# Instagram Stories Scraper API (`lance_api/instagram-stories-scraper-api`) Actor

Scrape active Instagram Stories from public profiles. Get images, videos, direct media URLs, timestamps, mentions, hashtags, links, music, locations, stickers, and structured Story data via API.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/lance\_api/instagram-stories-scraper-api.md
- **Developed by:** [LanceAPI](https://apify.com/lance_api) (community)
- **Categories:**
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.80 / 1,000 profiles

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/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#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 Stories Scraper API

Retrieve the currently active Instagram Stories of public profiles as clean, structured Dataset rows. Submit usernames or profile URLs and receive images, videos, timestamps, mentions, hashtags, links, music, locations, stickers, profile state, and a transparent processing status.

The Actor is focused exclusively on active Instagram Stories. It does not collect Highlights, historical Stories, posts, Reels, comments, transcripts, OCR, translations, or private content.

### Key features

- One simple input: `usernames`
- Accepts `username`, `@username`, and Instagram profile URLs
- Returns one Dataset row per active Story
- Always returns a status row when a profile has no Stories, is invalid, is restricted, or processing fails
- Includes direct image and video URLs, publication and expiration times, dimensions, duration, and audio state
- Extracts available mentions, hashtags, links, locations, music, captions, and interactive stickers
- Supports concurrent batches of up to 50 profiles for paid users
- Never retries Story processing, keeping cost and behavior predictable
- Charges once per profile processed, never once per Story

### Use cases

- Competitor and brand Story monitoring
- Influencer and creator research
- Active Story archiving
- Scheduled social media monitoring
- Automation and API pipelines
- AI analysis workflows

### Quick start

Use a username:

```json
{
  "usernames": ["instagram"]
}
```

Equivalent accepted values include `@instagram` and `https://www.instagram.com/instagram/`. Duplicate representations of the same username are processed once.

The default profile, `instagram`, was verified as a real public profile on September 8, 2026. Its public profile ID observed during validation was `25025320`.

### Input

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---:|---|
| `usernames` | `string[]` | Yes | Instagram usernames, `@usernames`, or profile URLs. Free users can process 1 profile per run; paid users can process up to 50. |

Clearly malformed usernames, non-Instagram URLs, and post, Reel, or Story URLs are rejected before Story processing.

### Output

Each active Story is a separate Dataset row with its profile context. If a profile returns no Story item, the Actor emits exactly one profile status row. Every accepted unique input therefore remains traceable.

#### Profile and result fields

| Field | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `input` | `string` | Original supplied value |
| `username` | `string \| null` | Normalized username |
| `userId` | `string \| null` | Instagram profile ID when available |
| `profileUrl` | `string \| null` | Canonical profile URL |
| `status` | `string` | `success`, `no_stories`, `invalid`, `restricted`, or `failed` |
| `reason` | `string \| null` | Stable reason code when applicable |
| `errorMessage` | `string \| null` | Human-readable result explanation |
| `charged` | `boolean` | Whether the profile-processing event was charged |
| `isPrivate` | `boolean \| null` | Confirmed privacy state when available |
| `isAccessible` | `boolean` | Whether Story data was accessible |
| `activeStoryCount` | `integer` | Total active Stories returned for this profile |
| `requestedAt` | `string` | ISO 8601 processing timestamp |

#### Story fields

| Field | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| `storyId` | `string \| null` | Story identifier |
| `mediaType` | `string \| null` | `image`, `video`, or `unknown` |
| `postedAt` | `string \| null` | Publication time in ISO 8601 UTC |
| `expiresAt` | `string \| null` | Expected expiration time in ISO 8601 UTC |
| `mediaUrl` | `string \| null` | Primary image or video URL |
| `imageUrl` | `string \| null` | Image or video-cover URL |
| `videoUrl` | `string \| null` | Direct video URL |
| `width`, `height` | `number \| null` | Media dimensions in pixels |
| `durationSeconds` | `number \| null` | Video duration |
| `hasAudio` | `boolean \| null` | Reported video audio availability |
| `caption` | `string \| null` | Story caption when available |
| `accessibilityCaption` | `string \| null` | Accessibility description when available |
| `mentions` | `object[]` | Mentioned accounts |
| `hashtags` | `string[]` | Hashtags without `#` |
| `links` | `object[]` | Link stickers |
| `locations` | `object[]` | Location metadata |
| `music` | `object \| null` | Title, artist, and audio ID when available |
| `stickers` | `object[]` | Supported poll, question, quiz, countdown, and slider metadata |

### Verified output examples

The following excerpts use real results collected on September 8, 2026. Temporary CDN URLs are intentionally omitted from these documentation excerpts; the Dataset row contains the complete `mediaUrl`, `imageUrl`, and `videoUrl` values at run time.

#### Active Story

The public `natgeo` profile returned one active video Story:

```json
{
  "input": "natgeo",
  "username": "natgeo",
  "userId": "787132",
  "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/",
  "status": "success",
  "reason": null,
  "charged": true,
  "isPrivate": false,
  "isAccessible": true,
  "activeStoryCount": 1,
  "storyId": "3981132462985100812",
  "mediaType": "video",
  "postedAt": "2026-09-07T19:03:30.000Z",
  "expiresAt": "2026-09-08T19:03:30.000Z",
  "width": 720,
  "height": 1280,
  "durationSeconds": 60.022,
  "hasAudio": true,
  "caption": null,
  "mentions": [],
  "hashtags": [],
  "locations": [],
  "music": null,
  "stickers": []
}
```

#### No active Stories

The public `instagram` profile returned zero active Stories during the same validation:

```json
{
  "input": "instagram",
  "username": "instagram",
  "userId": "25025320",
  "profileUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/instagram/",
  "status": "no_stories",
  "reason": "no_active_stories",
  "charged": true,
  "isPrivate": false,
  "isAccessible": true,
  "activeStoryCount": 0,
  "storyId": null,
  "mediaType": null
}
```

Story availability changes continuously, so a later run may return a different count.

### Status and reason

| Status | Meaning | Charged? |
|---|---|---:|
| `success` | Processing completed and at least one active Story was returned | Yes |
| `no_stories` | The profile was processed successfully but has no active Stories | Yes |
| `invalid` | Strong preflight evidence confirmed malformed, nonexistent, or deleted input | No |
| `restricted` | The profile may be valid, but access is private, login-restricted, challenged, or otherwise restricted | Yes |
| `failed` | Formal processing began but did not complete, or the run budget prevented processing | Yes after processing begins; no for a pre-processing budget block |

Possible `reason` values are:

`no_active_stories`, `invalid_username`, `invalid_profile_url`, `profile_not_found`, `profile_deleted`, `private_profile`, `login_required`, `access_restricted`, `challenge_required`, `temporarily_unavailable`, `rate_limited`, `processing_failed`, and `budget_limit_reached`.

Login restrictions, challenges, temporary blocks, and inconclusive profile responses are not treated as proof that a profile is invalid.

### Pricing

You pay for profile processing, not Story count.

| Plan | Price per processed profile | Price per 1,000 profiles |
|---|---:|---:|
| Free | $0.0035 | $3.50 |
| Starter | $0.0032 | $3.20 |
| Scale | $0.0030 | $3.00 |
| Business | $0.0028 | $2.80 |

An Actor start costs **$0.099**. The processing event name is `result` and its title is **Profile**.

#### Billing examples

- 1 profile with 0 active Stories = 1 profile-processing charge
- 1 profile with 1 active Story = 1 profile-processing charge
- 1 profile with 20 active Stories = 1 profile-processing charge
- A clearly invalid or nonexistent profile rejected before processing = 0 profile-processing charges

Profiles that require processing to determine availability, restrictions, or Story status are charged once. A processing error after formal Story processing begins is also charged once.

### Free and paid limits

- Free users: 1 unique valid profile per run
- Paid users: up to 50 unique valid profiles per run

Requests over the applicable limit fail before Story processing. Inputs are never silently truncated.

### API usage

Actor ID:

```text
lance_api/instagram-stories-scraper-api
```

#### JavaScript

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

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('lance_api/instagram-stories-scraper-api').call({
    usernames: ['instagram'],
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);
```

#### Python

```python
import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ["APIFY_TOKEN"])
run = client.actor("lance_api/instagram-stories-scraper-api").call(run_input={
    "usernames": ["instagram"]
})
items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items
print(items)
```

#### cURL

```bash
curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/lance_api~instagram-stories-scraper-api/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"usernames":["instagram"]}'
```

### Scheduled monitoring

Create an Apify Schedule for recurring checks, then compare `storyId` values with the previous Dataset to identify newly published Stories. Choose an interval that matches your monitoring requirements and budget. Remember that Stories normally remain active for about 24 hours.

### Media URL notice

`mediaUrl`, `imageUrl`, and `videoUrl` are temporary Instagram CDN URLs and may expire. Download or persist media you are authorized to retain as soon as practical.

### Limitations

- Only currently active Stories are returned.
- Private content is not accessed.
- Instagram can require login, present a challenge, rate-limit requests, or temporarily restrict access.
- Metadata fields can be null or empty when Instagram does not expose them for a Story.
- The Actor does not retry failed Story requests.
- Story availability and CDN URLs can change between runs.

### Privacy and responsible use

Use the Actor only for lawful purposes and only process data you are authorized to access. Respect Instagram's terms, privacy rights, intellectual-property rights, and applicable data-protection laws. Do not provide passwords, cookies, login sessions, or access tokens as input.

### FAQ

#### Does an account with no Stories fail?

No. It returns one row with `status: "no_stories"`, `reason: "no_active_stories"`, and `activeStoryCount: 0`.

#### Why is a profile charged if it returns no Story?

The Actor must process the profile to determine its current Story state. The charge covers that profile-processing operation, not the number of Story rows.

#### Can one profile create multiple processing charges?

No. One unique profile entering formal processing creates exactly one `result` charge, regardless of Story count.

#### Are invalid profiles charged?

Malformed input and profiles rejected by strong native preflight evidence are not charged. Ambiguous access responses proceed conservatively because a login restriction or parsing failure does not prove that a profile is invalid.

#### Can it access private profiles?

No. A private or restricted profile receives a transparent status row.

#### Are media URLs permanent?

No. They may expire. Persist authorized media promptly if you need it later.

### Support

For support, open an issue on the Actor page or email **lanceapi2026@hotmail.com**. Include the Apify Run ID, public username, and expected versus actual result. Never send passwords, cookies, or API tokens.

# Actor input Schema

## `usernames` (type: `array`):

Enter an Instagram username, @username, or profile URL. Free users can process 1 profile per run; paid users can process up to 50.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usernames": [
    "instagram"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

One row per active Story, or one status row when a profile returns no Story.

## `runSummary` (type: `string`):

Profile, Story, status, and billing totals for this run.

# 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 = {
    "usernames": [
        "instagram"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("lance_api/instagram-stories-scraper-api").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 = { "usernames": ["instagram"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("lance_api/instagram-stories-scraper-api").call(run_input=run_input)

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

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

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "usernames": [
    "instagram"
  ]
}' |
apify call lance_api/instagram-stories-scraper-api --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,lance_api/instagram-stories-scraper-api"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/aQMXmlOz6n4Ii1L7q/builds/Erjq5UxwB8biJx0kq/openapi.json