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.
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).
| Buffer | PostWire | Notes |
|---|---|---|
textdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | text | |
channelIddevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | platforms + brand_id | Buffer: one channel per mutation. PostWire: every network of the brand in one request. |
mode: shareNowdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | POST /api/post | |
mode: customScheduled + dueAtdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | POST /api/schedule with run_at | ISO 8601. |
mode: addToQueue / shareNextdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | run_at: "next_slot" | The brand's next free queue slot. |
assets[].image.url / assets[].video.urldevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | media[].url (or photo_url / video_url) | Public URLs in both. |
metadata.youtube.titledevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | title | |
metadata.<service>.firstCommentdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | per_platform.<network>.first_comment | PostWire: LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, Mastodon. |
metadata.<service>.thread[]developers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | per_platform.<network>.thread | X, 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
| Buffer | PostWire | |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEYdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | Authorization: Bearer pw_live_… — an API key from the dashboard; the MCP server also signs in with OAuth 2.1 |
| One client | channelId (one channel per createPost)developers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | brand_id — one brand per client, its networks connected once (GET /api/brands lists them) |
| Scheduling | mode (addToQueue, customScheduled, shareNext, shareNow) with dueAt (ISO 8601, UTC)developers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | POST /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, 2026 | post.published, post.failed, connection.reauth_required — one per network, signed (PostWire-Signature, HMAC-SHA256), retried for two days |
| Retries without duplicates | correlationId on createContentItemDraft only (drafts), not on createPostdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | idempotency_key (24 hours); an identical post is refused for 2 minutes even without one |
| Checking a post | query post(input: { id }): draft, error, needs_approval, scheduled, sending or sentdevelopers.buffer.com, Oct 9, 2026 | GET /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.
Move in an afternoon
- Open a PostWire account (free, no card) and create an API key under API & MCP.
- Create one brand per client —
POST /api/brandsor the dashboard. It takes the place of Buffer's channelId. - Connect each client's networks:
POST /api/connect-linkreturns 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. - Swap the base URL and the auth header in your code:
https://postwire.io/api/andAuthorization: Bearer pw_live_…. - Convert your requests with the converter above (or by the field table), and send
brand_idwith each one. - 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). - Point your webhook receiver at PostWire:
POST /api/webhookswith your URL, and verifyPostWire-Signature. - Send one real post to one network and watch
GET /api/post/statusor the webhook. - 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.