Instagram publishing - SocialAPI.AI

1. Overview

Instagram publishing uses the Meta Graph API two-step flow: SocialAPI creates a media container, polls until the container is ready, then publishes it. All post types (image, video, reel, carousel, story) go through this same pipeline.

Field	Value
Platform slug	`instagram`
Auth type	OAuth 2.0 (Meta)
API	Meta Graph API
Create post	Yes
Update post	No (not supported by platform)
Delete post	Yes
Schedule	Yes (deferred publish via `schedule_at`)
First comment	Yes (best-effort, non-blocking)

2. Supported media

Content type	How to trigger	Notes
Single image	`platform_data.instagram.content_type: "feed"` or omit with one `media_ids` entry	Standard image post
Single video (Reel)	URL ending in `.mp4`, `.mov`, etc., or `content_type: "reel"`	Published as `media_type: REELS`
Carousel	Two or more `media_ids` entries, or `content_type: "carousel"`	2 to 10 items; mix of images and videos allowed
Story	`platform_data.instagram.content_type: "stories"`	Single image or video; captions not supported

When content_type is omitted, SocialAPI auto-detects: multiple media_ids produce a carousel, a single entry produces a feed image or reel depending on file extension. Story publishing is supported via the API using content_type: "stories". Note that stories expire after 24 hours and the Instagram platform does not support captions on stories. Caption limit: 2200 characters. Carousel limits: 2 to 10 items. Carousel child containers do not accept captions; only the parent container carries the caption.

3. Create post

Use POST /v1/posts with account_ids targeting an Instagram account. The text field becomes the caption.

curl -X POST https://api.social-api.ai/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "account_ids": ["acc_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J"],
    "text": "Check out our new collection. #fashion #style",
    "media_ids": ["https://cdn.example.com/photo.jpg"],
    "platform_data": {
      "instagram": {
        "alt_text": "A flat-lay photo of our spring collection",
        "location_id": "110506962309835"
      }
    }
  }'

Platform data fields

Pass these inside platform_data.instagram:

Field	Type	Description
`content_type`	string	One of `"feed"`, `"reel"`, `"carousel"`, `"stories"`. Overrides auto-detection.
`alt_text`	string	Accessibility alt text applied to the image container.
`location_id`	string	Facebook location page ID to geo-tag the post.
`share_to_feed`	bool	For Reels, also share to the main profile feed.
`cover_url`	string	Custom cover image URL for video or Reel posts.
`collaborators`	string or array	Instagram usernames to tag as collaborators. Leading `@` is stripped automatically. Accepts a single string, a comma-separated string, or a JSON array.
`video_cover_timestamp_ms`	number	Millisecond offset into the video to use as the cover frame. Ignored if `cover_url` is set.

SocialAPI forwards any additional keys in platform_data.instagram directly to the underlying platform API. These fields are not validated by SocialAPI and may break if the platform changes its API. See Instagram Publishing API reference for the full list of supported parameters.

Scheduling

Set schedule_at to an ISO 8601 timestamp (UTC) to defer publishing:

{
  "account_ids": ["acc_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J"],
  "text": "Scheduled caption",
  "media_ids": ["https://cdn.example.com/photo.jpg"],
  "schedule_at": "2026-04-15T10:00:00Z"
}

First comment

Set first_comment to a string to post an automated comment immediately after publish. This is best-effort: if the comment fails (for example due to a temporary rate limit), the post is still considered published.

{
  "account_ids": ["acc_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J"],
  "text": "New drop. Link in bio.",
  "media_ids": ["https://cdn.example.com/reel.mp4"],
  "first_comment": "Shop now: https://example.com/shop"
}

4. Update post

Instagram does not support editing a published post’s caption or media via the API. PATCH /v1/posts/:pid for an Instagram target returns 501 Not Implemented. If you need to correct a caption, delete the post and recreate it.

5. Delete post

curl -X DELETE https://api.social-api.ai/v1/posts/post_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY"

Or, to delete only the Instagram target of a cross-platform post:

curl -X DELETE "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/posts/post_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J?platform=instagram" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY"

Deletion calls DELETE /{ig-media-id} on the Meta Graph API. If the media ID no longer exists on Instagram, the API returns success.

6. Retrieve posts

Use GET /v1/posts to list posts. Filter by platform or account:

curl "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/posts?platform=instagram&account_ids=acc_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J&limit=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY"

Each post includes a targets array with per-platform status and engagement metrics:

{
  "id": "post_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J",
  "text": "Check out our new collection.",
  "status": "published",
  "targets": [
    {
      "platform": "instagram",
      "platform_post_id": "17895695668004550",
      "status": "published",
      "permalink": "https://www.instagram.com/p/ABC123/",
      "metrics": {
        "likes": 42,
        "comments": 5,
        "shares": 0,
        "saves": 0,
        "extra": null,
        "metrics_synced_at": "2026-04-10T12:00:00Z"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Metrics notes:

likes, comments, and shares are synced periodically from the Meta Graph API.
saves is not available from the Instagram API and is always 0.
shares is typically 0 for Instagram (the platform does not expose a public share count).
metrics_synced_at reflects when SocialAPI last refreshed the metrics from Instagram.

7. Quirks, errors, and recovery

Container polling

After creating a media container, SocialAPI polls the container status before publishing. Instagram processes images almost instantly, but videos and reels can take up to 60 seconds (12 attempts at 5-second intervals). If the container does not reach FINISHED within that window, the publish fails with 504 Gateway Timeout and the post target is marked failed. Because presigned S3 URLs do not reliably expose file extensions in the path, SocialAPI polls all containers unconditionally, not only video ones.

Carousel captions

Only the parent carousel container accepts a caption. Child item containers are created without captions. Passing a caption on a carousel child is silently ignored by the Meta Graph API; SocialAPI does not forward captions to child containers.

First comment is non-blocking

If first_comment is set and the comment fails after publish, the post remains published. The comment failure is logged but does not roll back or change the post status.

Stories expire

Instagram Stories expire 24 hours after posting. The post record in SocialAPI is not automatically removed when the story expires on Instagram.

Error shapes

When a publish fails, the post target’s error field contains a structured error:

{
  "code": "platform.instagram.api_error",
  "message": "The media could not be processed",
  "category": "platform",
  "caused_by": "platform"
}

Error code	Category	Caused by	Meaning
`platform.instagram.api_error`	`platform`	`platform`	Meta Graph API rejected the request. Check `message` for details.
`platform.instagram.rate_limit`	`rate_limit`	`platform`	Instagram rate limit hit. Retry after a delay.
`platform.instagram.auth`	`auth`	`platform`	Access token expired or revoked. Reconnect the account.

Recovery

Rate limit: Retry the post via POST /v1/posts/:pid/retry after waiting. SocialAPI applies exponential backoff for scheduled retries.
Auth error: Disconnect and reconnect the Instagram account through the OAuth flow to obtain a fresh token.
Container timeout: Usually caused by a large video file or a slow upstream URL. Re-upload the media and retry.

8. Full worked example

The following example publishes a Reel with a cover image, a collaborator tag, and a first comment. Step 1: Upload media

# Get a presigned upload URL
curl "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/media/upload-url?filename=reel.mp4&content_type=video/mp4" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY"

Response:

{
  "upload_url": "https://r2.example.com/media/reel.mp4?X-Amz-Signature=...",
  "media_id": "med_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J",
  "public_url": "https://cdn.example.com/media/reel.mp4"
}

Upload the file, then verify:

curl -X POST https://api.social-api.ai/v1/media/med_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J/verify \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY"

Step 2: Publish the post

curl -X POST https://api.social-api.ai/v1/posts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "account_ids": ["acc_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J"],
    "text": "Behind the scenes from our studio shoot. #bts #fashion",
    "media_ids": ["https://cdn.example.com/media/reel.mp4"],
    "first_comment": "Full video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=example",
    "platform_data": {
      "instagram": {
        "content_type": "reel",
        "share_to_feed": true,
        "cover_url": "https://cdn.example.com/media/reel-cover.jpg",
        "collaborators": "@partner_brand",
        "alt_text": "Studio shoot behind the scenes"
      }
    }
  }'

Step 3: Check status

curl "https://api.social-api.ai/v1/posts/post_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCAPI_KEY"

Response once published:

{
  "id": "post_01HZ9X3Q4R5M6N7P8V2K0W1J",
  "text": "Behind the scenes from our studio shoot. #bts #fashion",
  "status": "published",
  "targets": [
    {
      "platform": "instagram",
      "platform_post_id": "17895695668004550",
      "status": "published",
      "permalink": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/",
      "metrics": {
        "likes": 42,
        "comments": 5,
        "shares": 0,
        "saves": 0,
        "extra": null,
        "metrics_synced_at": "2026-04-10T12:00:00Z"
      }
    }
  ],
  "created_at": "2026-04-10T09:00:00Z",
  "published_at": "2026-04-10T09:00:47Z"
}

9. Required OAuth scopes

The following Meta app scopes must be approved for your application before publishing will work:

Scope	Purpose
`instagram_business_basic`	Read basic account info and media
`instagram_business_manage_comments`	Post and manage comments (required for first comment)
`instagram_business_manage_messages`	Send and receive DMs
`instagram_business_content_publish`	Create and publish media containers

All four scopes are required. If any scope is missing, container creation or publish calls will return a 400 or 403 from the Meta Graph API. To verify which scopes your connected account has, call GET /v1/accounts/:id/limits.

Posts

​1. Overview

​2. Supported media

​3. Create post

​Platform data fields

​Scheduling

​First comment

​4. Update post

​5. Delete post

​6. Retrieve posts

​7. Quirks, errors, and recovery

​Container polling

​Carousel captions

​First comment is non-blocking

​Stories expire

​Error shapes

​Recovery

​8. Full worked example

​9. Required OAuth scopes