> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.transcriptmagic.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Instagram

> Fetch transcripts from Instagram Reels, video posts, and IGTV with one REST call.

```http theme={null}
POST https://api.transcriptmagic.com/api/instagram/transcript
```

Reels (`/reel/…`), video posts (`/p/…`), and IGTV (`/tv/…`) URLs are all supported. Stories are not (they expire and don't have stable URLs).

## Request

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -X POST https://api.transcriptmagic.com/api/instagram/transcript \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/"}'
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import requests

  response = requests.post(
      "https://api.transcriptmagic.com/api/instagram/transcript",
      headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
      json={"url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/"},
  )

  data = response.json()
  # Instagram returns a `transcripts` array (plural) of {text} objects
  for seg in data.get("transcripts", []):
      print(seg["text"])
  ```

  ```javascript JavaScript theme={null}
  const response = await fetch("https://api.transcriptmagic.com/api/instagram/transcript", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({ url: "https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/" }),
  });

  const data = await response.json();
  // Instagram returns a `transcripts` array (plural) of {text} objects
  for (const seg of (data.transcripts || [])) {
    console.log(seg.text);
  }
  ```

  ```go Go theme={null}
  package main

  import (
  	"bytes"
  	"encoding/json"
  	"fmt"
  	"net/http"
  )

  func main() {
  	body, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]string{
  		"url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/",
  	})

  	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST",
  		"https://api.transcriptmagic.com/api/instagram/transcript",
  		bytes.NewBuffer(body))
  	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY")
  	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")

  	resp, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
  	defer resp.Body.Close()

  	var data struct {
  		Transcripts []struct {
  			Text string `json:"text"`
  		} `json:"transcripts"`
  	}
  	json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&data)
  	for _, seg := range data.Transcripts {
  		fmt.Println(seg.Text)
  	}
  }
  ```

  ```php PHP theme={null}
  <?php
  $ch = curl_init('https://api.transcriptmagic.com/api/instagram/transcript');

  curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
  curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
  curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
      'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
      'Content-Type: application/json',
  ]);
  curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode([
      'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/',
  ]));

  $response = curl_exec($ch);
  curl_close($ch);

  $data = json_decode($response, true);
  foreach (($data['transcripts'] ?? []) as $seg) {
      echo $seg['text'] . "\n";
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Response

```json theme={null}
{
  "success": true,
  "transcripts": [
    {
      "id": "3870781634534573841",
      "shortcode": "DW3x2NpigcR",
      "text": "Five things I wish I knew before I started this challenge..."
    }
  ],
  "credits": 995
}
```

Instagram returns its transcript as a `transcripts` array (note the **plural**). Each entry has `id`, `shortcode`, and `text`. The `text` field holds the full transcript as a single string — there is no per-line timing on this endpoint, no `transcript` (singular) field, and no `title`. Reels typically return a single entry; the array shape is preserved for potential future multi-segment responses.

## Supported URL formats

| Format     | Example                                       |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Reel       | `https://www.instagram.com/reel/<shortcode>/` |
| Video post | `https://www.instagram.com/p/<shortcode>/`    |
| IGTV       | `https://www.instagram.com/tv/<shortcode>/`   |

Stories are not supported because they expire and don't have stable, crawlable URLs.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do private Instagram accounts work?">
    No. Private accounts and stories behind a follow-gate aren't supported. Only publicly viewable Reels and posts can be transcribed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What about Instagram Stories?">
    Stories aren't supported because they expire and don't have stable, crawlable URLs. Reels and video posts are the supported formats.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does this work on carousels with multiple videos?">
    POST the URL of the specific video item in the carousel (Instagram exposes per-item URLs). The API transcribes the single video at that URL.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why no timestamps?">
    Instagram's upstream caption source emits plain text lines without timing metadata. If you need per-second timing, use the YouTube endpoint instead — it's the only platform on this API that returns `startMs`/`endMs` per segment.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>