Instagram Mentions Scraper

Instagram Mentions Scraper exports public tagged posts and reels for Instagram handles or profile URLs. Get post URLs, captions, creators, visible engagement and timestamps for UGC discovery and brand reporting. Caption mentions are identified within discovered tagged posts, not searched across all Instagram content.

Quick start

1. Enter one or more public Instagram handles in targets.
2. Start with maxItems: 3 and run the Actor.
3. Open the dataset to export JSON, CSV or Excel. Instagram may restrict public access, so results can be fewer than requested or empty.

{
  "targets": ["nasa"],
  "maxItems": 3
}

Prefer a video guide? This short Apify walkthrough shows you how to set up and run an Actor. It uses a different Actor, but the setup steps are the same.

Ready-to-run examples

Choose a public example to see its settings before starting a run:

• Monitor Multiple Instagram Brand Mentions
• Track NASA Instagram Mentions

What you get

Each saved row is a public Instagram post bound to the profile you requested. Export canonical post URLs, captions, creators, visible engagement, media URLs, timestamps and tag/mention context when available.

• Target-bound results: every row includes targetUsername and matchTypes: tagged, plus mentioned when the caption also mentions the target.
• Recurring exports: normalized handles and stable id values help deduplicate records in your destination. sourcePage is currently always 1, not a pagination counter.
• Public data only: private accounts, direct messages, viewer-specific information, and login-only insights are not collected.

Who is it for?

• Brand and social teams reviewing public posts tagged to known campaign profiles.
• Creator and UGC researchers collecting source-linked content for manual review.
• PR agencies preparing timestamped evidence sheets from available tagged media.
• Data teams comparing their own repeat exports while retaining target and match context.

How you can use the data

• Review a small NASA tagged-media sample. Use the existing nasa target with a three-item per-profile cap. Keep targetUsername, post ID, URL and matchTypes together: every discovered result is tagged, while mentioned is added only when that same caption mentions the target.
• Inspect a campaign window across known profiles. Use the existing nasa/natgeo recipe with a small per-target cap and the supplied campaign start date. The cap is applied before date/media filtering, so filters can leave fewer rows rather than filling the entire date window.
• Keep creator and media evidence with each post. Export available author, caption, media and disclosure fields beside the source post. Optional comments and sponsorship signals are not guaranteed, and discovery order is not a newest-first or engagement ranking.
• Compare your own recurring UGC exports. Join stable IDs or shortcodes in your destination, keeping the target relationship. One post matched to two targets can create two saved and charged rows. SourcePage is always one rather than a pagination count, and global caption searches, stories and comments are not added by this workflow.

Input settings

Monitor several profiles since a campaign launch

{
  "targets": ["nasa", "natgeo"],
  "maxItems": 50,
  "sinceDate": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
}

More input settings

Input	Description
Instagram profiles — targets	Required: 1–50 public handles or profile URLs.
Maximum mentions per profile — maxItems	Upper bound per profile (1–1000. Default 20). Filters can reduce the saved count.
mediaTypes	Keep images, videos/reels, and/or carousel posts.
sinceDate	Optional ISO date-time. Older posts are excluded.
failOnBlocked	Legacy compatibility option. Access blocks fail the run regardless of this value. Verified empty results still succeed.
Proxy configuration — proxyConfiguration	Direct access with automatic residential recovery when omitted. Explicit direct and custom-proxy settings remain supported. See field help for additional platform usage costs.

Output data

Group	Fields
Match and identity	targetUsername, matchTypes, id, shortCode, url, postType, productType
Text and tags	caption, hashtags, mentionedUsernames, taggedUsernames
Creator	authorId, authorUsername, authorFullName, authorIsVerified, authorProfilePicUrl
Media	displayUrl, images, videoUrl, videoDuration, videoPlayCount, videoViewCount, dimensionsHeight, dimensionsWidth
Engagement and context	locationName, likesCount, commentsCount, latestComments, isPaidPartnership, isAffiliate, isAd, sponsorUsernames
Provenance	timestamp, scrapedAt, sourcePage

Source-dependent fields may be null, empty arrays or empty strings when unavailable. Optional comments and disclosure fields are not guaranteed. Results follow discovery order, not a guaranteed newest-first or engagement sort.

Illustrative output subset (shape only, not an observed post):

{
  "targetUsername": "nasa",
  "matchTypes": ["tagged"],
  "id": "example-post-id",
  "shortCode": "EXAMPLE",
  "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/EXAMPLE/",
  "postType": "image",
  "caption": "",
  "timestamp": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "sourcePage": 1
}

Download your results

Open your run's dataset, choose Export and select JSON, CSV or Excel. JSON keeps nested fields together. CSV and Excel are useful when you want to review the records in a spreadsheet.

See Apify's download and export guide for the available formats and field options.

Pricing

The start event is charged once per run, and result is charged for each saved post row. Deduplication is within each target, so a post matched to two targets can produce two charged rows. No error or status rows are saved.

Current rates are on the Pricing tab.

Tips for best results

• Use a low per-profile cap initially. The cap applies before date and media filtering rather than promising that many matching rows.
• Keep target and match type with the post identity. Tagged discovery and caption mentions within those posts are distinct concepts.
• Compare stable IDs or shortcodes in your own destination. Retain multiple target relationships instead of assuming global deduplication.
• Add a campaign date deliberately. A date cutoff excludes older discovered posts rather than providing exhaustive historical coverage.
• Use automatic recovery for public profiles. Omitted connection settings allow residential recovery after direct access fails. Set proxyConfiguration.useApifyProxy to false for direct access only. A proxy cannot unlock age-restricted or login-only profiles.

Limits and caveats

This Actor returns only public content that Instagram makes available for the requested target at run time. If a run returns fewer rows than expected, first confirm the handle, date filter, media-type filter, and the profile’s public tagged-media availability. Unresolved access blocks, failed navigation and extraction that cannot establish a valid result fail the run, regardless of the legacy failOnBlocked value. An explicit age restriction or unavailable-profile response from Instagram instead skips that profile with a warning. It does not establish privacy or deletion, and the Actor does not log in to bypass restrictions. Confirmed no tagged media and records excluded by the requested date or media filters still succeed with an empty dataset. Useful records from other targets remain available even when the run fails. RUN_SUMMARY.outcomes records each target's saved count and reason, including records_saved, no_tagged_media, no_matching_records, age_restricted, target_unavailable_unknown, access_blocked, access_failed and extraction_failed. An access error does not establish that a profile is private or deleted. An empty result does not prove complete coverage. Infrastructure, storage and billing failures also fail the run.

The per-profile cap is applied before date and media filtering. Public access and the run deadline can reduce coverage or leave work pending, so inspect RUN_SUMMARY before treating a batch as complete. Discovery order is not a guaranteed recent-first or engagement sort.

The Actor finds tagged posts and checks their captions for target mentions. It does not search every Instagram caption, story or comment. Private accounts, direct messages, viewer-specific information and login-only insights are outside scope. Optional creator, media, comment and disclosure fields may be absent, and sourcePage is a fixed provenance value rather than evidence of traversed pages.

Automation and integrations

Save your settings for next time

Once you have an input that works for you, save it as an Apify task. This keeps your settings together so you can use them again without filling in the form from scratch.

Run on a schedule

Need fresh results regularly? You can schedule the Actor or a saved task to run at a time that suits you.

Each scheduled run collects the data again. If you want to compare results or highlight changes, add that step in your own workflow.

Send results to your other tools

Use n8n, Make or Zapier to connect this scraper to the rest of your workflow. For example, you could pass its results to an AI assistant or add records to a spreadsheet. Follow the Apify integration guides for your chosen tool.

For a custom connection, an Apify webhook can notify your app when a run finishes or fails. Your app can then fetch the results or handle the failure.

API usage

Want to collect this data from your own app or automation? The examples below send input to the scraper and show how to collect its results.

The Node.js and Python examples wait for the run to finish before reading its results. The cURL example starts the run and returns its details. Wait for that run to finish, then use its defaultDatasetId to fetch the results.

For setup instructions, see Apify's JavaScript client guide, Python client guide and Actor runs API reference.

cURL

curl -X POST 'https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/fetch_cat~instagram-mentions-scraper/runs' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data @- <<'JSON'
{
  "targets": [
    "nasa"
  ],
  "maxItems": 3
}
JSON

Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-mentions-scraper').call({
  "targets": [
    "nasa"
  ],
  "maxItems": 3
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Python

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('fetch_cat/instagram-mentions-scraper').call(run_input={'targets': ['nasa'], 'maxItems': 3})
print(client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items)

MCP and AI agents

You can ask your AI assistant to collect data with Instagram Mentions Scraper and help you work with the results. The scraper returns the data, and your assistant can then summarize it, compare records or prepare notes.

Connect your assistant through the Apify MCP server. MCP gives your assistant a way to find this scraper, run it and read the results. Follow the official setup and sign-in guide for your app.

Easier setup with an Apify plugin

If you use a supported coding assistant, the official Apify plugin can set up the connection for you. It connects your assistant to Apify and includes instructions for common tasks. Follow the guide for your particular app.

Use Apify AI in Console

Prefer to keep everything in Apify? Open Apify AI in Console and ask it to find Fetch Cat's Instagram Mentions Scraper. You can describe the data you want and ask questions about the results.

Apify AI is currently in beta. It asks for confirmation before starting an Actor, and normal run charges apply.

Choose your assistant

• Claude and Claude Code (Anthropic): Apify setup guide.
• ChatGPT and Codex (OpenAI): Apify setup guides.
• Grok Bot (xAI): Apify plugin guide.
• Gemini CLI (Google): MCP server setup guide. Use the server URL below with the HTTP configuration supported by Gemini CLI.

Connect just this scraper

To keep your setup focused on this scraper, add this server configuration to a compatible MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=fetch_cat/instagram-mentions-scraper"
    }
  }
}

Sign in to Apify when your client asks. If your client uses a Bearer token instead, follow its setup guide and keep the token in its secure configuration. Configuration formats vary by app, so use the linked guide if your client needs a different format.

Use Apify's general server

Already connected to the general Apify MCP server at https://mcp.apify.com? You can use it to find this scraper without adding another server. Ask your assistant to use Instagram Mentions Scraper by Fetch Cat, or give it the identifier fetch_cat/instagram-mentions-scraper.

Your assistant can check the available settings and retrieve the results from the returned run. If the run is still working, it should follow that run rather than start it again. Both connection options use Apify's hosted service.

Example requests

• “Use Fetch Cat’s Instagram Mentions Scraper to collect up to 3 tagged posts for nasa. Keep target usernames, post links and match types, explaining caption mentions only within discovered tagged posts.”
• “Collect up to 3 tagged posts per target for nasa and natgeo with the campaign cutoff 1 January 2026 at 00:00 UTC and all media types retained. Keep target relationships and explain that date filtering can reduce the returned sample.”
• “Retrieve up to 3 public tagged posts for nasa and make a source-linked review sheet of available captions, author fields and media metadata. Check target outcomes and pending work without interpreting an unavailable or empty result as privacy or deletion.”

Normal Apify charges apply. Check the live Pricing tab before asking your assistant to run a larger batch.

Pay with x402

If your AI agent has a funded wallet, it can pay for Apify usage through x402. This experimental option lets an agent use Apify without a conventional account.

Apify AGI provides a prepaid API token with a spending cap after payment. Your agent can use that token to run this scraper through the Apify API or an authenticated MCP connection.

Some MCP setups also support paying for each request directly. That is a different payment option, so check the official guide for its availability.

Follow the official guide for wallet setup, supported payment options and current terms. Apify handles the payments. Keep wallet keys and payment tokens in your agent's secure configuration.

Other ways for agents to pay

Apify also supports MPP for prepaid access through AGI and Skyfire for eligible Actors. If your agent already uses one of these, see the agentic payment guide to choose the right setup.

FAQ

What data can I export with instagram mentions scraper?

You can export public post identity, captions, normalized tagged and mentioned handles, creator information, visible engagement, media URLs, timestamps, and source-page provenance. This lets you scrape Instagram mentions into a structured dataset.

Does this search every Instagram caption mention?

No. It discovers tagged posts for each target and identifies caption mentions within those records. It does not search all posts, stories or comments for a username.

Do I need a login or cookies?

No login or cookies are required as input. Age-restricted, private and login-only content is outside the supported scope. Explicit age restrictions and unavailable-profile responses are reported in RUN_SUMMARY. Ordinary access errors remain failures.

How much does it cost to use Instagram Mentions Scraper?

Pricing is based on a small start event and each unique public mention saved. See the Pricing tab for the current rate at your Apify tier.

Why might a profile return fewer rows than requested?

Public tagged media is source-dependent. A profile may have fewer matching posts, older posts may be excluded by sinceDate, or Instagram may restrict access to that profile.

Can I run Instagram Mentions Scraper through an API, schedule, or MCP client?

Yes. Use the Apify API example above, configure an Apify schedule, or connect it through the MCP link. Pricing is based on the start event and each unique public mention saved. See the Pricing tab for your tier's current rate.

Related Actors

More Instagram scrapers

• Instagram AI Transcript Extractor — Retrieve available transcript text from known public Instagram Reel or video URLs.
• Instagram Profile & Posts Scraper — Collect public profile details and available post or Reel metadata from known accounts or media URLs.
• Instagram Stories & Highlights Scraper — Collect accessible story and highlight records using your own authorized Instagram session. This does not bypass private-profile permissions.
• Instagram Post Details Scraper — Collect available captions, author details, dates and visible engagement from known public post URLs.
• Instagram Related Profiles Scraper — Collect direct related-profile suggestions from seed accounts, with available public identity fields.

Support and feedback

For custom additions or integrations, email hello@fetchcat.dev.

Found an error or have a feature request? Open an issue with the run URL, a non-sensitive input example and what you expected.

Need help sharing it? See Apify’s guide to sharing a run when reporting an issue. Sharing a run can give the developer access to its input, logs and results, so use a run that contains no sensitive data. Please leave out API tokens, passwords, cookies, private documents and personal data. Use a public sample URL or a redacted example instead.

Tried this scraper? We'd love to hear how it worked for you. Leave a review to help others choose the right tool and help us improve it. Your feedback means a lot to us.

Made with care for curious people, AI agents and the possibilities in data. ♥