| name | buffer-api |
| version | 1.1.0 |
| description | Schedule, create, and manage social media posts via the Buffer GraphQL API. Use this skill when the user wants to post to social media through Buffer, schedule posts, create ideas, list channels, retrieve posts, or manage their Buffer queue. Triggers on: Buffer, schedule a post, publish to social media, Buffer API, social media queue, Buffer channels, create Buffer post, Buffer idea, or any mention of posting to LinkedIn/Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/Bluesky/Threads/Pinterest/Mastodon/YouTube/TikTok via Buffer. |
Buffer GraphQL API
Schedule, create, and manage social media posts through Buffer's GraphQL API.
Prerequisites
- A Buffer account (any plan) with verified email
- An API key from Buffer API Settings
- Store the key as
BUFFER_API_KEY environment variable
Paid accounts can generate up to 5 API keys. Free accounts get 1. TikTok is not supported via the API at this time.
Endpoint
POST https://api.buffer.com
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_KEY
All requests are GraphQL POST requests to this single endpoint.
Authentication
Every request needs the Authorization: Bearer header:
curl -X POST 'https://api.buffer.com' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_KEY" \
-d '{"query": "{ account { organizations { id } } }"}'
Supported Operations
| Operation | Type | Description |
|---|
account | Query | Get authenticated user info |
channel | Query | Fetch single channel by ID |
channels | Query | Fetch all channels for an org |
post | Query | Fetch single post by ID |
posts | Query | Fetch posts with filters, sorting, pagination |
dailyPostingLimits | Query | Check posting limits per channel per date |
createPost | Mutation | Create and schedule a post |
deletePost | Mutation | Delete a post by ID |
createIdea | Mutation | Save an idea to the ideas board |
Setup Flow
Before creating posts, you need your organization ID and channel IDs. Run these queries in order:
1. Get Organizations
query GetOrganizations {
account {
organizations {
id
}
}
}
2. Get Channels
query GetChannels {
channels(input: { organizationId: "YOUR_ORG_ID" }) {
id
name
service
type
}
}
Filter by service type:
query GetFilteredChannels {
channels(
input: {
organizationId: "YOUR_ORG_ID"
filter: { services: [linkedin] }
}
) {
id
name
service
type
}
}
Service enum values: facebook, twitter, instagram, linkedin, pinterest, googlebusiness, mastodon, tiktok, bluesky, youtube, threads, startpage
3. Get a Single Channel
query GetChannel {
channel(input: { channelId: "YOUR_CHANNEL_ID" }) {
id
name
service
type
metadata {
... on LinkedInMetadata { handle }
... on TwitterMetadata { handle }
... on FacebookMetadata { facebookPageName }
... on InstagramMetadata { handle }
}
}
}
Creating Posts
Text Post
mutation CreatePost {
createPost(input: {
text: "Hello from the Buffer API!",
channelId: "YOUR_CHANNEL_ID",
schedulingType: automatic,
mode: addToQueue
}) {
... on PostActionSuccess {
post {
id
text
status
}
}
... on MutationError {
message
}
}
}
Image Post
Same as text post, with assets.images:
mutation CreateImagePost {
createPost(input: {
text: "Check out this image!",
channelId: "YOUR_CHANNEL_ID",
schedulingType: automatic,
mode: addToQueue,
assets: {
images: [
{ url: "https://example.com/image.jpg" }
]
}
}) {
... on PostActionSuccess {
post {
id
text
assets { id mimeType }
}
}
... on MutationError {
message
}
}
}
Scheduled Post (Specific Time)
Use mode: customSchedule with a dueAt ISO 8601 timestamp:
mutation CreateScheduledPost {
createPost(input: {
text: "Posting at a specific time",
channelId: "YOUR_CHANNEL_ID",
schedulingType: automatic,
mode: customSchedule,
dueAt: "2026-04-01T14:00:00.000Z"
}) {
... on PostActionSuccess {
post { id text status }
}
... on MutationError { message }
}
}
Share Now
Use mode: shareNow:
mutation ShareNow {
createPost(input: {
text: "Publishing immediately!",
channelId: "YOUR_CHANNEL_ID",
schedulingType: automatic,
mode: shareNow
}) {
... on PostActionSuccess {
post { id text status }
}
... on MutationError { message }
}
}
Share Next
Use mode: shareNext to push the post to the front of the queue:
mutation ShareNext {
createPost(input: {
text: "This goes next in the queue",
channelId: "YOUR_CHANNEL_ID",
schedulingType: automatic,
mode: shareNext
}) {
... on PostActionSuccess {
post { id text status }
}
... on MutationError { message }
}
}
CreatePostInput Fields
| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|---|
text | String | Yes | Post content |
channelId | ChannelId | Yes | Target channel |
schedulingType | Enum | Yes | automatic or notification |
mode | Enum | Yes | addToQueue, shareNow, shareNext, customSchedule |
dueAt | DateTime | For customSchedule | ISO 8601 timestamp |
assets | AssetsInput | No | Images, videos, documents, links |
AssetsInput
assets: {
images: [{ url: "https://..." }]
videos: [{ url: "https://...", title: "My Video" }]
documents: [{ url: "https://..." }]
link: { url: "https://..." }
}
Creating Ideas
Save content ideas to the Buffer ideas board:
mutation CreateIdea {
createIdea(input: {
organizationId: "YOUR_ORG_ID",
content: {
title: "Blog post idea"
text: "Write about the new GraphQL API features"
}
}) {
... on Idea {
id
content { title text }
}
}
}
Retrieving Posts
Get Scheduled Posts
query GetScheduledPosts {
posts(
input: {
organizationId: "YOUR_ORG_ID",
filter: { status: [scheduled] },
sort: [{ field: dueAt, direction: asc }]
}
) {
totalCount
edges {
node {
id
text
status
createdAt
dueAt
channelId
}
}
pageInfo {
hasNextPage
endCursor
}
}
}
Get Sent Posts for a Channel
query GetSentPosts {
posts(
input: {
organizationId: "YOUR_ORG_ID",
filter: {
status: [sent],
channelIds: ["YOUR_CHANNEL_ID"]
}
}
) {
edges {
node {
id
text
createdAt
channelId
}
}
}
}
Get Posts with Assets
query GetPostsWithAssets {
posts(
input: {
organizationId: "YOUR_ORG_ID",
filter: { status: [sent], channelIds: ["YOUR_CHANNEL_ID"] }
}
) {
edges {
node {
id
text
assets {
thumbnail
mimeType
source
... on ImageAsset {
image { altText width height }
}
}
}
}
}
}
Paginated Posts
Use first and after for cursor-based pagination:
query GetPaginatedPosts {
posts(
input: { organizationId: "YOUR_ORG_ID" },
first: 10,
after: "CURSOR_FROM_PREVIOUS_PAGE"
) {
edges {
node { id text status }
}
pageInfo {
hasNextPage
endCursor
}
totalCount
}
}
PostStatus Enum Values
draft, scheduled, sent, error, deleted, approval_pending, approval_rejected
PostSortableKey Enum Values
dueAt, createdAt
Deleting Posts
mutation DeletePost {
deletePost(input: { postId: "POST_ID" }) {
... on DeletePostSuccess {
post { id status }
}
... on MutationError { message }
}
}
curl Recipes
Quick post to queue
curl -X POST 'https://api.buffer.com' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_KEY" \
-d "$(jq -n --arg text "Hello from the API" --arg ch "$BUFFER_CHANNEL_ID" '{
query: "mutation CreatePost($input: CreatePostInput!) { createPost(input: $input) { ... on PostActionSuccess { post { id text } } ... on MutationError { message } } }",
variables: { input: { text: $text, channelId: $ch, schedulingType: "automatic", mode: "addToQueue" } }
}')"
List scheduled posts
curl -X POST 'https://api.buffer.com' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_KEY" \
-d "$(jq -n --arg org "$BUFFER_ORG_ID" '{
query: "query($input: PostsInput!) { posts(input: $input, first: 20) { edges { node { id text dueAt channelId } } } }",
variables: { input: { organizationId: $org, filter: { status: ["scheduled"] }, sort: [{ field: "dueAt", direction: "asc" }] } }
}')"
Agentic Workflow & Vibe Coding
- Iterative Scheduling: Do not expect complex GraphQL payloads to perfectly schedule multi-asset posts on the first try. Draft the payload, test it as a draft or send it to the ideas board, isolate any specific schema or media attachment errors, refine ONE field at a time, and re-test until the post format is correct.
- Vibe Coding: Commit your working GraphQL queries or scheduling scripts locally before attempting destructive operations or bulk queue modifications.
Error Handling
Mutation Errors (Recoverable)
Returned as typed union members. Always include ... on MutationError { message } in mutations:
... on PostActionSuccess { post { id } }
... on MutationError { message }
Specific error types: QueueLimitError, PostAlreadyExistsError, ValidationError, LimitReachedError, InvalidInputError, UnauthorizedError, VoidMutationError
Query Errors (Non-recoverable)
Returned in the standard GraphQL errors array with extension codes:
| Code | Meaning |
|---|
NOT_FOUND | Resource does not exist |
FORBIDDEN | No permission |
UNAUTHORIZED | Auth required or invalid |
UNEXPECTED | Server error |
RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED | Too many requests |
Rate Limits
| Client Type | Limit |
|---|
| Third-party clients | 100 requests / 15 min |
| Unknown/unauthenticated | 50 requests / 15 min |
| Account overall (all clients) | 2,000 requests / 15 min |
Response headers: RateLimit-Limit, RateLimit-Remaining, RateLimit-Reset
On 429, use the retryAfter value (seconds) from the error response.
Query Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|
| Max query complexity | 175,000 points |
| Max query depth | 25 levels |
| Max aliases | 30 |
| Max directives | 50 |
| Max tokens | 15,000 |
Supported Channels
Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google Business, Mastodon, TikTok (not via API), Bluesky, YouTube, Threads, Start Page
Agentic OS Integration
If the current project root contains an .agent/ directory, this skill MUST participate in the Agentic OS shared-memory model.
At the end of your execution, check for .agent/state/last-run.json. If it exists, append or update the file using its required schema to log your run. Ensure you capture your runtime (agent_runtime), skill_executed, a concise summary, decisions, and next_steps.
Reference
