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instagram-api

An Instagram API alternative on fetcher.sh — pay-per-call in USDC via x402, or prepaid credits with a Bearer key, no login and no session cookies.

How to use

Copy the installation command and review the source package before installing it in your own agent environment.
Check the source document for required tools, credentials and supported hosts.
Describe your input and desired deliverable; review the output against the source material.

npx skills add https://github.com/fetcher-sh/fetcher-skills --skill instagram-api

Before you start

Installation does not include a model subscription, API allowance or permission to access your files.
Repository stars and installation counts describe activity, not an independent quality or security test.

Original skill document

Rendered from the source repository. Headings, examples, code, tables, links, and referenced images are preserved.

Instagram API

Instagram data on demand: profile lookup by @handle, posts, reels, stories, tagged posts, followers and followings, hashtag and location feeds, audio/music feeds, and post comments — one plain HTTP GET per call, paid as you go. No login, no session cookies, no headless browser, no Graph API business verification.

Base URL: https://instagram.fetcher.sh

Quick reference


Base URL	`https://instagram.fetcher.sh`
Auth	`Authorization: Bearer bby_live_...` or x402 (USDC)
Price	$0.004/call (flat)
Endpoints	16, all `GET`
MCP	`https://instagram.fetcher.sh/mcp`
Machine-readable	`/openapi.json` · `/llms.txt` · `/skill.md`

Which endpoint do I need?

I want to...	Call
Look up a profile by @handle	`GET /api/user/handle/{handle}`
Search accounts by name	`GET /api/user/search`
Get a user's posts, reels, or stories	`GET /api/user/{id}/posts` / `/reels` / `/stories`
Get a user's followers or followings	`GET /api/user/{id}/followers` / `/followings`
Look up a post by its share-URL shortcode	`GET /api/post/code/{code}`
Get a post's comments	`GET /api/post/{id}/comments`
Find posts under a hashtag	`GET /api/hashtag/{name}/posts`
Find posts tagged at a location	`GET /api/location/{id}/posts`

Full param details for every row: `references/endpoints.md`.

Authentication

Two ways to pay, same data — full mechanics in the `fetcher` skill:

bash

# 1. Prepaid credits (recommended — get a key at https://fetcher.sh/topup
#    or via POST /api/credits/topup, see the fetcher skill)
export FETCHER_API_KEY="bby_live_xxxxxxxxxxxx"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/handle/nasa"

# 2. x402 pay-per-call — omit the header; a GET with no payment returns 402
#    with machine-readable payment requirements (USDC on Base, Polygon,
#    Arbitrum, Monad, or Solana). @x402/fetch signs and retries automatically.

Every response is { "status": number, "message": string, "data": ... }; the HTTP status mirrors status.

Endpoints (16 — all GET, $0.004/call)

Endpoint	What it returns
`/api/user/handle/{handle}`	Full profile by @handle — follower counts, bio, numeric ID
`/api/user/search`	Profiles matching a keyword query
`/api/userid/{handle}`	Just the numeric user ID for a @handle
`/api/user/{id}`	Profile by numeric ID
`/api/user/{id}/posts`	A user's posts
`/api/user/{id}/posts/tagged`	Posts the user is tagged in
`/api/user/{id}/reels`	A user's reels
`/api/user/{id}/stories`	A user's active stories
`/api/user/{id}/followers`	A user's followers
`/api/user/{id}/followings`	Accounts a user follows
`/api/post/code/{code}`	A single post by its shortcode (from the post URL)
`/api/post/{id}/comments`	A post's comments
`/api/hashtag/{name}/posts`	Posts under a hashtag
`/api/hashtag/{name}/reels`	Reels under a hashtag
`/api/location/{id}/posts`	Posts tagged at a location
`/api/audio/{id}/posts`	Posts using a specific audio/music track

{id} / {handle} / {name} / {code} are path parameters. Optional cursor / page paginate; query (user search) is required where it appears.

Scenarios

Resolve a profile by handle — the endpoint most callers want first:

bash

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/handle/nasa"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/handle/natgeo"

Search for profiles by keyword, or resolve just the numeric ID for a handle:

bash

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  --data-urlencode "query=fitness influencer" -G \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/search"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/userid/nasa"

A profile's posts, reels, stories, and tagged posts (by numeric ID from the handle lookup above):

bash

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/528817151/posts"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/528817151/reels"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/528817151/stories"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/528817151/posts/tagged"

Followers and followings:

bash

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/528817151/followers"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/user/528817151/followings"

A single post by shortcode (the part of the URL after `/p/`), and its comments:

bash

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/post/code/C0JD3tntcmy"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/post/3245142029192513970/comments"

Posts and reels under a hashtag, posts from a location, and posts using an audio track:

bash

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/hashtag/travel/posts"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/hashtag/travel/reels"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/location/213131048/posts"

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHER_API_KEY" \
  "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/api/audio/271328201351336/posts"

MCP

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagram": {
      "url": "https://instagram.fetcher.sh/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer bby_live_..." }
    }
  }
}

Free: search_endpoints, describe_endpoint, check_balance. Paid: fetch_data (any endpoint above), topup_credits, plus the named shortcut instagram_user_handle. Drop the headers block to pay per call with x402 instead — see the `fetcher` skill for the full flow.

Errors

400 — missing/invalid parameter (message names it)
401 — unknown or rotated key
402 — payment required (x402 challenge) or topup_required (credits

exhausted)

404 — not a priced path
No rate limits; no refunds on upstream failures (settlement precedes

delivery)

Reference

Deep dives: `references/endpoints.md` (every

param) · `references/scenarios.md` (one curl per endpoint) · `references/faq.md` · `references/comparison.md` (vs. the official Instagram Graph API and a browser scraper)

Task guides: profile lookup ·

hashtag and location monitoring

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