What is Buffer's API?

Buffer's API is a way for other tools to talk to your Buffer account directly. An API (application programming interface) is simply a connection that lets one app send instructions to another. Instead of opening Buffer to create a post by hand, you can let another app, an automation workflow, or an AI assistant create and manage posts in your Buffer account for you.

In practice, it connects Buffer to the tools you already use, so repetitive posting tasks happen automatically. We still handle publishing to each social channel; the API is how your other tools hand content to Buffer.

Do I need to know how to code to use Buffer's API?

No, many people use Buffer's API without writing any code. You can connect Buffer to no-code automation tools like Zapier, Make, IFTTT, or n8n, or to AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT, using a visual setup. Some tools connect with a Connect button and no key at all, and others ask you to paste your API key. Developers who want to build a custom integration or their own agents can also work with the API directly.

Buffer's API is a good fit if you're:

a creator or marketer who wants to cut down on copy-and-paste work, like turning blog posts, files, or form submissions into Buffer posts
a team that wants content to flow into Buffer from one central place, such as a content calendar or planning doc
someone who wants to create or schedule posts by talking to an AI assistant in plain language
a developer or builder who wants to create your own agents, scripts, or apps that work with Buffer

Can I build my own agents, scripts, or apps with Buffer's API?

Yes. Beyond connecting Buffer to ready-made automation tools, you can build your own agents, scripts, and apps on top of Buffer's API. At a high level, there are three approaches:

Your own AI agents, through Buffer's MCP server. Buffer runs a standard MCP server (the protocol AI tools use to connect to outside services), so it works with any tool or AI client that supports MCP. That includes ready-made setups for Claude and Claude Code, ChatGPT and Codex, Cursor, Notion, Perplexity, Manus, Antigravity, Raycast, n8n, and Zapier. This is how you give an AI agent the ability to create and schedule posts in Buffer.
Scripts and quick automations, from your terminal. If you prefer working in the command line, Buffer offers a CLI for running API commands without building a full integration. See the Buffer CLI guide for setup.
Custom integrations, on the GraphQL API. For full control, you can build directly against Buffer's API in the language of your choice. The Buffer API Developer Documentation covers authentication, the full API reference, and code examples.

💡 Your AI agent will let you know if it's nearing Buffer's API rate limit. When you connect Buffer through an MCP client (Cursor, Antigravity, etc.), your agent gets a heads-up as it approaches the limit, so it can pace itself instead of hitting an error. If your agent says it's slowing down or waiting, that's expected. It'll pick back up once the limit resets.

For step-by-step setup of MCP and AI tools, see Connecting Buffer to automation tools and AI assistants in More resources below.

Which Buffer plans include API access?

API access is included on every Buffer plan. What changes by plan is how many API keys you can create and how many requests each one can make. Paid plans have access to more API keys and higher request limits.

Plan	API keys	App clients	Requests per 30 days
Free	1	1	3,000
Essentials	3	3	7,500
Team	5	5	15,000

📝 Good to knows:

API keys are personal, not shared across your team. They're tied to your user account, not the organization.
Currently, only an organization owner can create API keys. Members who try will be prompted to switch to an organization where they're an owner.
Limits apply per key or app client, and there are shorter 15-minute and 24-hour windows alongside the 30-day one. See Troubleshooting Buffer's API for the full details.
Are you a developer building an integration for multiple users and need higher limits? Email our developer support team at developersupport@buffer.com with a detailed overview of what you're building.

What can I do with Buffer's API?

Buffer's API is currently focused on creating content and managing ideas in your Buffer account. Here's what it supports today:

Create and edit posts, including text, media (images and videos via public link, not direct upload), and channel-specific features like first comment and threaded posts.
Create and list ideas: add ideas to your Buffer account to review later, and list your existing ideas and idea groups.
Fetch your data: retrieve information from your account programmatically, such as your organizations, channels, scheduled posts, and sent posts.

You can browse every available action in the Buffer API reference. For concrete workflow examples, like auto-sharing your blog or posting through an AI assistant, see What can I build with Buffer's API?.

📝 Note: Posts created via the API respect your channel permissions. If you're set to Requires Approval on a channel, posts created via the API are saved as drafts awaiting approval, just like in the Buffer dashboard.

Can I get my analytics or post insights through Buffer's API?

Not in a full or reliable way yet. We don't currently offer your analytics or insights data through the API the way the Insights section of Buffer does, and there's no analytics CSV export through the API. There is an early, experimental set of post-metrics queries in the Buffer API Developer Documentation, but because it's experimental the data can change, so we don't recommend relying on it for reporting or production tools. It's also personal use only: you read post metrics with your own API key, so it isn't available to apps that connect on someone else's behalf. If analytics access through the API matters to you, we'd love to hear about it at suggestions.buffer.com.

Buffer's API supports creating posts for Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Google Business Profiles, Mastodon, YouTube, Pinterest, and Bluesky.

We don't support Start Page through the API, so you can't create or edit Start Page posts programmatically.

What's not supported yet?

A few things Buffer's API doesn't support today, so you can plan around them:

Full analytics and insights. Only an experimental set of post metrics is available through the API today, and we don't recommend relying on it for reporting.
Reading or replying to comments. Engagement happens inside Buffer's engagement tools, not through the API.
Start Page. You can't create or edit Start Page posts through the API.
Custom video thumbnails. You can't supply your own thumbnail image for a video post. On Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, you can choose a moment from the video itself to use as the thumbnail instead.
Native media uploads. You can attach media to the Buffer posts created through our API, and each media upload must be hosted at a public URL. When you include an image or video, Buffer retrieves it from a public link rather than a direct file upload. The link also needs to stay reachable until the post publishes, not just when you create it. See Troubleshooting Buffer's API for hosting requirements.

We're always expanding the API. If something you need isn't here yet, we'd love to hear about it at suggestions.buffer.com.

How do I get started with Buffer's API?

Getting started takes two steps:

Create your Buffer API key. See How to create your Buffer API key.
Connect Buffer to your tool, or start building. See Connecting Buffer to automation tools and AI assistants.

For ideas on what to build once you're set up, see What can I build with Buffer's API? If you want to build a custom or more advanced integration, the Buffer API Developer Documentation covers authentication, the full API reference, and code examples.

How do I get help with Buffer's API?

For general questions about the API, email us at hello@buffer.com and our Advocacy team will be happy to help. If you're building something and want technical help, the Buffer developer Discord is a great place to ask other builders and the Buffer team. For reference material, the Buffer API Developer Documentation covers authentication, the full API reference, and code examples.

FAQ

Does Buffer have an API?

Yes. Buffer has a current API (a GraphQL API) available on all plans, including the Free plan. You can use it to create and schedule posts, manage ideas, and fetch data from your account, whether through no-code tools, an AI assistant, or a custom integration you build yourself.

Is Buffer's API free?

API access is included on every Buffer plan, including the Free plan. The Free plan allows 1 API key and 3,000 requests per 30 days; paid plans allow more keys and higher request limits.

Can I post Stories, Reels, or use channel-specific features through the API?

Many of them, yes. On Instagram you can set the post type, so posts, stories, and reels are all supported. Threaded posts work on X/Twitter, Bluesky, Threads, and Mastodon, and you can add a first comment on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Other channel-specific fields work too, like attaching a board to a Pinterest pin or tagging Instagram accounts on an image. Support still varies by channel and is expanding over time, so check the Buffer API reference for the exact fields each channel accepts.

Can I reply to comments or manage engagement through the API?

Not through the API. You can set a post's first comment when you create it, but reading and replying to comments happens inside Buffer's engagement tools rather than through the API.

Can I use Buffer's API to post to my clients' channels?

Yes. You can post to the client channels connected to your own Buffer account using your personal API key, like any other automation. If you're building an app that other people connect their own Buffer accounts to, use OAuth instead of a personal key, so your users can grant access without sharing credentials. See the authentication guide in the Buffer API Developer Documentation.

What is Buffer's API?

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