# Instagram AI Transcript Extractor (`fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor`) Actor

Extract transcript-ready text, public captions, shortcodes, hashtags, mentions, and status rows from public Instagram Reels and videos.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/fetch\_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor.md
- **Developed by:** [Hanna Nosova](https://apify.com/fetch_cat) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Videos, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.20 / 1,000 item extracteds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Instagram AI Transcript Extractor

Extract AI transcripts from public Instagram Reels and video posts. Add Reel URLs, run the Actor, and export transcript text, timestamped segments, media metadata, and per-URL status rows for research, repurposing, accessibility, compliance review, and content analysis workflows.

### What it does

- Transcribes public Instagram Reels/videos into readable text
- Includes timestamped transcript segments when ASR returns segment timing
- Preserves one dataset row per input URL, including classified failures
- Normalizes Instagram URLs and deduplicates repeated inputs
- Reports duration, media bytes, model/source, and scrape timestamp for QA and cost tracking

### Who is it for

- Social media teams turning Reels into blog posts, captions, summaries, and briefs
- Researchers reviewing creator messaging, public campaigns, or trends
- Accessibility and compliance teams that need text from public video content
- Developers and AI agents that need transcript text as structured data

### Input example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    { "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/" }
  ],
  "maxItems": 1,
  "language": "en",
  "includeSegments": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"]
  }
}
```

### Input settings

| Key | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `startUrls` | array | Public Instagram Reel/video/post URLs to transcribe. |
| `maxItems` | integer | Maximum unique URLs to process from the input list. |
| `language` | string | `en` for English baseline transcription or `auto` for auto-detect mode. |
| `includeSegments` | boolean | Keeps timestamped segment objects in the dataset output. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | Apify Proxy settings. Residential proxy is recommended for Instagram. |

### Output example

```json
{
  "inputUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/",
  "shortcode": "DPR-1mcCAqa",
  "status": "succeeded",
  "errorType": null,
  "errorMessage": null,
  "transcriptText": "When you wake up with all the dreams... You might have a thousand problems until you have one.",
  "segments": [
    { "id": 1, "startSeconds": 0, "endSeconds": 5.12, "text": "When you wake up with all the dreams..." }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "requestedLanguage": "en",
  "transcriptionSource": "logged-out Instagram browser payload + MP4 download + whisper.cpp",
  "asrModel": "ggml-base.en.bin",
  "durationSeconds": 47.188,
  "ownerUsername": null,
  "ownerId": null,
  "caption": null,
  "mediaType": "clips/reel",
  "mediaId": null,
  "videoUrlFound": true,
  "videoContentLength": 5596476,
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-02T18:58:12.560Z",
  "metadata": { "httpStatus": 200, "htmlBytes": 733429 }
}
```

### Output fields

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `inputUrl`, `canonicalUrl`, `shortcode` | Original URL, normalized Instagram URL, and shortcode. |
| `status` | `succeeded` or `failed` for each input URL. |
| `errorType`, `errorMessage` | Failure classification and explanation when a URL cannot be transcribed. |
| `transcriptText` | Full transcript text when speech is detected and ASR succeeds. |
| `segments` | Timestamped transcript segments with start/end seconds. |
| `language`, `requestedLanguage` | Output language and requested transcription language. |
| `transcriptionSource`, `asrModel` | Source/method label and local ASR model used. |
| `durationSeconds` | Media duration measured from the downloaded video. |
| `ownerUsername`, `ownerId`, `caption`, `mediaType`, `mediaId` | Public media metadata when available in the Instagram page payload. |
| `videoUrlFound`, `videoContentLength` | Media extraction/download diagnostics. |
| `scrapedAt`, `metadata` | ISO scrape time and additional public route diagnostics. |

### Input recipes

- **Single Reel transcript**: set one public Reel URL and `maxItems` to `1`.
- **Small batch review**: provide 3-10 public Reel URLs and keep `language` as `en` for English speech.
- **Failure audit**: include known private/deleted/unsupported URLs to receive classified failure rows without losing successful transcripts from the same run.

### Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing: a small start event and one per-item event for each successful transcript row. Check the live [Apify Pricing tab](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor/pricing) for current rates before running large batches.

### Limits and troubleshooting

- Only public Instagram Reel/video URLs are supported. Private, deleted, unavailable, or unsupported URLs return failure rows.
- Transcript quality depends on audio clarity, speech language, background music, and speaker overlap.
- Very long videos take longer because audio must be downloaded and transcribed.
- Instagram may temporarily throttle anonymous access; retry later or keep Apify Proxy enabled.
- No native Instagram transcript is required; the Actor transcribes public media audio.

### API usage

JavaScript:

```js
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor').call({
  startUrls: [{ url: 'https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/' }],
  maxItems: 1,
  language: 'en',
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items[0].transcriptText);
```

Python:

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient('YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN')
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor').call(run_input={
    'startUrls': [{ 'url': 'https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/' }],
    'maxItems': 1,
    'language': 'en',
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(items[0]['transcriptText'])
```

cURL:

```bash
curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-ai-transcript-extractor/runs?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"startUrls":[{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/"}],"maxItems":1,"language":"en"}'
```

### MCP and agent usage

Use this Actor from agents through Apify MCP with:

```text
https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor
```

Claude CLI example:

```bash
claude mcp add apify-instagram-transcripts https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor
```

MCP JSON config example:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify-instagram-transcripts": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor"
    }
  }
}
```

Example prompts:

- "Transcribe these three public Instagram Reel URLs and return transcript text plus timestamps."
- "Run the Instagram AI Transcript Extractor and summarize only rows where `status` is `succeeded`."
- "Check failed rows and group them by `errorType`."

### Related actors

- [Instagram Search Scraper](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/instagram-search-scraper)
- [Instagram Profile Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/instagram-profile-scraper)
- [Instagram Post Scraper](https://apify.com/apify/instagram-post-scraper)
- [Best TikTok AI Transcript Extractor](https://apify.com/fetch_cat/best-tiktok-ai-transcript-extractor)
- [TikTok Scraper](https://apify.com/clockworks/tiktok-scraper)

### FAQ

**Can it transcribe private Reels?**
No. It only processes public Instagram media available to anonymous visitors.

**Does it use Instagram captions as transcripts?**
No. It produces a transcript from the public media audio and also attempts to preserve caption/media metadata separately.

**Why is `ownerUsername` sometimes null?**
Instagram page payloads vary. The Actor emits truthful public metadata when present and leaves unavailable fields as null.

**Can I use it in automation workflows?**
Yes. Use the API or MCP endpoint and read rows from the default dataset.

**How should I handle failed rows?**
Check `errorType` and `errorMessage`. Mixed batches preserve successes even when one URL fails.

### Support

Questions or issues? Open an issue on the Actor page in Apify Console and include the run ID plus a sample URL that reproduces the behavior.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Public Instagram Reel/video URLs to transcribe. Private, deleted, unsupported, or unavailable media are returned as classified failure rows.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stops after this many unique input URLs.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Use English for the initial quality baseline, or auto for future multilingual ASR support.

## `includeSegments` (type: `boolean`):

Include segment-level timestamps when the ASR output provides them.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify Proxy configuration for the logged-out browser media route.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/"
    }
  ],
  "maxItems": 3,
  "language": "en",
  "includeSegments": true,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/" }] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPR-1mcCAqa/"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-ai-transcript-extractor",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/Auo0zQTyZaNCMfHcc/builds/dDDVU84cCf7YhMwPE/openapi.json