To publish Pins with the Pinterest API v5, your app needs Standard access: Trial access creates sandbox Pins only their creator can see. Ask for Standard with a video of your app completing the OAuth flow, request the boards and pins read and write scopes, then call POST /v5/pins. Video Pins are uploaded through /v5/media first.
Key takeaways
- Trial access creates sandbox Pins and boards that only their creator can see; publishing for real needs Standard access.
- Standard needs a video of your app completing an action through the API, OAuth flow included, even if you are its only user.
- Creating a Pin needs boards:read, boards:write, pins:read and pins:write.
- Standard allows 100 requests a second per user per app, with per-minute caps by category: 100 a minute for Pin and board writes.
- Apps registered on or after 14 September 2026 can get a 403 PINNER_DATA_ACCESS_DENIED error on non-business users’ boards and Pins.
On this page
What is the difference between Trial and Standard access?
Every approved app starts on Trial. Pins and boards it creates are sandbox entities that only their creator can see, so nothing reaches a live profile. To publish for real, click Upgrade on the app in My apps, confirm your use case and privacy policy, and upload a video of your app completing an action through the API, OAuth flow included. Pinterest asks for the video even when you are the only user, and accepts a screen recording of terminal or Postman calls. Requests are reviewed regularly and the decision comes by email; no turnaround time is published. The publishing API access matrix compares this with the other networks.
| Trial access | Standard access | |
|---|---|---|
| Pins and boards you create | Visible only to their creator (sandbox) | Public on the profile |
| Overall rate limit | 1,000 requests a day | 100 requests a second per user per app |
| Pin and board writes (org_write) | 300 a day | 100 a minute |
| How you get it | Default when your app is approved | Upgrade request with a video demo |
Which scopes does creating a Pin need?
Four: boards:read, boards:write, pins:read and pins:write. Pinterest lists all four for creating boards and Pins, and the POST /v5/pins reference asks for the same set; pins:write on its own is not enough, because a Pin is saved to a board.
What are the Pinterest API v5 rate limits?
On top of the categories, Trial apps are capped at 1,000 requests a day and Standard apps at 100 requests a second per user per app. Pinterest says every limit is subject to change without notice, and each response carries x-ratelimit-limit, x-ratelimit-remaining and x-ratelimit-reset headers so you can back off before you hit one.
| Category | What it covers | Trial | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| org_write | Creating, editing or deleting boards, sections and Pins | 300 | 100 |
| org_read | Reading accounts, boards, sections and Pins | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| org_analytics | Account analytics and top Pins | 1,000 | 60 |
| ads_write | Creating or editing ad entities | 300 | 400 |
| ads_read | Reading ads, campaigns and ad accounts | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| catalogs_write | Creating or changing catalog items | 1,000 | 100 |
How do you upload a video Pin through the API?
Processing normally takes a few seconds, but until it finishes a video Pin’s creative_type can read REGULAR instead of VIDEO, so wait for succeeded before you check it. A key-frame time past the end of the video uses the last frame.
Register the upload
POST /v5/media with media_type video returns a media_id, an upload_url and upload_parameters.
Upload the file
POST the video to the upload_url as multipart form data with every upload parameter.
Wait for processing
Poll GET /v5/media/{media_id} until the status reads succeeded; failed means start again.
Create the Pin
POST /v5/pins with source_type video_id, the media_id and a cover: an image URL, Base64 image data or a key-frame time.
What limits should you know before a bulk job?
Personal accounts can hold up to 2,000 boards and 200,000 Pins, secret Pins and group-board Pins included. A Pin created with is_removable set to true becomes an ad-only Pin in an "Ad-only Pins" board instead of the board you named, and cannot be repinned. And if your app was registered on or after 14 September 2026, reading a board or Pin of a non-business user without Pinterest’s authorization can return HTTP 403 PINNER_DATA_ACCESS_DENIED.
If you would rather not build this, SkedCast publishes image and video Pins through API v5 for you: it uploads the video, waits for processing and sets the cover from your image or a frame you pick. The Pinterest scheduler covers boards, sections and links, and how the Pinterest algorithm works covers what happens after a Pin goes live.
Sources
FAQ
- What is the difference between Pinterest Trial and Standard API access?
- Trial creates sandbox Pins and boards only their creator can see, with 1,000 requests a day. Standard publishes to the live profile and allows 100 requests a second per user per app; it needs an upgrade request with a video demo.
- What OAuth scopes does creating a Pin require?
- boards:read, boards:write, pins:read and pins:write. pins:write alone is not enough, because every Pin is saved to a board.
- How long does Pinterest take to approve Standard access?
- Pinterest publishes no turnaround time. It says upgrade requests are reviewed regularly and the decision arrives by email.
- What are Pinterest API v5’s rate limits?
- Trial: 1,000 requests a day, 300 a day for Pin and board writes. Standard: 100 requests a second per user per app, and 100 a minute for Pin and board writes.
- How do you upload a video Pin through the API?
- Register it with POST /v5/media, upload the file to the returned URL, poll GET /v5/media/{id} until it reads succeeded, then create the Pin with the media id and a cover image, Base64 image or key-frame time.
- What does PINNER_DATA_ACCESS_DENIED mean?
- Apps registered on or after 14 September 2026 can get this 403 error when they request a non-business user’s board or Pin without Pinterest’s authorization.
- How many boards and Pins can a personal account have?
- Up to 2,000 boards and 200,000 Pins, including secret Pins and your Pins on group boards.