Instagram MCP Server

A hosted MCP server that gives your agent Instagram search and posts, with every image and video parsed to text.

Endpoint: https://instapi.co/mcp (streamable HTTP). Auth: Authorization: Bearer sk_instapi_.... Get a key with 10 free credits.

Tools

Tool	Cost	What it does
`get_started`	free	Explains signup, keys and credits. Works without a key.
`instagram_search`	1 credit	Search Instagram users, hashtags and places by keyword
`instagram_user_profile`	1 credit	Bio, links, follower counts and account flags for a username
`instagram_user_posts`	1 credit	Recent posts for a username, with images and videos described in text

Field-level details are in the API docs. The same key and credits work over REST.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http instapi https://instapi.co/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer sk_instapi_..."

Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instapi": {
      "url": "https://instapi.co/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:INSTAPI_KEY}" }
    }
  }
}

Set INSTAPI_KEY in your shell profile, or paste the key in place of the variable.

VS Code

Add to .vscode/mcp.json. VS Code prompts for the key once and stores it securely.

{
  "inputs": [
    { "type": "promptString", "id": "instapi-key", "description": "instapi API key", "password": true }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "instapi": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://instapi.co/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:instapi-key}" }
    }
  }
}

Codex

Add to ~/.codex/config.toml and export INSTAPI_KEY:

[mcp_servers.instapi]
url = "https://instapi.co/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "INSTAPI_KEY"

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop's config file runs local servers, so bridge to the hosted endpoint with mcp-remote in claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["mcp-remote", "https://instapi.co/mcp", "--header", "Authorization:${INSTAPI_AUTH}"],
      "env": { "INSTAPI_AUTH": "Bearer sk_instapi_..." }
    }
  }
}

Any other MCP client

Point it at https://instapi.co/mcp as a streamable HTTP server and send the Authorization header. Clients without a key can still list tools and call get_started.

Things to ask your agent

"Find the Instagram account for Blue Bottle Coffee and summarize its last 10 posts."
"What has @nasa posted this week, and which post got the most likes?"
"Search Instagram for ceramic studios in Oakland and list the verified ones."
"Describe what's in the photos on @patagonia's pinned posts."

Why a hosted Instagram MCP server

Nothing to install or keep running.
No Instagram login or session cookies on your machine.
No Meta developer app or app review. Works for any public account, not only ones you manage.
Images and videos come back as text, so any model can read them.

More on why agents can't use instagram.com or the official API directly: Instagram API for AI agents.

Pricing

10 free credits on signup, then $1 per 100 credits. 1 tool call = 1 credit. get_started is free.