# Similar profiles

> The accounts Instagram suggests alongside a public profile.

- **Request:** `GET https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/instagram/profile/similar`
- **Auth:** `x-api-key` header ([get a free key](https://lurkapi.com/login?next=/dashboard))
- **Cost:** 1 credit per call. Validation errors, `401`/`402`/`429` rejections and `5xx` failures are free; `not_found` is charged ([how charging works](https://lurkapi.com/docs.md#credits)).
- **MCP tool:** `instagram_similar_profiles` on `https://api.lurkapi.com/mcp`
- **Freshness:** responses are cached for up to 1 hour
- **Try it live:** https://lurkapi.com/docs/instagram/similar-profiles#try (no signup)
- **Platform:** [Instagram](https://lurkapi.com/docs/instagram.md) (instagram.com)
- **Web page:** https://lurkapi.com/docs/instagram/similar-profiles

## When to use this

Pass a username or profile URL. Returns the accounts Instagram suggests to visitors of that profile, usually about 50, in Instagram's order. Accounts that turned off suggestions (nike, for one) return an empty list.

## Parameters

All parameters go in the query string.

| Name | Type | Required | Default | Allowed values | Description | Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `username` | string | no |  |  | Instagram username, with or without @, or a profile URL. Required unless url is given. | `natgeo` |
| `url` | string | no |  |  | An instagram.com profile URL. Required unless username is given. |  |

## Example request

Replace `YOUR_API_KEY` with your key, or set `LURKAPI_KEY` for the code. [Get a free key](https://lurkapi.com/login?next=/dashboard).

curl:

```bash
curl "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/instagram/profile/similar?username=natgeo" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

JavaScript:

```js
const params = new URLSearchParams({
  username: "natgeo",
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/instagram/profile/similar?${params}`, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.LURKAPI_KEY },
});
const data = await res.json();
if (!data.success) throw new Error(`${data.code}: ${data.error}`);
console.log(data.profiles);
```

Python:

```python
import os
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/instagram/profile/similar",
    params={
        "username": "natgeo",
    },
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["LURKAPI_KEY"]},
    timeout=60,
)
data = res.json()
if not data["success"]:
    raise RuntimeError(f"{data['code']}: {data['error']}")
print(data["profiles"])
```

## Example response

A real response from this endpoint, captured from the live API and trimmed to a couple of items. Strings over 96 characters (mostly signed media URLs) are cut short and end in `…`.

200 OK (application/json):

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "credits_remaining": 999995,
  "credits_charged": 1,
  "profiles": [
    {
      "pk": "378353537",
      "username": "animalplanet",
      "full_name": "Animal Planet",
      "profile_pic_url": "https://scontent-iad3-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-19/471307838_1123917…",
      "is_verified": true,
      "is_private": false
    },
    {
      "pk": "1389225126",
      "username": "natgeoyourshot",
      "full_name": "National Geographic Your Shot",
      "profile_pic_url": "https://scontent-iad6-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-19/682869933_185867…",
      "is_verified": true,
      "is_private": false
    }
  ]
}
```

## Response fields

Every field of a successful response. `[]` marks a list: `a[].b` is the `b` of each item in `a`. **nullable** fields can be `null`; **optional** fields can be missing.

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `success` | `true` | Always true here; errors have `success: false`. |
| `credits_remaining` | `number` | Your balance after this call. On anonymous playground calls: free tries left today. |
| `credits_charged` | `number` | Credits this call cost; 0 on free endpoints. On anonymous playground calls: tries used (1). |
| `profiles` | `object[]` | Suggested accounts in Instagram's order; empty when Instagram suggests none. |
| `profiles[].pk` | `string` | The account's numeric Instagram id, represented as a string. |
| `profiles[].username` | `string` | Instagram username, without @. |
| `profiles[].full_name` | `string`, nullable | Display name; null when not returned. |
| `profiles[].profile_pic_url` | `string`, nullable | Profile image URL; CDN links can expire; null when not returned. |
| `profiles[].is_verified` | `boolean`, nullable | Whether Instagram shows a verified badge; null when not returned. |
| `profiles[].is_private` | `boolean`, nullable | Whether the account is private; null when not returned. |

## Caching and freshness

Responses are cached for up to 1 hour, so a repeat call within that window can return the same data. It still costs 1 credit.

## Errors

Errors return `{ success: false, error, code, docs }` with the HTTP status below. Validation errors, `401`/`402`/`429` rejections and `5xx` failures are free; `not_found` is charged ([how charging works](https://lurkapi.com/docs.md#credits)). [All error codes](https://lurkapi.com/docs.md#errors).

| Status | Code | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 401 | `missing_api_key` | No API key. Send it in the `x-api-key` header. |
| 401 | `invalid_api_key` | The key is unknown or was revoked. |
| 402 | `insufficient_credits` | Not enough credits for this call. Buy a pack or wait for tomorrow's top-up. |
| 403 | `account_suspended` | This account is suspended. Contact support@lurkapi.com. Never charged. |
| 404 | `not_found` | The endpoint, or the thing you asked for (ad, post, subreddit), doesn't exist. Charged when the platform was checked. |
| 405 | `method_not_allowed` | Endpoints take GET with query params. |
| 429 | `rate_limited` | Too many calls at once. Wait for the `retry-after` seconds, then retry. |
| 500 | `internal_error` | Something broke on our side. Retry; 5xx errors are free. |
| 502 | `upstream_error` | The platform didn't give a usable answer. Retry; 5xx errors are free. |
| 503 | `upstream_busy` | All our connections to the platform are busy. Retry in a few seconds; 5xx errors are free. |
| 504 | `upstream_timeout` | The platform took over 30 seconds to answer (90 for web pages). Retry; timeouts are free. |

## Use it in Claude

Once LurkAPI is [connected to Claude](https://lurkapi.com/docs.md#claude), this endpoint is the `instagram_similar_profiles` tool. Ask in plain English, for example:

Ask Claude:

```text
Use LurkAPI's instagram_similar_profiles with username "natgeo" and summarize what you find.
```

Claude calls `instagram_similar_profiles` with arguments like these, and each call costs 1 credit:

Tool arguments:

```json
{
  "username": "natgeo"
}
```

Tool results are compact to save tokens: no nulls or empty lists, one URL per image or video, transcripts as plain text unless you pass `timestamps=true`. A result over 45,000 characters comes in parts: its `_note` gives the `offset` for the rest, and later parts are free for 15 minutes. `trim=false` returns the full response.

---

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