Meta Threads API Setup Guide: Posting & Replying

1. A Facebook account (used to log in to Meta for Developers).
2. A Threads account (must be public so the token generator can issue a token; this is also the account you'll be posting to).

Open https://developers.facebook.com, log in with your Facebook account, and on first use click "Get Started" in the top right, agree to the developer terms, and verify your email/phone to finish registering (skip this if you're already a developer). Then click My Apps at the top to reach the app list.

On the "Apps" page click the green Create App button in the top right. The wizard has 5 steps: App details → Use case → Business → Requirements → Overview.

2-1 App details

2-2 Use case: check "Access the Threads API"

2-3 Business → 2-4 Requirements → 2-5 Overview

1. Business: choose I don't want to connect a business portfolio yet (not needed for personal projects), click "Next".
2. Requirements (publishing criteria): shows "No requirements found" — click "Next".
3. Overview: confirm the name, email, and use case are correct, then click the green Create App button.

The dashboard shows a "App customization and requirements" list — click the first item, Customize use case: Access the Threads API (or left sidebar Use cases → Customize), to reach the "Permissions and features" page.

1. threads_basic is added automatically when the app is created (the base permission every Threads API call needs).
2. Find threads_content_publish and click ＋ Add — this is the "publish" permission.
3. Find threads_manage_replies and click ＋ Add — this is the "reply" permission.
4. It's also worth adding threads_read_replies so you can read reply threads.

Switch to Settings in the left sidebar (this is the use case's settings, not the app's general settings) — this page has four key pieces of information:

1. Threads app ID / secret: these are the client_id / client_secret for an OAuth flow in your code. Keep the secret safe — never put it in frontend code or a public repo.
2. Redirect callback URL: where the user is redirected after OAuth authorization completes — it must be HTTPS (tested: localhost is rejected). After typing the URL you must press Enter to turn it into a chip before saving, otherwise you'll get a "form couldn't be saved" error.
3. Deauthorize / data deletion callback URLs: endpoints Meta pings when a user revokes authorization or requests data deletion. You can fill in placeholder URLs during development.

1. In the "User token generator" click Add or remove Threads testers — this opens the "App roles" page.
2. Click Add people → choose Threads tester → enter your Threads username (@handle) → send the invite.
3. Open the Threads app on your phone: Settings → Account → Website permissions → Invites, and accept the test invitation.
4. Back on the "Settings" page's user token generator, a Generate access token button appears next to your account — click it, log in and authorize on Threads, and you'll get a copyable long-lived access token (valid for 60 days).

Posting on Threads is a two-step process: first create a "media container", then "publish" the container. The endpoint is https://graph.threads.net.

# 1) Create a text post container
curl -X POST "https://graph.threads.net/v1.0/me/threads" \
  -d "media_type=TEXT" \
  -d "text=My first post via the Threads API!" \
  -d "access_token=YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"
# Response {"id": "17888..."}  ← this is the container ID

# 2) Publish the container (recommended: wait ~30s for processing)
curl -X POST "https://graph.threads.net/v1.0/me/threads_publish" \
  -d "creation_id=17888..." \
  -d "access_token=YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"
# Response {"id": "18027..."}  ← this is the published post ID

Python version:

import requests, time, os

TOKEN = os.environ["THREADS_TOKEN"]
BASE  = "https://graph.threads.net/v1.0"

# Create the container
r = requests.post(f"{BASE}/me/threads", data={
    "media_type": "TEXT",
    "text": "Posted via Python 🎉",
    "access_token": TOKEN,
}).json()
container_id = r["id"]

time.sleep(30)  # Official recommendation: wait for the container to finish processing before publishing

# Publish
r = requests.post(f"{BASE}/me/threads_publish", data={
    "creation_id": container_id,
    "access_token": TOKEN,
}).json()
print("Post ID:", r["id"])

Replying is also a two-step process — you just add a reply_to_id parameter when creating the container (requires the threads_manage_replies permission):

# 1) Create a "reply" container: reply_to_id = the post ID being replied to
curl -X POST "https://graph.threads.net/v1.0/me/threads" \
  -d "media_type=TEXT" \
  -d "text=This is a reply posted via the API!" \
  -d "reply_to_id=18027..." \
  -d "access_token=YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

# 2) Publish it the same way with threads_publish
curl -X POST "https://graph.threads.net/v1.0/me/threads_publish" \
  -d "creation_id=REPLY_CONTAINER_ID" \
  -d "access_token=YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Common reply-management endpoints (threads_read_replies / threads_manage_replies):

Q1: The "redirect callback URL" won't save?

Two common causes: (1) the URL isn't HTTPS or uses localhost — switch to a real domain; (2) you didn't press Enter to turn the URL into a chip before saving — tested behavior requires pressing Enter first, then saving.

Q2: No "Generate access token" button in the token generator?

Either the tester hasn't accepted the test invite in the Threads app yet, or the Threads account isn't set to public.

Q3: Posting returns a permission error (#10 or OAuthException)?

Check three things: whether the token has expired (60 days), whether the permission has been added to the use case (step 3), and whether the corresponding scope (threads_content_publish, etc.) was actually granted during authorization.

Q4: How many posts can I make per day?

The current official limit is roughly 250 posts and 1,000 replies per 24 hours. You can check your remaining quota with GET /me/threads_publishing_limit.

Q5: Want other people to use your service?

You'll need to request "Advanced Access" for permissions like threads_basic and threads_content_publish in App Review, submitting usage documentation and a demo video. Once approved, any Threads user can authorize your app.