> **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):** - **Markdown (.mdx) URL:** ## API base URL and authentication - **API origin (from OpenAPI `servers`):** `https://api.socialfetch.dev` - **Authentication:** send `x-api-key: sfk_...` on `/v1/**` and `/v2/**` 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:** ## 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, 910 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`). - Published blog posts use the same convention: `/blog/{slug}` → `/blog/{slug}.mdx`, or `Accept: text/markdown` on the HTML URL (`Vary: Accept`). --- # List Substack categories (https://www.socialfetch.dev/docs/api/v1/substack/categories/get) ## Summary List Substack categories with their subcategories and the recommended view. **Tags:** `Substack` ## HTTP - **Method:** GET - **Path:** `/v1/substack/categories` - **Base URL:** `https://api.socialfetch.dev` ## Capability summary - **SDK mapping:** `client.substack.listCategories()` - **Pagination:** none - **Business outcome field:** `data.lookupStatus` with values `found`, `not_found` ## Credits - **Base:** 1 credit per successful lookup. - **Maximum on success (200):** 1 credit. - **Failed requests (`lookup_failed`, `503`):** not charged. - **Authoritative field:** `meta.creditsCharged`. ## Authentication - **`x-api-key`**: API key (`sfk_...`) ## Responses (status codes) - **200**: Substack categories. - **400**: Invalid request - **401**: Missing or invalid API key - **402**: Insufficient credits - **500**: Unexpected or billing error - **502**: Lookup could not be completed. - **503**: Service temporarily unavailable; safe to retry with backoff. ## Response body (200) Substack categories. ### Field outline - **data** (required) — type `object`. Endpoint-specific response payload. - **lookupStatus** (required) — type `string`; enum: found, not_found. `found` on success. - **categories** (required) — type `array`. Top-level categories. - _items:_ - **id** (required). The category's id, numeric or text. - **name** (required) — type `string`; nullable. The category's name. - **canonicalName** (required) — type `string`; nullable. The category's canonical name. - **slug** (required) — type `string`; nullable. The category's URL slug. - **active** (required) — type `boolean`; nullable. Whether the category is active. - **rank** (required) — type `integer`; nullable. The category's rank. - **parentTagId** (required). The parent category's id, when it has one. - **emoji** (required) — type `string`; nullable. The category's emoji. - **leaderboardDescription** (required) — type `string`; nullable. The leaderboard description. - **deprecated** (required) — type `boolean`; nullable. Whether the category is deprecated. - **type** (required) — type `string`; nullable. The category's type. - **leaderboardEnabled** (required) — type `boolean`; nullable. Whether the category has a leaderboard. - **createdAt** (required) — type `string`; nullable. ISO 8601 timestamp, or null when Substack does not publish one. - **updatedAt** (required) — type `string`; nullable. ISO 8601 timestamp, or null when Substack does not publish one. - **subcategories** (required) — type `array`. The category's subcategories. - _items:_ - type `object` - **recommended** (required) — type `object`; nullable. Null when the second call failed; `categories` is still served. - **categoryId** (required) — type `string`; nullable. The category this view names. - **ranking** (required) — type `string`; nullable. The leaderboard ranking. - **hasMore** (required) — type `boolean`; nullable. Whether another page exists. - **categories** (required) — type `array`. The recommended categories. - _items:_ - **publications** (required) — type `array`. Publications in this view. - _items:_ - **homepageFeaturedPublications** (required) — type `array`. Publications featured on the homepage. - _items:_ - **recommendedUnavailable** (required) — type `boolean`. True when the recommended view was temporarily unavailable, so `recommended: null` means unavailable, not empty. - **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. ### Example JSON (found) ```json { "data": { "lookupStatus": "found", "categories": [ { "id": 96, "name": "Culture", "canonicalName": "culture", "slug": "culture", "active": true, "rank": 0, "parentTagId": null, "emoji": "🎭️", "leaderboardDescription": "A full list of the top 25 culture newsletters and podcasts on Substack. Read about the latest pop culture moments, style, movies, music and beyond, and how culture impacts the wider world.", "deprecated": false, "type": "category", "leaderboardEnabled": true, "createdAt": "2020-04-23T02:44:52.580Z", "updatedAt": "2020-04-23T02:44:52.580Z", "subcategories": [ { "id": 76786, "name": "Traditions & Customs", "canonicalName": "traditions & customs", "slug": "traditions-customs", "active": false, "rank": 6, "parentTagId": 96, "emoji": null, "leaderboardDescription": null, "deprecated": false, "type": "category", "leaderboardEnabled": false, "createdAt": "2024-06-24T13:06:59.750Z", "updatedAt": "2024-06-24T13:06:59.750Z", "subcategories": [] } ] } ], "recommended": { "categoryId": "featured", "ranking": "paid", "hasMore": false, "categories": [ { "id": 96, "name": "Culture", "canonicalName": "culture", "slug": "culture", "active": true, "rank": 0, "parentTagId": null, "emoji": "🎭️", "leaderboardDescription": "A full list of the top 25 culture newsletters and podcasts on Substack. Read about the latest pop culture moments, style, movies, music and beyond, and how culture impacts the wider world.", "deprecated": false, "type": "category", "leaderboardEnabled": true, "createdAt": "2020-04-23T02:44:52.580Z", "updatedAt": "2020-04-23T02:44:52.580Z", "subcategories": [ { "id": 76786, "name": "Traditions & Customs", "canonicalName": "traditions & customs", "slug": "traditions-customs", "active": false, "rank": 6, "parentTagId": 96, "emoji": null, "leaderboardDescription": null, "deprecated": false, "type": "category", "leaderboardEnabled": false, "createdAt": "2024-06-24T13:06:59.750Z", "updatedAt": "2024-06-24T13:06:59.750Z", "subcategories": [] } ] } ], "publications": [], "homepageFeaturedPublications": [ { "id": 61371, "name": "The Weekly Dish", "subdomain": "andrewsullivan", "customDomain": null, "apexDomain": null, "url": "https://andrewsullivan.substack.com", "host": "andrewsullivan.substack.com", "description": "\"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle,\" - George Orwell.", "language": "en", "kind": "newsletter", "createdAt": "2020-06-29T22:37:09.737Z", "firstPostAt": "2020-07-04T08:20:00.000Z", "hasPosts": true, "isExplicit": false, "isInviteOnly": false, "isFlagged": false, "noIndex": false, "isOnSubstack": false, "commentsEnabled": false, "notesEnabled": true, "defaultCommentSort": "best_first", "annualDisabled": false, "monthlyDisabled": false, "paymentsState": "enabled", "freeTrialEnabled": true, "pausedUntil": null, "emailBannerUrl": "https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f5ee38a8-8e22-4edf-b0be-5257c1d27da8_1100x220.png", "copyright": "Andrew Sullivan and Chris Bodenner", "logoUrl": "https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pu7G!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F32cbb7d5-6065-4695-96ab-98a53e3d3254_585x585.png", "wideLogoUrl": null, "coverImageUrl": null, "foundingPlanName": "Pay what you want (>$50)", "hasRecommendations": true, "benefits": { "free": [ "The first item of my column, a portion of each pod episode, some dissents, part of the VFYW contest" ], "paid": [ "Everything on the Dish (full column, full podcast, all the dissents, recommended links, quotes, the full VFYW contest, etc)" ], "founding": [ "Helping us keep up with inflation" ] }, "author": { "id": 12296303, "name": "Andrew Sullivan", "handle": "sullydish", "slug": "sullydish", "bio": "Recovering blogger", "photoUrl": "https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6AGi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc817419b-744d-46a1-86cf-8ee1f205b75c_2316x2316.jpeg", "badge": null, "badges": null, "bestsellerTier": 0, "primaryPublication": null }, "audience": { "paidLabel": "Tens of thousands of paid subscribers", "paidOrderOfMagnitude": 10000, "totalLabel": "Hundreds of thousands of subscribers", "totalOrderOfMagnitude": 100000, "freeLabel": "Over 191,000 subscribers", "freeShort": "191K+", "chatMembersLabel": null }, "contributors": [ { "id": 12296303, "name": "Andrew Sullivan", "handle": "sullydish", "role": "admin", "owner": true, "photoUrl": "https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c817419b-744d-46a1-86cf-8ee1f205b75c_2316x2316.jpeg", "bio": "Recovering blogger", "badge": null, "bestsellerTier": null } ], "sections": [], "links": [], "plans": [ { "id": "monthly6usd", "nickname": "$6 a month", "amount": 600, "currency": "usd", "interval": "month", "intervalCount": 1, "active": true, "founding": false } ], "podcast": { "exists": true, "hasFreeEpisodes": true, "hasPaidEpisodes": true, "artUrl": "https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4a6d29f1-b87e-442c-89f1-ec0a430988f4_3000x3000.png", "byline": "Andrew Sullivan", "description": "Unafraid conversations about anything", "feedUrl": null, "title": "The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan", "paidEpisodeArtUrl": "https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/123faa3a-6149-4e16-9ca0-84b5ca37a3ce_3000x3000.png" } } ] }, "recommendedUnavailable": false }, "meta": { "requestId": "req_70e837cc-0d6d-414d-b08d-defab0cf14aa", "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 request **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. **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.substack.listCategories(); 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/substack/categories", { headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" } } ); const data = await response.json(); console.log(data); ``` ### cURL ```bash curl "https://api.socialfetch.dev/v1/substack/categories" \ -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" ``` ### Python ```python import requests response = requests.get( "https://api.socialfetch.dev/v1/substack/categories", headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}, ) data = response.json() print(data) ```