policy explicitly allows it.

Legacy Code

The original legacy sedar.com scraper lives in sedar/legacy/. Root scrape.py and breaker.py are deprecation shims. Legacy endpoints were replaced by SEDAR+ in July 2023 and are not maintained for current use.

Known Limits

• 30 documents per public download batch
• 50 profiles max per document search
• Public SEDAR+ exposes separate profile, document, reporting issuer, disciplined list, and cease trade order search services
• Public search results are browser UI output, not a documented public bulk API
• SEDAR+ maintenance pages and bot challenges are detected and surfaced as compliance errors
• Radware bot protection may require headed browser and manual CAPTCHA
• No official SEDAR+ API — UI automation may break when the site changes

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Action
Live SEDAR+ access requires explicit authorization	--confirm-authorized was omitted and SEDAR_CONFIRM_AUTHORIZED is false	Confirm written permission, then pass --confirm-authorized or set SEDAR_CONFIRM_AUTHORIZED=1
Authorization file not found	SEDAR_AUTHORIZATION_FILE points to a missing file	Set it to the written authorization document
SEDAR+ is reporting scheduled maintenance	The public site is unavailable	Retry after SEDAR+ maintenance ends
SEDAR+ bot protection detected	Radware or CAPTCHA blocked the browser session	Set SEDAR_HEADLESS=false, complete the browser challenge manually, then retry
Requested N documents exceeds SEDAR+ batch limit	--limit is above SEDAR_MAX_DOWNLOAD_BATCH	Keep download batches at 30 or lower unless your authorization allows stricter configured behavior
Empty search import	CSV headers or UI table columns were not recognized	Keep the raw export and add a parser fixture before changing live automation

Development

make test    # pytest
make lint    # ruff check
make format  # ruff format

CI runs lint and tests without live SEDAR+ access.

If the system Python is externally managed, use a local virtual environment:

python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/python -m pip install -e ".[dev]"
.venv/bin/python -m pytest -q

Disclaimer

This tool is for authorized research and operational use only. Review the current SEDAR+ Terms of Use before collecting, storing, or redistributing filing data. This repository is not legal advice.