Get the list of accounts an Instagram user follows — $0.06 per request via MPP.
What it does
This endpoint retrieves the accounts that a given Instagram user follows. It is part of StableSocial, a pay-per-request social media data API covering TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit through a unified interface. Every call costs a flat $0.06 in USDC (settled on Base, Solana, or Tempo). No API keys or subscriptions are required — payment itself serves as authentication.
The workflow is asynchronous and two-step. First, you POST to `/api/instagram/following` with the target Instagram username (the `handle` field). On success the endpoint returns HTTP 202 with a signed JWT token. You then poll `GET /api/jobs?token=...` (free, but requires SIWX wallet authentication proving you are the paying wallet) until the job status is `finished` and data is returned. Jobs typically complete in 5–60 seconds; tokens expire after 30 minutes. Pagination is supported via a `cursor` field from the response's `page_info`, with each subsequent page requiring a new paid POST.
This endpoint depends on the profile having been collected first — you should call `POST /api/instagram/profile` for the same handle before requesting the following list. Optional parameters include `max_page_size` (default 100) and `cursor` for pagination. The endpoint supports both x402 and MPP (Tempo method, charge intent) payment protocols.
Capabilities
Use cases
- —Mapping an Instagram user's social graph by listing who they follow
- —Competitive analysis — see which brands or influencers a target account follows
- —Audience research by analyzing the following patterns of key accounts
- —Agent-driven social intelligence pipelines that need following data on demand
- —Identifying mutual connections between Instagram accounts
Fit
Best for
- —AI agents needing on-demand Instagram following data without managing API keys
- —Pay-as-you-go social research with no subscription commitment
- —Programmatic social graph analysis across multiple Instagram accounts
Not for
- —Bulk scraping of millions of accounts (each page costs $0.06)
- —Real-time streaming of following changes — this is a snapshot-based async API
- —Use cases requiring official Instagram Graph API compliance or OAuth user consent
Quick start
# Step 1: Trigger the job (requires MPP or x402 payment header)
curl -X POST https://stablesocial.dev/api/instagram/following \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"handle": "natgeo"}'
# → 202 {"token": "eyJ..."}
# Step 2: Poll for results (free, SIWX wallet auth required)
curl 'https://stablesocial.dev/api/jobs?token=eyJ...'Example
Request
{
"handle": "natgeo",
"max_page_size": 100
}Response
{
"token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
}Endpoint
Quality
Full OpenAPI schema with clear request parameters, documented pricing ($0.06/request), and detailed guidance on the async two-step flow. The endpoint returned 405 on HEAD/GET probes, which is expected since it only accepts POST. Response schema for the final data payload is not documented (only the 202 token response is described), and no example response data for the following list itself is available.
Warnings
- —Probe returned 405 on HEAD/GET — endpoint only accepts POST, which is consistent with the OpenAPI spec; it is live.
- —No response schema for the actual following data (the finished job payload) is documented in the OpenAPI spec.
- —This endpoint depends on /api/instagram/profile being called first for the same handle.
- —The /docs page returns 404 — documentation is embedded in the OpenAPI x-guidance field only.
Citations
- —Every endpoint costs $0.06 per request in USDC on Base, Solana, or Tempohttps://stablesocial.dev
- —The workflow is async two-step: POST to trigger (paid, returns 202 with JWT token), then poll GET /api/jobs with SIWX wallet authhttps://stablesocial.dev
- —Instagram following endpoint accepts handle (required), max_page_size (default 100), and cursor parametershttps://stablesocial.dev/openapi.json
- —Tokens expire after 30 minutes; jobs typically finish in 5–60 secondshttps://stablesocial.dev
- —The following endpoint depends on the profile having been collected firsthttps://stablesocial.dev
- —Supports both x402 and MPP (Tempo method, charge intent) payment protocolshttps://stablesocial.dev/openapi.json