keyapi-instagram-content-discovery
Explore and discover Instagram content at scale — search posts, Reels, hashtags, music, and locations to surface trends, audience signals, and content intelligence.
This skill enables deep content discovery on Instagram using the KeyAPI MCP service. It supports ID conversion between shortcodes and media IDs, detailed post inspection, comment and reply analysis, hashtag and music-based content search, Explore page browsing, and geo-targeted location discovery — all backed by real-time data.
Use this skill when you need to:
- Fetch full post details including engagement metrics, caption, and media data
- Analyze comments and nested replies for audience sentiment and topic signals
- Discover trending or niche content by hashtag, music track, or keyword
- Explore Instagram's Explore page to identify surfaced content categories
- Search for related hashtags, places, music, and Reels by keyword
- Identify content popularity signals for a specific song or audio track
- Perform geo-based location searches for hyper-local content research
Prerequisites
| Requirement | Details |
|---|
| KEYAPI_TOKEN | A valid API token from keyapi.ai. If you don't have one, register at the site to obtain your free token. Set it as an environment variable: export KEYAPI_TOKEN=your_token_here |
| Node.js | v18 or higher |
| Dependencies | Run npm install in the skill directory to install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk |
MCP Server Configuration
All tool calls in this skill target the KeyAPI Instagram MCP server:
Server URL : https://mcp.keyapi.ai/instagram/mcp
Auth Header: Authorization: Bearer $KEYAPI_TOKEN
Setup (one-time):
# 1. Install dependencies
npm install
# 2. Set your API token (get one free at https://keyapi.ai/)
export KEYAPI_TOKEN=your_token_here
# 3. List all available tools to verify the connection
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --list-tools
Analysis Scenarios
Post & Comment Nodes
| User Need | Node(s) | Best For |
|---|
| Convert post shortcode → media ID | convert_shortcode_to_media_id | ID normalization; shortcode is the string in instagram.com/p/{shortcode}/ |
| Convert media ID → shortcode | convert_media_id_to_shortcode | Reverse lookup; construct post URL from a numeric media ID |
| Full post details (metrics, caption, media) | get_post_info | Post audit, engagement snapshot — accepts shortcode or full URL |
| Users who liked a post | get_post_likes | Engagement quality sampling, audience analysis |
| Top-level comments on a post | get_post_comments | Audience sentiment, comment volume analysis — sortable by recent or popular |
| Replies to a specific comment | get_comment_replies | Conversation thread depth, nested engagement analysis |
Explore & Hashtag Nodes
| User Need | Node(s) | Best For |
|---|
| List Explore page content sections | get_explore_page_sections | Discover available content categories on the Explore page |
| Posts inside a specific Explore section | get_posts_by_section | Browse curated Explore content by category — requires section_id from get_explore_page_sections |
| Posts under a hashtag | get_posts_by_hashtag | Hashtag content research — pass hashtag name without # |
| Posts / Reels using a specific music track | get_posts_using_specific_music | Music trend analysis, sound-to-content attribution |
Search Nodes
| User Need | Node(s) | Best For |
|---|
| General keyword search (users, hashtags, places) | general_search | Broad multi-category discovery from a single query |
| Search hashtags by keyword | search_hashtags | Hashtag discovery, volume and relevance ranking |
| Search places / locations by keyword | search_places | Location-based content strategy, venue discovery |
| Search Reels by keyword | search_reels | Reels trend research — keyword must be passed as a JSON array |
| Search music by keyword | search_music | Audio trend discovery, sound sourcing for content creation |
| Search locations near GPS coordinates | search_locations_by_coordinates | Hyperlocal content strategy, geo-targeted discovery |
| Get cities / regions for a country | get_cities_by_country | Geographic market mapping, city-level targeting |
Workflow
Step 1 — Identify the Discovery Objective and Select Nodes
Clarify the user's goal and map it to one or more nodes. Common research patterns:
- Post analysis: Resolve identifiers with
convert_shortcode_to_media_id if needed → get_post_info → deepen with get_post_likes + get_post_comments.
- Comment thread analysis:
get_post_comments → get_comment_replies for top comment threads.
- Hashtag content research:
search_hashtags to discover relevant tags → get_posts_by_hashtag for content within each tag.
- Music content attribution:
search_music to find a track → get_posts_using_specific_music with the returned music_id.
- Explore page research:
get_explore_page_sections to list sections → get_posts_by_section to browse content in target sections.
- Geo-local discovery:
search_locations_by_coordinates with latitude/longitude → search_places for city-level context.
- Reels keyword research:
search_reels with keyword array → cross-reference with get_posts_by_hashtag for hashtag overlap.
Step 2 — Retrieve API Schema
Before calling any node, inspect its input schema to confirm required parameters, data types, and valid options:
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --schema <tool_name>
# Examples
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --schema get_post_comments
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --schema search_reels
Step 3 — Call APIs and Cache Results Locally
Execute tool calls and persist responses to the local cache.
Calling a tool:
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool <tool_name> \
--params '<json_args>' --pretty
# Skip cache for fresh results
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool <tool_name> \
--params '<json_args>' --no-cache --pretty
Example — get post details:
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool get_post_info \
--params '{"code_or_url":"DRhvwVLAHAG"}' --pretty
Example — get comments (sorted by most popular):
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool get_post_comments \
--params '{"code_or_url":"DRhvwVLAHAG","sort_by":"popular"}' --pretty
Example — get replies to a specific comment:
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool get_comment_replies \
--params '{"code_or_url":"DRhvwVLAHAG","comment_id":"18067775592012345"}' --pretty
Example — get posts under a hashtag:
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool get_posts_by_hashtag \
--params '{"hashtag":"travel"}' --pretty
Example — search Reels (keyword as array):
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool search_reels \
--params '{"keyword":["fitness"]}' --pretty
Example — find posts using a music track:
# First: search for the music to get music_id
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool search_music \
--params '{"keyword":"happy"}' --pretty
# Then: get posts using that track
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool get_posts_using_specific_music \
--params '{"music_id":"564058920086577"}' --pretty
Pagination:
Instagram content endpoints use token- or cursor-based pagination — not numeric page numbers.
| Endpoint | Pagination parameter | Notes |
|---|
get_post_comments, get_comment_replies, search_reels, general_search | pagination_token | Pass token from previous response |
get_post_likes, get_posts_by_hashtag | end_cursor | Pass cursor from previous response |
get_posts_using_specific_music, get_posts_by_section | max_id | Pass cursor from previous response; leave empty for first call |
get_cities_by_country | page (integer) | Numeric, starts at 1 |
convert_*, get_post_info, get_explore_page_sections, search_hashtags, search_places, search_music, search_locations_by_coordinates | — | Single-call or non-paginated |
search_reels keyword type: The keyword parameter is a JSON array, not a plain string. Always pass it as an array: ["keyword"].
Explore page workflow:
# Step 1: list available sections
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool get_explore_page_sections \
--params '{}' --pretty
# Step 2: browse posts in a specific section (use section_id from Step 1)
node scripts/run.js --platform instagram --tool get_posts_by_section \
--params '{"section_id":"10156104410190727","count":20}' --pretty
Cache directory structure:
.keyapi-cache/
└── YYYY-MM-DD/
├── convert_shortcode_to_media_id/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── convert_media_id_to_shortcode/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── get_post_info/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── get_post_likes/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── get_post_comments/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── get_comment_replies/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── get_explore_page_sections/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── get_posts_by_section/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── get_posts_by_hashtag/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── get_posts_using_specific_music/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── general_search/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── search_hashtags/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── search_places/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── search_reels/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── search_music/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
├── search_locations_by_coordinates/
│ └── {params_hash}.json
└── get_cities_by_country/
└── {params_hash}.json
Cache-first policy:
Before every API call, check whether a cached result already exists for the given parameters. If a valid cache file exists, load from disk and skip the API call.
Step 4 — Synthesize and Report Findings
After collecting all API responses, produce a structured content intelligence report:
For post analysis:
- Post Overview — Shortcode, media type (photo/video/carousel), caption, publish date, like count, comment count, views (if video).
- Engagement Analysis — Like-to-comment ratio, top commenters, sentiment signals from comment keywords.
- Comment Thread Insights — Most replied-to comments, key discussion themes, brand or product mentions.
- Audience Signals — Who is engaging, public account patterns where available.
For hashtag / topic research:
- Hashtag Profile — Name, post volume, top recent posts.
- Content Patterns — Common media types, caption styles, co-occurring hashtags.
- Music Attribution — Tracks driving Reels content within the hashtag.
- Opportunity Assessment — Saturation vs. engagement quality, optimal posting windows.
For music research:
- Track Overview — Title, artist, music ID, total usage count.
- Content Fit — Types of posts using this track, associated hashtags, creator tier distribution.
- Trend Direction — Growth or decline in adoption by comparing page depths.
For location / geo research:
- Location Index — Place names, IDs, coverage radius.
- Local Content — Top posts geotagged to target area, thematic clusters.
- City / Region Map — Available cities per country for campaign geo-targeting.
Common Rules
| Rule | Detail |
|---|
search_reels keyword | The keyword parameter is an array type — always pass as a JSON array: ["your_keyword"]. Passing a plain string will cause a schema validation error. |
| Post identification | get_post_info, get_post_likes, get_post_comments, and get_comment_replies all accept either a shortcode (e.g., DRhvwVLAHAG) or a full post URL as code_or_url. |
| Comment replies workflow | Always call get_post_comments first to obtain comment_id values before calling get_comment_replies. |
| Explore sections workflow | Always call get_explore_page_sections first to obtain section_id values before calling get_posts_by_section. |
| Hashtag format | Pass hashtag names without the # symbol to get_posts_by_hashtag and search_hashtags. |
| Music identification | get_posts_using_specific_music accepts either music_id or music_url — pass one, not both. |
| Pagination diversity | Different endpoints use different pagination tokens (pagination_token, end_cursor, max_id). Always use the correct parameter for each endpoint. |
| Success check | code = 0 → success. Any other value → failure. Always check the response code before processing data. |
| Retry on 500 | If code = 500, retry the identical request up to 3 times with a 2–3 second pause between attempts before reporting the error. |
| Cache first | Always check the local .keyapi-cache/ directory before issuing a live API call. |
Error Handling
| Code | Meaning | Action |
|---|
0 | Success | Continue workflow normally |
400 | Bad request — invalid or missing parameters | Validate input against the tool schema; check keyword array type for search_reels, code_or_url format, and required IDs |
401 | Unauthorized — token missing or expired | Confirm KEYAPI_TOKEN is set correctly; visit keyapi.ai to renew |
403 | Forbidden — plan quota exceeded or feature restricted | Review plan limits at keyapi.ai |
404 | Resource not found — post or hashtag may have been deleted or made private | Verify the shortcode/URL or hashtag name; the content may no longer be public |
429 | Rate limit exceeded | Wait 60 seconds, then retry |
500 | Internal server error | Retry up to 3 times with a 2–3 second pause; if it persists, log the full request and response and skip this node |
| Other non-0 | Unexpected error | Log the full response body and surface the error message to the user |