Threads API for Posting: Publish to Threads via API

The official Threads API

The Threads API is part of Meta's developer platform. Publishing is a two-step process: create a media container with POST /{threads-user-id}/threads, then publish it with POST /{threads-user-id}/threads_publish. Carousels add a third step, because each item is created as its own container before the carousel container. Meta recommends waiting on average 30 seconds before publishing a container so the upload can finish processing.

What posting requires

1. Create an app in the Meta developer dashboard and add the Threads use case.
2. Request threads_basic (required for all Threads endpoints) and threads_content_publish (required for publishing). Replies and chains also need threads_manage_replies.
3. Before users without a role on your app can grant these permissions, each permission must be approved through App Review and the app must be published.
4. Implement the OAuth flow, exchange the 1-hour short-lived token for a long-lived token valid for 60 days, and refresh it before it expires.
5. Build the container, poll or wait for processing, then call threads_publish, and repeat with reply_to_id for each part of a chain.

Cost: Meta's Threads API documentation lists no per-call fee. The cost is engineering time: app setup, App Review, token refresh and ongoing maintenance.

Official limits

Common gotchas

• Publishing a container before Meta finishes processing the media fails, so video and carousel flows need a wait or a status check.
• App Review takes time, and the app has to be published before real users can connect.
• A chain is not one call: each part is published as a reply to the previous one with reply_to_id, and a failure halfway leaves a partial thread.
• Long-lived tokens expire after 60 days if they are not refreshed, which silently breaks scheduled jobs.
• Emoji count toward the 500-character limit differently than plain letters, so length checks need care.

Post to Threads via API

curl -X POST https://api.publora.com/api/v1/create-post \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-publora-key: sk_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "content": "We moved our API to a new region last week. Here is what we learned.\n\n---\n\nFirst, map every dependency before you touch anything.\n\n---\n\nSecond, run both systems in parallel and compare outputs.",
    "platforms": ["threads-55667788"],
    "scheduledTime": "2026-10-06T14:00:00.000Z",
    "platformSettings": {
      "threads": { "replyControl": "accounts_you_follow" }
    }
  }'
# { "success": true, "postGroupId": "...", "scheduledTime": "2026-10-06T14:00:00.000Z" }

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.publora.com/api/v1/create-post",
    headers={
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "x-publora-key": "sk_YOUR_API_KEY",
    },
    json={
        "content": "Our new dashboard is live. Three screenshots of what changed.",
        "platforms": ["threads-55667788"],
        "scheduledTime": "2026-10-06T14:00:00.000Z",
        "mediaUrls": [
            "https://example.com/img/overview.png",
            "https://example.com/img/filters.png",
            "https://example.com/img/export.png",
        ],
    },
)
print(response.json())  # {'success': True, 'postGroupId': '...', 'scheduledTime': '...'}

Or let an AI agent post

Connect any MCP client to mcp.publora.com:

• “Turn this changelog into a Threads chain of four parts, each under 480 characters, and schedule it for Tuesday 14:00 UTC.”
• “Schedule a Threads carousel from these three image URLs tomorrow at 09:00 UTC and only let accounts I follow reply.”
• “Post this announcement to my Threads and LinkedIn accounts at the same time on Friday at 16:00 UTC.”