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Substack Publication Search API

Find publications by text, with a clear error when the result cannot be verified.

GET /v1/substack/search/publications

1 credit Failed requests are free

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About this endpoint

GET /v1/substack/search/publications?query=... searches Substack publications. The query is required and may be up to 200 characters. page is 0-based, returns twenty publications a page and runs to 3, the last page with results. A page past 3 returns an empty list with hasMore: false. Substack ranks search results live, so a row can repeat across pages; de-duplicate by id.

data.publications[] carries publication summaries and data.page reports page, hasMore and nextPage. Publication search sometimes cannot be answered reliably. When the result cannot be verified the request returns 503 with no charge, never a false empty list. An empty first page is either confirmed or marked emptyIsUnverified; an unconfirmed empty list is still a 200 answer and is charged.

Substack Publication Search API FAQ

Why does publication search return 503?

Publication search sometimes cannot be answered reliably. The request returns 503 rather than an empty list it cannot trust, and is not charged.

What should I use instead?

search.profiles and categories.publications.list are dependable ways to find a publication when publication search is unavailable.

How many publications per page?

Twenty. Follow page.nextPage while page.hasMore is true.

How many credits does a publication search page 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.

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