> **For coding agents and LLMs:** This is one page from the Social Fetch docs (markdown export). For curated orientation and workflow guidance, start with [`/llms.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.txt); for agent onboarding and crawl rules, use [`/agents.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/agents.txt); for the full endpoint list with links to pages like this one, use [`/llms-endpoints.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-endpoints.txt); for one platform's parameters and curls, use [`/llms-{platform}.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-tiktok.txt); use [`/llms.json`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.json) when you need structured JSON for tool registration.

## This page

- **On-site (HTML):** [https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/instagram/search/get](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/instagram/search/get)
- **Markdown (.mdx) URL:** [https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/instagram/search/get.mdx](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/instagram/search/get.mdx)

## API base URL and authentication

- **API origin (from OpenAPI `servers`):** `https://api.socialfetch.dev`
- **Authentication:** send `x-api-key: sfk_...` on `/v1/**` routes unless the operation is explicitly anonymous (check OpenAPI `security`, the [API reference hub](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api.mdx), [`/llms.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.txt), or [`/llms.json`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.json) for each route).
- **OpenAPI JSON:** [https://www.socialfetch.dev/openapi.json](https://www.socialfetch.dev/openapi.json)

## Recommended docs entrypoints (this site)

- [Documentation overview](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs.mdx) — top-level orientation (markdown).
- [Quickstart](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/quickstart.mdx) — authenticate with `x-api-key`, validate auth with `whoami`, and understand the JSON envelope.
- [SDK](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/sdk.mdx) — official TypeScript SDK guide, including `SocialFetchClient`, `Result`, and `unwrap()`.
- [Capability matrix](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/capability-matrix.mdx) — every operation with identifiers, pagination, outcomes, media download, credits, and its SDK method. Generated from OpenAPI, so use it for route selection instead of scanning individual pages.
- [Recipes](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/recipes.mdx) — copyable workflows (brand monitoring, transcripts, Ad Library, creator scoring, Reddit research) with credit callouts and SDK examples.
- [Integrations](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations.mdx) — MCP for AI clients, n8n verified node, Apify Store Actors, Make custom app, SDK, and REST API connection paths.
- [MCP product page](https://www.socialfetch.dev/mcp) — hosted MCP overview, OAuth, Skills install.
- [MCP integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/mcp.mdx) — hosted `/mcp` server, OAuth, Cursor/VS Code/Claude install snippets, 184 endpoint tools, plus docs_search/docs_read for implementation help.
- [n8n integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/n8n.mdx) — install `n8n-nodes-socialfetch`, credentials, and workflow examples.
- [Apify integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/apify.mdx) — Store Actors under @social-fetch, PPE billing, dataset export, and quick start.
- [Make integration](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/integrations/make.mdx) — custom app modules for Make scenarios, API key credentials, and module catalog.
- [`/llms-endpoints.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-endpoints.txt) — every documented operation with a direct link to that route's agent-readable markdown page (prefer this over parsing OpenAPI).
- [`/llms-{platform}.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms-tiktok.txt) — per-platform endpoint files generated from OpenAPI (parameters, credits, curls).
- [`/agents.txt`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/agents.txt) — agent crawl/onboarding file with capabilities, auth rules, and allowlist.
- [`/llms.json`](https://www.socialfetch.dev/llms.json) — structured machine-readable operation inventory with parameter names, pagination, outcomes, credits, and SDK mapping.
- [API reference hub](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api.mdx) — human-friendly index of operations with links into generated pages.
- [Errors](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/errors.mdx) — shared error envelope and HTTP status guidance.
- [Credits](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/credits.mdx) — metering, `402`, and planning batch jobs.
- Outcome semantics such as `found`, `not_found`, and `private` are documented in [Errors](https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/errors.mdx) and on operation pages when present in the OpenAPI contract.

## Markdown docs convention

- Every docs page has a markdown twin: append **`.mdx`** to the docs pathname (for example `/docs/quickstart` → `/docs/quickstart.mdx`).
- Agents that send `Accept: text/markdown` on `/docs/**` HTML URLs may receive markdown directly (same URL, `Vary: Accept`).

---
# Search Instagram accounts, hashtags, and places (https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/instagram/search/get)

## Summary

Search Instagram accounts, hashtags, and places by keyword (not posts — use instagram.search.popular.list; not profile discovery — use…

**Tags:** `Instagram`

## HTTP

- **Method:** GET
- **Path:** `/v1/instagram/search`
- **Base URL:** `https://api.socialfetch.dev`

## Capability summary

- **SDK mapping:** `client.instagram.search({ query })`
- **Accepted identifiers:** `query` (query)
- **Pagination:** none

## Agent notes

- **Disambiguation:** Use this for Instagram-native account, hashtag, and place typeahead. One page, no posts. For Google-indexed profile discovery use GET /v1/instagram/search/profiles. For hashtag posts use GET /v1/instagram/search/hashtags. For reel keyword search use GET /v1/instagram/search/reels. For a curated topic page with posts use GET /v1/instagram/search/popular.
- **Empty results:** Empty users, hashtags, places, and keywords arrays are a valid success when there are no matches.

## Credits

- **Base:** 1 credit per successful lookup.
- **Maximum on success (200):** 1 credit.
- **Normalization failure (502):** 1 credit charged.
- **Authoritative field:** `meta.creditsCharged`.

## Authentication

- **`x-api-key`**: API key (`sfk_...`)

## Parameters

### `query` (query)

- **Required:** yes
- **Constraints:** type `string`; minLength: 1; maxLength: 512
- **Description:** Search query text for Instagram accounts, hashtags, and places.

## Responses (status codes)

- **200**: Instagram-native search results for the requested query.
- **400**: Invalid query parameters
- **401**: Missing or invalid API key
- **402**: Insufficient credits
- **500**: Unexpected or billing error
- **502**: Lookup could not be completed from the response (unexpected or invalid data).
- **503**: Service temporarily unavailable; safe to retry with backoff.

## Response body (200)

Instagram-native search results for the requested query.

### Field outline

- **data** (required) — type `object`. Endpoint-specific response payload.
  - **query** (required) — type `string`. Search query that was evaluated for this response.
  - **users** (required) — type `array`. Matching Instagram accounts.
    - _items:_
      - **platform** (required) — type `string`; enum: instagram. Social platform for this account.
      - **handle** (required) — type `string`; minLength: 1. Instagram username without the leading @.
      - **displayName** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Public display name shown for the account, when available.
      - **avatarUrl** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Profile image URL for the account, when available.
      - **verified** (required) — type `boolean`. Whether Instagram marks the account as verified.
      - **profileUrl** (required) — type `string`; minLength: 1. Canonical public Instagram profile URL.
      - **platformUserId** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Instagram numeric user id as a string, when available.
      - **position** (required) — type `integer`; minimum: 0; nullable. Zero-based rank in this result list, when available.
  - **hashtags** (required) — type `array`. Matching Instagram hashtags.
    - _items:_
      - **id** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Instagram hashtag id as a string, when available.
      - **name** (required) — type `string`; minLength: 1. Hashtag name without the leading #.
      - **mediaCount** (required) — type `integer`; minimum: 0; nullable. Number of public posts tagged with this hashtag, when available.
      - **subtitle** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Secondary label Instagram shows for this hashtag result, when available.
      - **hashtagUrl** (required) — type `string`; minLength: 1. Canonical public Instagram hashtag explore URL.
      - **position** (required) — type `integer`; minimum: 0; nullable. Zero-based rank in this result list, when available.
  - **places** (required) — type `array`. Matching Instagram places.
    - _items:_
      - **id** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Instagram place id as a string, when available.
      - **name** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Place name, when available.
      - **title** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Place title shown in search results, when available.
      - **subtitle** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Secondary place label such as a city or region, when available.
      - **facebookPlacesId** (required) — type `string`; nullable. Facebook Places id associated with this location, when available.
      - **position** (required) — type `integer`; minimum: 0; nullable. Zero-based rank in this result list, when available.
  - **keywords** (required) — type `array`. Keyword suggestions from search.
    - _items:_
      - **text** (required) — type `string`; minLength: 1. Suggested search keyword.
      - **position** (required) — type `integer`; minimum: 0; nullable. Zero-based rank in this result list, when available.
- **meta** (required) — type `object`. Metadata describing the request and billing outcome.
  - **requestId** (required) — type `string`; minLength: 1. Unique request identifier for tracing this API call.
  - **creditsCharged** (required) — type `integer`; minimum: 0. Credits charged for this request.
  - **version** (required) — type `string`; enum: v1. Public API version that served the response.
  - **cached** (optional) — type `boolean`. True when served from shared response cache. Credits still apply (full endpoint price); Age header may be present.

### Example JSON (sample)

```json
{
  "data": {
    "query": "nike",
    "users": [
      {
        "platform": "instagram",
        "handle": "nike",
        "displayName": "Nike",
        "avatarUrl": "https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-19/551608484_18567162979020081_1135468084872726555_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_s150x150_tt6&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6InByb2ZpbGVfcGljLmRqYW5nby4zOTkuYzIifQ&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=1&_nc_oc=Q6cZ2gE_RUqA-UltTEAXO09o_ugbZhlW8zBOLbx7nZrTUBEYhEweb5Il_l4aRQQq…",
        "verified": true,
        "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/nike/",
        "platformUserId": "13460080",
        "position": 0
      }
    ],
    "hashtags": [
      {
        "id": "17841562978125529",
        "name": "nikewomen",
        "mediaCount": 2035424,
        "subtitle": null,
        "hashtagUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/nikewomen/",
        "position": 2
      }
    ],
    "places": [
      {
        "id": "715603272",
        "name": "Nike",
        "title": "Nike",
        "subtitle": null,
        "facebookPlacesId": "106068296090172",
        "position": 50
      }
    ],
    "keywords": []
  },
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_01example",
    "creditsCharged": 1,
    "version": "v1"
  }
}
```

### Machine-readable error codes

When an error JSON body is returned, it may include one of these `error.code` values (derived from the OpenAPI schemas for this operation; additional codes may exist at runtime):

- `bad_request`

## Error handling & retries

Interpret HTTP status codes using the descriptions below. Do not assume a JSON body unless the OpenAPI schema defines one for that status.

- **400**: Invalid query parameters **Retry:** Fix the request; retrying the same invalid payload will not help.
- **401**: Missing or invalid API key **Retry:** Fix the API key first; retrying without changes will not help.
- **402**: Insufficient credits **Retry:** Do not retry without resolving billing/credits (retrying the same request will not help).
- **500**: Unexpected or billing error
- **502**: Lookup could not be completed from the response (unexpected or invalid data). **Retry:** May be transient; a few retries with backoff are reasonable.
- **503**: Service temporarily unavailable; safe to retry with backoff. **Retry:** Usually safe to retry with exponential backoff and jitter.

### Suggested client defaults

- Send the API key using the `x-api-key` header on every request.
- On `503` (and sometimes `502`), retry with backoff; cap retries and surface a clear error to the user.
- On `402`, surface an actionable billing message rather than blind retries.

## Examples

### TypeScript SDK

```typescript
import { SocialFetchClient } from "@socialfetch/sdk";

const client = new SocialFetchClient({
  apiKey: process.env.SOCIALFETCH_API_KEY!,
});

const result = await client.instagram.search({
  query: "nike",
});

if (!result.ok) {
  console.error(result.error);
} else {
  console.log(result.value.data);
}
```

### Node.js

```javascript
const response = await fetch(
  "https://api.socialfetch.dev/v1/instagram/search?query=nike",
  {
    headers: {
      "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
  }
);

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);
```

### cURL

```bash
curl "https://api.socialfetch.dev/v1/instagram/search?query=nike" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

### Python

```python
import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.socialfetch.dev/v1/instagram/search?query=nike",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
data = response.json()
print(data)
```