How to post to Instagram from Claude, and schedule the posts

Set it up and post, step by step

Prompt to copy once Instagram is connected: Write an Instagram caption for the photo I'm about to upload: we open the new terrace on Saturday. Show it to me, and schedule it for Friday at 9:00 New York time.

1. Add PostWire to Claude

   Open PostWire in Claude's connector directory and press Connect; it works in Claude on the web, on the desktop and on your phone. In Claude Code, run claude mcp add --transport http postwire https://postwire.io/api/mcp. A sign-in window asks for your email and a 6-digit code, which also creates a free PostWire account if you have none: no password and no card.

2. Connect Instagram

   Ask "connect my Instagram". Claude calls create_connect_link and gives you a one-hour link; open it and choose Log in with Instagram (no Facebook Page needed) or connect through a Facebook Page you manage. Instagram's API publishes only from Business or Creator accounts — switching a personal account is free, in the Instagram app's settings. PostWire never sees your password.

3. Hand over the photo or video

   Ask "give me an upload link". A file attached to the chat does not reach a connector, so Claude gives you an upload page instead (create_upload_link, valid 24 hours, up to 100 MB on the free plan and 1 GB on paid plans). Pick the file there and Claude attaches it to the post. A public https link works too. For a carousel, hand over each photo or clip — up to 10.

4. Approve the caption

   "Write an Instagram caption for this: we open the new terrace on Saturday." generate_posts returns a draft and publishes nothing: a hook in the first line, a short caption and at most 5 hashtags at the end, within Instagram's 2,200 characters. Ask for the LinkedIn or Facebook version in the same message and each comes back written for that network.

5. Publish, or schedule it

   Say "post it" and Claude calls post_to_social; "schedule it for Friday at 9" calls schedule_post, and "in my next free slot" uses run_at: "next_slot". Two or more items in media make a carousel:

   {
     "name": "post_to_social",
     "arguments": {
       "platforms": ["instagram"],
       "per_platform": { "instagram": { "text": "The terrace opens Saturday ☀️ …" } },
       "media": [
         { "url": "https://postwire.io/m/…/terrace-1.jpg", "type": "image" },
         { "url": "https://postwire.io/m/…/terrace-2.png", "type": "image" },
         { "url": "https://postwire.io/m/…/walkthrough.mp4", "type": "video" }
       ]
     }
   }

6. Check that it is live

   Instagram processes a video before it can be published. If that takes longer than the call can wait, the result says processing and PostWire publishes it by itself a few minutes later; ask "is it live?" and Claude calls get_post_status.

Nothing is published before you say yes: Claude shows the exact caption first. PNG, WebP and AVIF images are converted to JPEG for you, because Instagram's API takes JPEG only. The same queue is on the dashboard's Queue page. Prefer to set it up by hand first? Open the dashboard, connect the account under Accounts and copy your key under API & MCP.