Scheduling to Instagram through SkedCast's API#
SkedCast's /v1 REST API schedules feed image, carousel, Reel, story, and video to Instagram the same way it does every other platform: one POST https://api.skedcast.com/v1/posts call with a content caption and a targets block naming the connected accounts. You need an Instagram professional (Business or Creator) account connected via Instagram Login, connected once through the console (or minted as a self-serve connect link via POST /v1/clients/:id/connect-invites).
SkedCast is not a raw wrapper over Instagram's own developer API — it is one versioned, platform-agnostic contract that fans a single compose call out across every connected network, with the Instagram-specific fields listed below folded into the same request shape.
Example: schedule a post to Instagram#
{
"clientId": "…",
"content": "Scientists just made the unmakeable crystal.\n#nanotech",
"targets": { "mode": "accounts", "accountIds": ["…"] },
"schedule": { "type": "at", "at": "2026-10-01T09:00:00" }
}Instagram facts#
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Max caption length | 2,200 characters |
| Media per post | up to 10 media items per post (carousel), publicly fetchable URLs only (no direct upload) — our adapter's two-step container publish flow. |
| Native platform scheduling | No — SkedCast's managed engine holds the timer |
| SkedCast's default pacing | 80 posts/day, ~15 min apart per account (conservative anti-ban default — not Instagram's own published rate limit; see the rate-limit guide below) |
Published-post URL (permalink) | read live from Instagram (GET /{id}?fields=permalink) once the target reaches published — Instagram shortcodes cannot be derived from the stored id. |
Reading status and results#
GET https://api.skedcast.com/v1/post-targets/:id returns the Instagram target's status (scheduled, published, failed, …), plus error, statusReason, and retryAt when it's parked waiting on something — SkedCast's own pacing, a platform rate limit, or media still transcoding, each with its own machine-readable reason. Once published, externalId and permalink (see the table above) point at the live post.
- Subscribe to
target.published/target.failedwebhooks (or the legacypost.*pair) instead of polling — see [Webhooks](/developers/webhooks). - Or connect an MCP client and ask an agent to check — see [Connect an AI agent](/mcp).
FAQ
- What can I schedule to Instagram through the API?
- Instagram posts of type: feed image, carousel, Reel, story, and video, via one `POST https://api.skedcast.com/v1/posts` call — the same endpoint used for every other connected platform.
- Does the Instagram API need a Business or Creator account?
- Yes. Instagram's API (Instagram Login) only publishes through a professional account — personal accounts cannot be connected. Connect it once in the console or via `POST /v1/clients/:id/connect-invites`, then schedule through `POST /v1/posts` like any other platform.
- How do I authenticate against the Instagram API endpoint?
- The same way as every `/v1` route: an API key (`Authorization: Bearer sked_live_…`) or an OAuth 2.1 bearer token, scoped to `posts.compose` to schedule and `posts.read` to read back status. See Authentication.