Move from Buffer to PostWire in an afternoon

Buffer's publish request, mapped field by field to PostWire's, with the same post side by side as cURL, an n8n node and an MCP call — and a converter that rewrites your Buffer requests for you, in the browser.

What changes, in four lines. The key: Authorization: Bearer pw_live_…. channelId (one channel per createPost) becomes brand_id, one brand per client. Scheduling: POST /api/schedule with run_at. And one thing PostWire adds: POST /api/generate writes each network's post from one idea before you publish.

Buffer's fields read on its own docs on Oct 9, 2026, linked on each row; PostWire's checked against openapi.json when this page was built.

Field by field

Buffer: POST https://api.buffer.com (GraphQL createPost). PostWire: POST https://postwire.io/api/post (now) or POST https://postwire.io/api/schedule (later).

BufferPostWireNotes
textdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026text
channelIddevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026platforms + brand_idBuffer: one channel per mutation. PostWire: every network of the brand in one request.
mode: shareNowdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026POST /api/post
mode: customScheduled + dueAtdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026POST /api/schedule with run_atISO 8601.
mode: addToQueue / shareNextdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026run_at: "next_slot"The brand's next free queue slot.
assets[].image.url / assets[].video.urldevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026media[].url (or photo_url / video_url)Public URLs in both.
metadata.youtube.titledevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026title
metadata.<service>.firstCommentdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026per_platform.<network>.first_commentPostWire: LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, Mastodon.
metadata.<service>.thread[]developers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026per_platform.<network>.threadX, Bluesky, Mastodon.

Network names: twitter → x · instagram → instagram · facebook → facebook · linkedin → linkedin · youtube → youtube · tiktok → tiktok · bluesky → bluesky · mastodon → mastodon · threads → not offered by PostWire · pinterest → not offered by PostWire · googlebusiness → not offered by PostWire.

The same post, side by side

Buffer — their docs' example

mutation CreatePost {
  createPost(input: {
    text: "Hello there, this is another one!",
    channelId: "some_channel_id",
    schedulingType: automatic,
    mode: customScheduled,
    dueAt: "2026-03-26T10:28:47.545Z"
  }) {
    ... on PostActionSuccess {
      post {
        id
        text
        assets {
          id
          mimeType
        }
      }
    }
    ... on MutationError {
      message
    }
  }
}

From developers.buffer.com, read Oct 9, 2026.

PostWire — REST (the converter's output, with linkedin ticked)

curl -X POST https://postwire.io/api/schedule \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POSTWIRE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "platforms": [
    "linkedin"
  ],
  "text": "Hello there, this is another one!",
  "run_at": "2026-03-26T10:28:47.545Z"
}'

channelId (a Buffer channel) → brand_id: create one PostWire brand per client (POST /api/brands) and send its id; with a single brand you can leave brand_id out run_at is in the past: PostWire refuses a schedule in the past — set a future time

PostWire — n8n node

PostWire node
  Resource:   Post
  Operation:  Schedule
  Networks:   linkedin
  Content:    Same Text on Every Network
  Text:       Hello there, this is another one!
  When:       At a Specific Time
  Publish At: 2026-03-26T10:28:47.545Z
  Options → Brand: the client's brand

PostWire — MCP (Claude, ChatGPT, any agent)

schedule_post({
  "platforms": [
    "linkedin"
  ],
  "text": "Hello there, this is another one!",
  "run_at": "2026-03-26T10:28:47.545Z"
})

# or ask your agent: "Schedule this on LinkedIn for 2026-03-26T10:28:47.545Z"

What changes

BufferPostWire
AuthenticationAuthorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEYdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026Authorization: Bearer pw_live_… — an API key from the dashboard; the MCP server also signs in with OAuth 2.1
One clientchannelId (one channel per createPost)developers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026brand_id — one brand per client, its networks connected once (GET /api/brands lists them)
Schedulingmode (addToQueue, customScheduled, shareNext, shareNow) with dueAt (ISO 8601, UTC)developers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026POST /api/schedule with run_at (ISO 8601 with offset) or "next_slot", checked at queue time
Webhooks"There are no webhooks, so keeping data in sync means polling."developers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026post.published, post.failed, connection.reauth_required — one per network, signed (PostWire-Signature, HMAC-SHA256), retried for two days
Retries without duplicatescorrelationId on createContentItemDraft only (drafts), not on createPostdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026idempotency_key (24 hours); an identical post is refused for 2 minutes even without one
Checking a postquery post(input: { id }): draft, error, needs_approval, scheduled, sending or sentdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026GET /api/post/status, or the webhook

Convert your Buffer requests

Paste a cURL command or a JSON body from your code. The PostWire request comes out, ready to run.

Networks, when the request only has account or channel IDs

Runs in your browser: no AI, no server, nothing you paste or upload leaves this page. Try it free

Move in an afternoon

  1. Open a PostWire account (free, no card) and create an API key under API & MCP.
  2. Create one brand per client — POST /api/brands or the dashboard. It takes the place of Buffer's channelId.
  3. Connect each client's networks: POST /api/connect-link returns a one-hour link the client opens to sign in to each network. TikTok, Meta and Google approvals are PostWire's, so there is no app review on your side.
  4. Swap the base URL and the auth header in your code: https://postwire.io/api/ and Authorization: Bearer pw_live_….
  5. Convert your requests with the converter above (or by the field table), and send brand_id with each one.
  6. Move the queue: list what is still scheduled on Buffer and re-create it with POST /api/schedule, or as one CSV under Automate → Bulk upload (checked row by row before anything is scheduled).
  7. Point your webhook receiver at PostWire: POST /api/webhooks with your URL, and verify PostWire-Signature.
  8. Send one real post to one network and watch GET /api/post/status or the webhook.
  9. When the Buffer queue is empty, cancel that plan. PostWire's paid plans have a 14-day refund if it is not for you.

Questions people ask

How long does it take to move from Buffer to PostWire?

An afternoon for most integrations: the request maps field by field (the table on this page), the auth header and the client key change, and the converter on this page turns Buffer requests into PostWire's. Connecting each client's networks is one sign-in per network, from a link you can send the client.

What replaces Buffer's channelId (one channel per createPost)?

A brand: one per client business, each with its own connected networks. Send brand_id with the post (GET /api/brands lists them); a key that only has one brand can leave it out.

Does PostWire have webhooks and idempotency like Buffer?

PostWire signs every webhook (PostWire-Signature: HMAC-SHA256) and sends post.published, post.failed and connection.reauth_required, one per network, retried for two days. An identical post is refused for 2 minutes, or for 24 hours when you send your own idempotency_key.

Can I try PostWire before cancelling Buffer?

Yes. The free plan has the REST API and the MCP server (1 business, 20 posts a month, no card), and Pro has a 7-day free trial; run both side by side until your queue on Buffer is empty.

Type one idea and see the post each network gets.

The demo on the home page writes live, with no account, and never publishes. The free plan covers one business — every network connects free, 2 networks per post — with no card and no time limit. Paid plans have a 14-day refund.