buffer

# Buffer Social Media Scheduling ## Setup Requires a `BUFFER_API_TOKEN` environment variable. Generate one at: https://publish.buffer.com/settings/api Verify the token is set before making any API calls: ```bash if [ -z "$BUFFER_API_TOKEN" ]; then echo "Error: BUFFER_API_TOKEN is not set. Get your token at https://publish.buffer.com/settings/api" exit 1 fi ``` ## API Configuration - **Endpoint:** `https://api.buffer.com` - **Method:** POST (all requests are GraphQL) - **Content-Type:** `application/json` - **Auth:** `Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN` - **User-Agent:** `Mozilla/5.0` — required to avoid Cloudflare 403 blocks ### Curl Template All API calls follow this pattern: ```bash curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d '{"query": "<GRAPHQL_QUERY>", "variables": <VARIABLES_JSON>}' ``` Always pipe through `jq` for readable output. Use `jq -e` to detect errors. **Important:** For queries with GraphQL variables (e.g. `$input`), the shell may expand `$input` even inside single quotes. Use a temp file with `-d @file` to avoid this: ```bash cat > /tmp/buffer_payload.json << 'EOF' {"query": "<GRAPHQL_QUERY>", "variables": <VARIABLES_JSON>} EOF curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d @/tmp/buffer_payload.json | jq . ``` Simple queries without variables can use inline `-d` directly. ## Mode Detection Parse the user's intent to determine which operation to perform: | Intent | Mode | Example | |--------|------|---------| | List organizations | `organizations` | "Show my Buffer organizations" | | List channels | `channels` | "What channels do I have?" | | View posts | `posts` | "Show my scheduled posts" | | Create a text post | `create-post` | "Schedule a tweet saying..." | | Create a Twitter/X thread | `create-thread` | "Post a thread on X..." | | Create an image post | `create-post` | "Post this image to Instagram" | | Save an idea | `create-idea` | "Save an idea about..." | | Account info | `account` | "Show my Buffer account" | Most operations require an `organizationId`. If the user hasn't specified one, fetch organizations first. If only one org exists, use it automatically. ## Mode: Get Organizations Fetch the user's organizations. This is typically the first call needed. ```bash curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d '{"query": "{ account { organizations { id name ownerEmail } } }"}' | jq . ``` Store the `organizationId` from the response for subsequent calls. ## Mode: Get Channels List channels (social media accounts) for an organization. ```bash cat > /tmp/buffer_payload.json << 'EOF' {"query": "query GetChannels($input: ChannelsInput!) { channels(input: $input) { id name displayName service avatar isQueuePaused } }", "variables": {"input": {"organizationId": "<ORG_ID>"}}} EOF curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d @/tmp/buffer_payload.json | jq . ``` Display results in a readable format showing channel name, service (e.g., twitter, instagram, linkedin), and queue status. ## Mode: Get Posts Query posts with filtering, sorting, and pagination. ```bash cat > /tmp/buffer_payload.json << 'EOF' {"query": "query GetPosts($input: PostsInput!) { posts(input: $input) { edges { node { id text status dueAt sentAt createdAt channelService externalLink } cursor } pageInfo { hasNextPage endCursor } totalCount } }", "variables": {"input": {"organizationId": "<ORG_ID>", "filter": {"status": "scheduled"}, "sort": {"field": "dueAt", "direction": "desc"}}}} EOF curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d @/tmp/buffer_payload.json | jq . ``` For available filter fields (status, channelIds, date range), sort options, and pagination details, refer to `references/api-reference.md`. ## Mode: Create Text Post Create and schedule a text post. ```bash cat > /tmp/buffer_payload.json << 'EOF' {"query": "mutation CreatePost($input: CreatePostInput!) { createPost(input: $input) { ... on PostActionSuccess { post { id text status dueAt } } ... on MutationError { message } } }", "variables": {"input": {"channelId": "<CHANNEL_ID>", "text": "<POST_CONTENT>", "schedulingType": "automatic", "mode": "addToQueue"}}} EOF curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d @/tmp/buffer_payload.json | jq . ``` ### Required Fields - **channelId** (String!): The channel to post to - **text** (String!): The post content ### Scheduling Options - **schedulingType**: `automatic` (Buffer picks time) or `notification` (sends reminder) - **mode**: Controls when the post is published (e.g., `addToQueue`, `shareNow`, `shareNext`, `customSchedule`, `recommendedTime`) - **dueAt** (String): ISO 8601 datetime, required when mode is `customSchedule`. Example: `"2026-03-15T14:00:00Z"` For full field definitions and enum values, refer to `references/api-reference.md`. ### Response Handling The mutation returns a union type. Always check for both success and error: ```bash # Check if the response contains an error result=$(curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" ...) echo "$result" | jq -e '.data.createPost.message' > /dev/null 2>&1 && { echo "Error: $(echo "$result" | jq -r '.data.createPost.message')" } || { echo "$result" | jq '.data.createPost.post' } ``` ## Mode: Create Twitter/X Thread Twitter/X threads are created using the `metadata.twitter.thread` field on the `createPost` mutation. The thread is an array of `ThreadedPostInput` objects, each with a `text` field (and optional `assets`). **Important:** The first tweet in the thread must be included in the `thread` array. The top-level `text` field is also required but Buffer uses the thread array to render all tweets in its UI. Include the same text in both places for the first tweet. ```bash cat > /tmp/buffer_payload.json << 'EOF' {"query": "mutation CreatePost($input: CreatePostInput!) { createPost(input: $input) { ... on PostActionSuccess { post { id text status dueAt } } ... on MutationError { message } } }", "variables": {"input": {"channelId": "<CHANNEL_ID>", "text": "<FIRST_TWEET_TEXT>", "schedulingType": "automatic", "mode": "addToQueue", "metadata": {"twitter": {"thread": [{"text": "<FIRST_TWEET_TEXT>"}, {"text": "<SECOND_TWEET_TEXT>"}, {"text": "<THIRD_TWEET_TEXT>"}]}}}}} EOF curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d @/tmp/buffer_payload.json | jq . ``` ### Thread Structure - **Top-level `text`**: Required. Use the first tweet's text. - **`metadata.twitter.thread`**: Array of `ThreadedPostInput` objects. Each has: - **`text`** (String): The tweet content - **`assets`** (AssetsInput, optional): Images for that specific tweet - The first entry in the `thread` array should match the top-level `text` (this is what Buffer displays as tweet 1). - All subsequent entries become reply tweets in the thread. ### Thread Tips - Each tweet in the thread must respect Twitter's character limit (280 characters). - Threads are scheduled as a single unit and posted all at once. - Images can be attached to individual tweets via the `assets` field on each `ThreadedPostInput`. ## Mode: Create Image Post Same as text post, but include an `assets` field with image URLs. ```bash cat > /tmp/buffer_payload.json << 'EOF' {"query": "mutation CreatePost($input: CreatePostInput!) { createPost(input: $input) { ... on PostActionSuccess { post { id text status dueAt } } ... on MutationError { message } } }", "variables": {"input": {"channelId": "<CHANNEL_ID>", "text": "<POST_CONTENT>", "schedulingType": "automatic", "mode": "addToQueue", "assets": {"images": [{"url": "<IMAGE_URL>"}]}}}} EOF curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d @/tmp/buffer_payload.json | jq . ``` Images must be publicly accessible URLs. Multiple images can be included in the `images` array. ## Mode: Create Idea Save an idea for later use. ```bash cat > /tmp/buffer_payload.json << 'EOF' {"query": "mutation CreateIdea($input: CreateIdeaInput!) { createIdea(input: $input) { ... on Idea { id content { title text services } } } }", "variables": {"input": {"organizationId": "<ORG_ID>", "content": {"title": "<IDEA_TITLE>", "text": "<IDEA_BODY>", "services": ["twitter", "linkedin"]}}}} EOF curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d @/tmp/buffer_payload.json | jq . ``` For `IdeaContentInput` field details (title, text, services, tags), refer to `references/api-reference.md`. **Note:** Tags require existing tag objects with `id` and `color` fields — fetch existing tags first before using. ## Mode: Get Account > **Note:** The full account query (`id`, `name`, `email`, `timezone`) fails with a standard API token scope. Use Get Organizations instead to confirm account identity. ```bash curl -s -X POST https://api.buffer.com \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUFFER_API_TOKEN" \ -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" \ -d '{"query": "{ account { organizations { id name ownerEmail } } }"}' | jq . ``` ## Common Workflows ### Schedule a Post Multi-step workflow when the user wants to schedule a post: 1. **Get organizations** → extract `organizationId` 2. **Get channels** → show available channels, let user pick (or match by service name) 3. **Create post** → use selected `channelId` with the post content If the user specifies a service (e.g., "post to Twitter"), match it against the channel's `service` field. ### Check the Queue