Instagram Scraper
Setup
Read scrapecreators-api first. Execute every operation below through the runtime it selects: the GooseWorks MCP tool in terminal-free clients, the GooseWorks CLI in a local terminal, or the direct API with the user's own key. Never assume a shell is available.
Scrape public Instagram data including profiles, posts, and reels.
When to Use
- User asks about Instagram content
- User wants to see posts from an account
- Social media research
How It Works
Uses the ScrapeCreators API through its direct GooseWorks proxy.
Usage
Get User Profile & Posts
provider: scrapecreators
method: GET
path: /v1/instagram/profile
query:
handle: openai
Get Individual Post/Reel
provider: scrapecreators
method: GET
path: /v1/instagram/post
query:
url: https://instagram.com/p/abc123
Get Basic Profile by User ID
provider: scrapecreators
method: GET
path: /v1/instagram/basic-profile
query:
userId: "12345"
Parameters
Profile
- handle (required) - Instagram handle (without @)
- trim (optional) - Set to "true" for a trimmed response
Post/Reel
- url (required) - Instagram post or reel URL
- trim (optional) - Set to "true" for a trimmed response
Basic Profile
- userId (optional) - Instagram user ID
Response
Profile includes:
- Username, display name, bio
- Follower/following counts
- Recent posts with captions, URLs, engagement metrics
- Profile image
Post includes:
- Post caption
- Image/video URLs
- Like count
- Comment count
- Timestamp
Examples
User: "What's OpenAI posting on Instagram?"
Use the Get User Profile & Posts operation with handle: openai.
User: "Get details on this Instagram post" Use the Get Individual Post/Reel operation with the supplied post URL.
Error Handling
- success: false — the API may temporarily fail; retry after a few seconds
- Private accounts cannot be accessed — no workaround
- Rate limiting may cause failures on rapid requests — add delays between calls
Tips
- Private accounts cannot be accessed
- Remove @ from handles
- API may return errors for rate limiting - retry after a few seconds