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Instagram following search API

Find up to 25 accounts a public profile follows by handle or name, and use the following list for the full set.

GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following/search

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About this endpoint

GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following/search takes a handle (with or without @), a profile URL or a numeric user id, plus a required query. It returns up to 25 accounts the profile follows that match the query, in Instagram's ranking. Read data.lookupStatus first (found, private or not_found), then data.accounts: each match is the same profile summary every v2 endpoint uses: id, handle, displayName, avatarUrl, verified and privateAccount, always present and null when Instagram doesn't say.

Matching is loose, so compare the exact handle when checking one account. Instagram's search can miss an account now and then; for a definite answer, page GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following. There are no pages: data.page.hasMore is always false. To see every match on a longer list, page through GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following. A private or unknown profile is a normal 200 with an empty accounts list, billed as one search. meta.version is v2.

Instagram following search API FAQ

How do I search the accounts an Instagram profile follows?

Call GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following/search?query= with the handle or name to look for. Read data.accounts and compare the exact handle; matching is loose, so a similar name can appear.

How much does Instagram following search cost?

Pricing is documented on the operation in the API registry (shown on this page). Confirm on every response with meta.creditsCharged — that field is the billing source of truth.

How many matches come back?

Up to 25. There are no pages: data.page.hasMore is always false, and data.page.nextCursor is null. A profile with no matching accounts comes back as found with an empty accounts list.

How do I see every match?

Page through GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following with data.page.nextCursor while data.page.hasMore is true. The search returns one set of up to 25 matches and has no cursor; a cursor is a 400 bad_request.

Why is an account I expected missing from the matches?

Matching is loose, the list is capped at 25, and Instagram's search can miss an account now and then. Page through the following list to see every account Instagram shows for the profile.

What happens for private or missing accounts?

A private account returns lookupStatus: private with an empty accounts list, and an unknown profile returns not_found. Both come back as a normal 200 response and are billed as one search; a private account's following list is never returned.

What is the difference between this search and the following list?

The search takes a query and returns up to 25 matching accounts in one response. GET /v2/instagram/profiles/{profile}/following returns every account Instagram shows, 25 per page with a cursor.

Other Instagram endpoints