instapdown-mcp

16 Instagram creator tools as a Model Context Protocol server. Wraps the public API and data behind instapdown.com so any MCP client — Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, Zed — can download Reels, audit engagement, search hashtags, generate Reels hooks, get country-specific best-time-to-post data and browse a 2026 content calendar directly from a chat turn.

Part of the TapDown family alongside xtapdown-mcp (X / Twitter).

Install

npx -y instapdown-mcp

That's the whole install path. No account, no API key, no config.

Claude Desktop config

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instapdown": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instapdown-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. In a new chat:

"Download this reel for me: https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/"

Claude will call download_reels and hand back the direct MP4 URL and audio track.

The 16 tools

Downloaders

| Tool | Input | Returns | |---|---|---| | download_reels | Reel URL | Original 9:16 HD MP4, no watermark | | download_video | Feed video URL | Original MP4, no re-encoding | | download_story | Username | Every active Story in the 24h window | | download_profile_picture | Username | Full-resolution profile JPG | | download_carousel | Carousel URL | Every slide as a media array | | download_photo | Single-image post URL | Original full-resolution JPG | | extract_reel_audio | Reel URL | Source m4a audio track URL |

Public accounts only. Private accounts return HTTP 422 by design.

Analytics

| Tool | Input | Returns | |---|---|---| | engagement_health_check | Username | Weighted ER, save rate, comment rate, tier benchmark from the last 12 posts | | engagement_calculator | Followers + interactions | Weighted ER (like×1 + comment×2 + save×3 + share×4), tier benchmark, performance rating |

Content strategy

| Tool | Input | Returns | |---|---|---| | generate_reels_hooks | Niche + optional country/language | 10 verified 2026 hook templates from the 900-hook library | | search_hashtags | Topic + locale | Real Instagram post counts for the returned hashtags | | get_hashtag_niche | Optional category | 25 curated seed niches | | audit_creator_hashtags | Username | Hashtag frequency map from the last 12 posts | | generate_instagram_fonts | Text + optional style | 22 Unicode font variants (Bold, Italic, Script, Fraktur, Double Struck, Monospace, Small Caps, Circled, Upside Down, …) | | get_best_time_to_post | Country code | 5 prime slots + 7-day heatmap, sourced from Buffer 2026 (30M+ posts) | | get_content_calendar | Market + date range + niche | Instagram content dates for 2026, each with a native-language Reels hook and hashtag set |

Supported markets for country-varied tools: US, GB, CA, AU, BR, MX, ES, IT, DE, FR, NL, SE, TR, JP, SA, AE, RU.

Environment

Override the API host when developing locally against a staging Instapdown:

INSTAPDOWN_BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000 npx -y instapdown-mcp

Default: https://instapdown.com.

Development

git clone https://github.com/farukkolip/instapdown-mcp
cd instapdown-mcp
npm install
npm run build
node dist/test/smoke.js   # in-memory smoke test — 16 tools + 6 offline callable

License

MIT © Ömer Faruk Kolip

Instapdown is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta Platforms, Inc. or Instagram. Public content only.