Instagram Reels Search API
Cascade: native (session residential + Android tag feed) → Decodo → Apify. Max 50. Flat 2 credits.
GET request to /v1/instagram/reels-search that responds with clean JSON and costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh. Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.What is the Instagram Reels Search API?
Send a hashtag (without the #) or keyword and get matching Reels as clean JSON — videos only. Cascade: native listing (Evomi/Webshare, then the session pool over sticky residential — never Railway DC — hitting i.instagram.com then www Polarıs) hydrates first; Decodo is skipped on a classified login wall; Apify's hashtag actor runs on miss even if APIFY_BLOCK_ENDPOINTS lists this path (permalink blocks stay). limit max 50. A wall miss with a last-good grid returns 200 stale (0 credits, 6h) instead of 502. Envelope stages match kick/clip. Hard 110s deadline. Optional datePosted. Flat 2 credits on a 200 with rows; empty is 0. Pass cache=true for the shared cache.
What you get
- engagement.views + viewsSource (discriminator tracks views)
- stages like kick/clip — skipped means that provider never started
- requested / listingHits / hydrateFailures / hydrateSkipped / truncatedReason
- limit max 50; last-good stale 200 (0 credits) on wall; 110s hang → 502 only with no snapshot
Try it
Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request, or open the live Playground to run it against your account (no API key paste).
Parameters
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/instagram/reels-search?q=travel" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."Edit the parameters and the code updates instantly. Switch languages and hit copy.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"query": "travel",
"totalReturned": 2,
"results": [
{
"platform": "instagram",
"url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DayDvvttHtI/",
"id": "3941229099090213704",
"postType": "Video",
"productType": "clips",
"caption": "🌊 Kıbrıs’ın en yeni aquaparkını keşfettim! 😍\nKaydıraklar, çocuk alanı ve yazın serinlemek için tam bir kaçış noktası. 💦☀️\n\nAquaparkın giriş ücreti, konumu için yoruma \"BİLGİ\" yazman yeterli! 📩💦\n\n📍 Kıbrıs’taki en güzel mekanlar ve keşifler için takip etmeyi unutma. \n\n#reels #viral #fyp #travel #travelreels",
"description": "🌊 Kıbrıs’ın en yeni aquaparkını keşfettim! 😍\nKaydıraklar, çocuk alanı ve yazın serinlemek için tam bir kaçış noktası. 💦☀️\n\nAquaparkın giriş ücreti, konumu için yoruma \"BİLGİ\" yazman yeterli! 📩💦\n\n📍 Kıbrıs’taki en güzel mekanlar ve keşifler için takip etmeyi unutma. \n\n#reels #viral #fyp #travel #travelreels",
"publishedAt": "2026-07-14T17:47:27.000Z",
"durationSeconds": 12.333,
"thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/746421066_18088964012323578_1371556212593119396_n.jpg?...",
"videoUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQPRKXt1G6vrSNMtCD3y4roRhkZUU-SMO5R75U3-eAFEbtFGU6IzDJptEbfwWLTINTa9ZX5y-KO_OvBo4mp57r_n0PDYo7Wj368K6KU.mp4?...",
"author": {
"username": "bencekibris",
"displayName": "Melisa Yıldırım",
"url": "https://instagram.com/bencekibris"
},
"engagement": {
"views": 37937,
"likes": 297,
"comments": 641,
"viewsInstagram": 30350,
"viewsFacebook": 7587
},
"hashtags": [
"reels",
"viral"
],
"mentions": [],
"isPaidPartnership": false,
"isAd": false,
"isAffiliate": false
},
{
"platform": "instagram",
"url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DazJr5PBcC3/",
"id": "3941536697690734775",
"postType": "Video",
"productType": "clips",
"caption": "It’s officially Hot summer night in mid July just like miss #lanadelray said #hotsummernights #midjuly #travel",
"description": "It’s officially Hot summer night in mid July just like miss #lanadelray said #hotsummernights #midjuly #travel",
"publishedAt": "2026-07-15T03:58:01.000Z",
"durationSeconds": 16.972,
"thumbnailUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/746042012_18609462409002256_3222197168337217329_n.jpg?...",
"videoUrl": "https://scontent-cph2-1.cdninstagram.com/o1/v/t2/f2/m86/AQNjviBRPVEuheQRRrMOf2adQ6sKXUyWQeRvrbuKRr3QVWU2sUiizNhM7M5gYgXUSNGk-cDMur_ViWKTYaYps7oQxcxCqohZg4xAuzw.mp4?...",
"author": {
"username": "rammyun",
"displayName": "⠀⠀⠀✨Ram | 람 Lam 🌎",
"url": "https://instagram.com/rammyun"
},
"engagement": {
"views": 5572,
"likes": 378,
"comments": 12,
"viewsInstagram": 4458,
"viewsFacebook": 1114
},
"hashtags": [
"lanadelray",
"hotsummernights"
],
"mentions": [],
"isPaidPartnership": false,
"isAd": false,
"isAffiliate": false
}
]
}
}Billing metadata is returned in response headers: X-Captapi-Credits (credits charged), X-Captapi-Cache (hit or miss), and X-Captapi-Source. Failed requests (4xx/5xx) are never charged. See the full list of error codes in the error reference.
Response structure
A successful call returns success and a data object with the following fields:
Top-level fields
queryThe search query you sent.totalReturnedNumber of items returned in this response.
Results
Each item in results contains:
platformPlatform identifier for this response (matches the endpoint's platform).urlCanonical URL of the item.idId of this results item.postTypeContent type. YouTube community: "text" | "image" | "poll" | "video" | "playlist" | "quiz". Instagram: "image" | "video" | "carousel".productTypePlatform product type (e.g. clips, feed). Null when not applicable (image/carousel) — never an empty string.captionPost or creative caption when the platform exposes one.descriptionDescription of this results item.publishedAtPublish date (ISO 8601) when the platform exposes an absolute timestamp.durationSecondsLength in seconds for this item (full media length, or a segment span when the endpoint documents a start/end).thumbnailUrlThumbnail image URL.videoUrlPlayback URL when the platform exposes one. Content type varies by platform — check videoType (hls vs mp4) before treating it as a downloadable file.authorAuthor name or handle.engagementEngagement metrics for the item.hashtagsHashtags extracted from the text.mentionsAccounts mentioned in the text.isPaidPartnershipIs paid partnership. Example: false.isAdWhether the item is a paid promotion.isAffiliateWhether the channel is an affiliate.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| q | string | Yes | Hashtag (without #) or keyword (min 2 characters). |
| limit | integer | No | Max items to return (default 20, max 50). Flat 2 credits per call. |
| datePosted | string | No | last_24_hours | last_week | last_month | last_year (aliases: today, this_week, this_month, this_year). |
| cache | boolean | No | Set true to serve from the 24h response cache (0 credits on hit). Default false — always fetch fresh. |
Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.
instagram_reels_search via @captapi/mcp. Set it up →How it works
- 1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
- 2. Create a key from your dashboard.
- 3. Send one request to
/v1/instagram/reels-searchand parse the JSON response.
Use cases
Trend Discovery
Find trending content by keyword or hashtag.
Content Sourcing
Build feeds and playlists programmatically.
Monitoring
Track topics, brands, and competitors.
Research
Sample large sets of content for analysis.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Instagram Reels Search API do?+
The Instagram Reels Search API lets you search and return matching results from a public Instagram query using one GET request to /v1/instagram/reels-search. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.
How many credits does the Instagram Reels Search API cost?+
Each successful call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Failed or empty results are never charged.
Do I need a Instagram API key or OAuth?+
No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.
Why did Playground sit on Fetching… for 110 seconds and return a timeout 502?+
Decodo used to consume the whole 110s ceiling, so hydrate and Apify never started. Native (Evomi/Webshare + session sticky-residential) is first; Decodo is capped at 12s and skipped on a login wall; Apify listing is last and cannot be killed by APIFY_BLOCK_ENDPOINTS. A hang with a last-good grid is 200 stale at 0 credits; 502 timeout only when there is no snapshot.
I asked for 30 Reels and got 25. Were 5 lost?+
Read hydrateFailures and hydrateSkipped. listingHits is the winning path's count (not a promise that native listed 20 and Apify still ran). hydrateFailures did not become a row (TLS / login wall / not a video); hydrateSkipped were queued but the deadline cut them. requested / listingHits / hydrateFailures / hydrateSkipped / totalReturned is the identity.
Is reels-search a pipeline? Why do I see Apify time on a 20-hit response?+
Cascade, not pipeline. Native (Evomi/Webshare, then session sticky-residential + Android i.instagram.com) hydrates first; Decodo is skipped on a classified login wall; Apify's hashtag actor is last and cannot be killed by APIFY_BLOCK_ENDPOINTS. source names who served the body. listingHits is the winning path's count. A wall with a last-good grid is 200 stale at 0 credits.
Is the Instagram Reels Search API suitable for production use?+
Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.
More Instagram APIs
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