Why does Instagram reject my media URL?

Instagram downloads the file itself, so the URL must serve the image directly. Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud share links return a web page and always fail. Upload through the Media API.

Can I delete a published post through the API?

Only on a Facebook Login connection. An Instagram Login connection returns MEDIA_DELETE_UNSUPPORTED, so choose Facebook Login up front if remote deletion is part of your product.

Can I publish text without an image?

No. Every Instagram post needs at least one media URL, so a text-only post is rejected before it reaches Instagram.

Which formats can I publish?

Feed photos, carousels of 2 to 10 items with images and videos mixed, Reels, and Stories. A video always publishes as a Reel and also appears in feed.

How many posts can I publish in a day?

Instagram allows roughly 100 API-published posts per rolling 24 hours across all content types, and the shared per-account velocity cap applies on top.

Can I hide or close comments on a post?

Yes. Comments can be listed, replied to, deleted, and hidden, and a post can be created with commentsEnabled: false to close the thread from the start.

Overview — Onepostly Docs

Schedule and automate Instagram posts with feed photos, carousels, Reels, and Stories, plus comment moderation and normalized analytics. Instagram Login needs no Facebook Page.

Page	Topics
Posts	Publish image, multi-image, Reels, Stories. Schedule, errors
Engagement	List, create, delete, hide comments; private replies
Inbox	Direct messages: list, read, send, webhooks
Analytics	Metrics for published media

Quick Reference

Property	Value
Caption limit	2,200 characters
Images per post	1 (feed), 10 (carousel)
Videos per post	1
Image formats	JPEG, PNG
Image max size	8 MB
Video formats	MP4, MOV
Video max size	300 MB (Reels), 100 MB (Stories)
Video max duration	90 sec (Reels), 60 sec (Story)
Post types	Feed, Carousel, Reel, Story
Scheduling	Yes, with IANA timezone
Editing published posts	No
Inbox (Comments)	Yes
Inbox (DMs)	Yes
Inbox (Comment automations)	No
Analytics	Yes

Before You Start

Instagram requires a Business or Creator account. Personal accounts cannot post via API, and there are no text-only posts. Every post needs at least one media URL.

Additional requirements:

Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and iCloud links do not work as media URLs. These services return HTML pages, not media files
Instagram enforces a rate limit of roughly 100 posts per 24-hour rolling window across all content types
The first ~125 characters of the caption are visible before the "more" fold
mediaKind: "video" always publishes as a Reel. Standalone feed video does not exist on this path
Stories get no captions, no comments, and no durable analytics

Connect

Instagram connects two ways. Pick the method when you start OAuth with the loginMethod query param; omitting it gives you Instagram Login.

Open Dashboard → Connections, pick Instagram, and choose Instagram Login or Facebook Login.

Complete the consent screen. Onepostly requests all scopes below in a single OAuth flow.

With Facebook Login, pick the linked Instagram account on the second step (or build your own with the headless flow).

Grab the account id from the connections list:

const { connections: list } = await connections.listConnections();
const ig = list.find((c) => c.platform === "instagram");
// ig.id is your accountId

If you later get a permission error on an action that should work, reconnect Instagram once.

OAuth Scopes

Scope	What it enables
`instagram_business_basic`	Account identity (id, username, avatar)
`instagram_business_content_publish`	Publish photos, carousels, Reels, and Stories
`instagram_business_manage_comments`	List, create, delete, and hide comments
`instagram_business_manage_insights`	Read media metrics
`instagram_business_manage_messages`	Instagram DMs in the inbox + private replies

The user authorizes a Facebook Page with a linked Instagram professional account. Use it when the customer manages Instagram through a Page, or when you need remote media delete.

Scope	What it enables
`instagram_basic`	Account identity
`instagram_content_publish`	Publish photos, carousels, Reels, and Stories
`instagram_manage_comments`	List, create, delete, and hide comments
`instagram_manage_insights`	Read media metrics
`instagram_manage_messages`	Instagram DMs in the inbox + private replies
`pages_show_list`	List Pages to find the linked account
`pages_read_engagement`	Read the linked Page
`business_management`	Resolve Pages owned through a Business Manager

Token Lifetime

Token	Lifetime	Behavior
Access token	~60 days	Refreshed automatically by Onepostly
Refresh token	No	Not used. The long-lived token renews itself. After expiry, revocation, or password change, reconnect the account

Capabilities

Action	Supported	Notes
Image post	Yes	Single image URL + optional caption
Multi-image	Yes	2 to 10 URLs, images and videos can be mixed
Video	Yes	Publishes as a Reel, also appears in feed
Stories	Yes	Image or video, ephemeral
Text-only post	No	Instagram requires at least one media URL
Schedule	Yes	Cancel any time before it publishes
Comments	Yes	List, create, delete, hide on feed, carousels, and Reels
Private reply (comment → DM)	Yes	One per comment, 7-day window
DMs	Yes	List, read, send text + attachments
Paid partnership + sponsors	Yes	Up to 2 sponsors (username or numeric id)
Turn comments off	Yes	`commentsEnabled: false`, best-effort
Analytics	Yes	Normalized metrics
Thread / quote	No	Not Instagram features
Remote media delete	Facebook Login only	Returns `MEDIA_DELETE_UNSUPPORTED` on Instagram Login
Like / unlike	No	Not available via the API

What You Can't Do

These features are not available through the Instagram API:

Text-only posts (media is required)
Story stickers (polls, questions, links, countdowns)
Going Live
Applying filters
Tagging products
Catalog audio on Reels
Remote-deleting published media on Instagram Login connections
Liking posts or comments

Overview