# User reels

> A page of public reel previews with play, like and comment counts.

- **Request:** `GET https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/instagram/user/reels`
- **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_user_reels` on `https://api.lurkapi.com/mcp`
- **Freshness:** responses are cached for up to 3 minutes
- **Try it live:** https://lurkapi.com/docs/instagram/user-reels#try (no signup)
- **Platform:** [Instagram](https://lurkapi.com/docs/instagram.md) (instagram.com)
- **Web page:** https://lurkapi.com/docs/instagram/user-reels

## When to use this

The public reels tab returns previews and engagement counts. Captions, timestamps and video URLs are absent; call the Post endpoint with a reel's code for those fields. Pass end_cursor as after for the next page. Private reels are unavailable.

## 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. | `nike` |
| `url` | string | no |  |  | An instagram.com profile URL. Required unless username is given. |  |
| `first` | integer | no | `12` |  | Requested page size, 1–50; default 12. Instagram may return fewer items. | `12` |
| `after` | string | no |  |  | Pass end_cursor from the previous page unchanged; omit for the first page. |  |

## 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/user/reels?username=nike&first=12" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```

JavaScript:

```js
const params = new URLSearchParams({
  username: "nike",
  first: "12",
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/instagram/user/reels?${params}`, {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.LURKAPI_KEY },
});
const data = await res.json();
if (!data.success) throw new Error(`${data.code}: ${data.error}`);
console.log(data.reels);
```

Python:

```python
import os
import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.lurkapi.com/v1/instagram/user/reels",
    params={
        "username": "nike",
        "first": "12",
    },
    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["reels"])
```

## 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": 99,
  "credits_charged": 1,
  "reels": [
    {
      "pk": "3993300839542953931",
      "code": "DdrDfTGOhfL",
      "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdrDfTGOhfL/",
      "display_url": "https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/797725010_186670…",
      "like_count": 107,
      "comment_count": 17,
      "play_count": 12145,
      "clips_tab_pinned_user_ids": []
    },
    {
      "pk": "3991849403537918302",
      "code": "Ddl5eH-u4le",
      "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ddl5eH-u4le/",
      "display_url": "https://scontent-iad6-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/809201733_186664…",
      "like_count": 67593,
      "comment_count": 1062,
      "play_count": 2317934,
      "clips_tab_pinned_user_ids": []
    }
  ],
  "end_cursor": "AQHTKRUgapY-YIJL3ILe9dr1pwmQSvqY4V6JQg3_BluiL95O4Xl7M2s9Y8jH-6y7-4eP1wGbT1xZsWB58pzKat-6Pw",
  "has_next_page": true
}
```

## 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). |
| `reels` | `object[]` | Reel previews in Instagram's reels-tab order. |
| `reels[].pk` | `string` | Numeric reel media id, represented as a string. |
| `reels[].code` | `string` | The reel's case-sensitive shortcode; pass it to the Post endpoint. |
| `reels[].url` | `string` | Canonical Instagram reel URL. |
| `reels[].display_url` | `string`, nullable | Reel preview image URL; CDN links can expire; null when not returned. |
| `reels[].like_count` | `number`, nullable | Like count; null when not shown or returned. A null count is not zero. |
| `reels[].comment_count` | `number`, nullable | Comment count; null when not shown or returned. A null count is not zero. |
| `reels[].play_count` | `number`, nullable | Play count; null when not shown or returned. A null count is not zero. |
| `reels[].clips_tab_pinned_user_ids` | `string[]`, nullable | User ids that pinned this reel in their reels tab; null when not returned. |
| `end_cursor` | `string`, nullable | Opaque pagination cursor; pass it as after for the next page; null when not returned. |
| `has_next_page` | `boolean` | Whether Instagram reports another page. A false value ends pagination. |

## Pagination

Pass a cursor from a previous response as `after` to load more (see [When to use this](#when-to-use)). Each call costs 1 credit.

## Caching and freshness

Responses are cached for up to 3 minutes, 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 | `not_public` | The platform confirmed this account or content isn't available to logged-out visitors. Use a publicly visible target. Charged when the platform was checked. |
| 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. 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_user_reels` tool. Ask in plain English, for example:

Ask Claude:

```text
Use LurkAPI's instagram_user_reels with username "nike", first "12" and summarize what you find.
```

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

Tool arguments:

```json
{
  "username": "nike",
  "first": "12"
}
```

Tool results skip nulls and empty lists to save tokens.

---

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