InstaVision

instavision-mcp

InstaVision — Instagram niche discovery for AI agents.

InstaVision finds the Instagram creators and leads you describe in plain words. Ask your agent ("find forex mentors in Nigeria who run a paid academy and list a public email — 10 matches") and it will estimate the cost, launch the search and return verified matches: accounts where every condition is proven, each with the quotes from the profile that show it. Searches show up in your InstaVision dashboard and use your account's credits, spent on verified matches alone: possible matches, rejected profiles and searches that find nothing are free.

There are two ways to connect:

• Remote: clients that can send a header to an HTTP MCP server (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex) connect straight to https://instavision.co/api/mcp/mcp. Nothing to install.
• This package: npx instavision-mcp is a thin local bridge for clients that run local (stdio) servers, such as Claude Desktop. It forwards MCP traffic, including the server's instructions, to the same hosted server. The bridge itself keeps nothing on disk; your key lives in your client's config.

Setup guide and limits: instavision.co/mcp

1. Get an API key

Sign in to InstaVision (you land on Settings → API keys) and create a key (it's shown once — copy it). Keys start with iv_sk_. Don't type a real key into a command line: it would stay in your shell history.

2. Connect your client

Claude Code

read -rs INSTAVISION_API_KEY && claude mcp add --scope user --transport http instavision https://instavision.co/api/mcp/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer $INSTAVISION_API_KEY"

Paste into a terminal (bash or zsh) and press Enter. It then waits for your key: paste it and press Enter. The key isn't shown or saved to your shell history; Claude Code stores it in ~/.claude.json and makes the server available in every project.

Cursor — ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{"mcpServers":{"instavision":{"url":"https://instavision.co/api/mcp/mcp","headers":{"Authorization":"Bearer ${env:INSTAVISION_API_KEY}"}}}}

Codex

codex mcp add instavision --url https://instavision.co/api/mcp/mcp --bearer-token-env-var INSTAVISION_API_KEY

Cursor and Codex read the key from the INSTAVISION_API_KEY environment variable, so it must be set in the environment they start from.

Claude Desktop (through this package) — claude_desktop_config.json

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, add the block below with your key in place of iv_sk_..., then restart Claude Desktop. Any client that runs local MCP servers can use the same command, args and env.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instavision": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instavision-mcp"],
      "env": { "INSTAVISION_API_KEY": "iv_sk_..." }
    }
  }
}

Windows: if npx fails to launch, use "command": "cmd" with "args": ["/c", "npx", "-y", "instavision-mcp"].

Then ask your agent to "estimate an InstaVision search for 10 matches" to confirm it's connected.

Without a key

The bridge also starts without INSTAVISION_API_KEY: it connects without a key and prints a hint on stderr. Your client can then list the tools and estimate what a search costs; calls that need your account (launching searches, reading results, your seen-accounts list, PDF export) fail with a pointer to the API keys page.

What your agent can do

Estimate a search · launch a search from a plain-text description (spends credits) · check its status · get the verified matches with their proof · export a PDF · manage the accounts you've already seen.

Environment variables (this package)

Variable	Required	Description
INSTAVISION_API_KEY	no	Your key from Settings → API keys. Without it the bridge connects without a key (see above).
INSTAVISION_MCP_URL	no	Override the endpoint (default https://instavision.co/api/mcp/mcp). It must be https://instavision.co/… unless INSTAVISION_ALLOW_CUSTOM_URL=1.
INSTAVISION_ALLOW_CUSTOM_URL	no	1 allows another https host, or http://localhost / http://127.0.0.1 for development. The bridge then prints a warning naming the host, and your key, if set, is sent there.

The bridge sends your key only as an Authorization: Bearer header to that endpoint, and checks the endpoint before it sends anything. You can revoke a key on the API keys page.

InstaVision is an independent product, not affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram or Meta.

License

MIT