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

Terminal

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):

config.json

{
  "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:

bash

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

Default: https://instapdown.com.

Development

bash

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

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