Pinterest API v5

Pinterest API Errors

Pinterest API errors for pin creation — video covers, auth, rate limits, and media format constraints.

Pinterest v5 is one of the cleaner social APIs. Most errors are around video pin requirements (a cover image is mandatory) and the 30-day token expiry.

PostPeer Pinterest API View Docs

Authentication2 Rate limit2 Media2 Video2

Authentication

2 errors in this category

unauthorizedHTTP 401Authentication

Pinterest access token rejected.

Why it happens: Token expired (Pinterest tokens last 30 days) or the user revoked app access.
How to fix: Reconnect. PostPeer refreshes Pinterest tokens automatically when possible.

invalid tokenHTTP 401Authentication

Token failed validation.

Why it happens: Token format is wrong, or it was minted under a now-deleted Pinterest app.
How to fix: Reconnect.

Rate limit

2 errors in this category

429HTTP 429Rate limit

Pinterest rate limit reached.

Why it happens: Pinterest enforces per-app and per-user request caps that reset hourly.
How to fix: Wait an hour or implement exponential backoff. PostPeer respects the documented reset window.

rate limitHTTP 429Rate limit

Throttled by Pinterest.

Why it happens: Same as 429 from a different code path.
How to fix: Back off; reduce burst size.

Media

2 errors in this category

invalid mediaMedia

Media file is not in a supported format.

Why it happens: Pinterest accepts JPG/PNG for images and MP4/MOV (H.264) for video.
How to fix: Convert before upload.

unsupported formatMedia

File extension or codec is not on Pinterest's allowlist.

Why it happens: HEIC, WebP, AVIF, and exotic video codecs are rejected.
How to fix: Convert to JPG/PNG (images) or MP4 H.264 (video).

Video

2 errors in this category

cover_image_urlVideo

Video pin missing the `cover_image_url` field.

Why it happens: Pinterest video pins require a still cover image alongside the video file.
How to fix: Always include `cover_image_url` and `cover_image_content_type` on video pins.
How PostPeer handles it: PostPeer auto-generates a cover frame from the video if one is not provided.

cover_image_content_typeVideo

Missing or wrong content type on the cover image.

Why it happens: Pinterest needs an explicit `image/jpeg` or `image/png` declaration alongside the URL.
How to fix: Declare a supported MIME type and ensure the file matches.

Quick reference

All 8 Pinterest errors in one table — Ctrl/Cmd-F to find yours.

Code	Category	What it means
cover_image_url	Video	Video pin missing the `cover_image_url` field.
cover_image_content_type	Video	Missing or wrong content type on the cover image.
unauthorized	Authentication	Pinterest access token rejected.
invalid token	Authentication	Token failed validation.
429	Rate limit	Pinterest rate limit reached.
rate limit	Rate limit	Throttled by Pinterest.
invalid media	Media	Media file is not in a supported format.
unsupported format	Media	File extension or codec is not on Pinterest's allowlist.

Other platforms

Instagram errors

33 documented

X (Twitter) errors

12 documented

TikTok errors

25 documented

Facebook errors

15 documented

LinkedIn errors

9 documented

Bluesky errors

10 documented

Threads errors

7 documented

YouTube errors

15 documented

Ready to Add Social Media to Your Product?

One API. Every platform. Start building with free credits.

Start Posting for FreeNo credit card required.

POST https://api.postpeer.dev/v1/posts
{ "platforms": ["twitter", "linkedin", "instagram], "content": "Hello world!" }

Published

5 platforms

TwitterLinkedInFacebook+2

All posts delivered

Scheduled

queue

Queued

847

Sent

Next: in 15 min

Platforms

connected

XIGFBLITT

One API, every platform