Comprehensive assistance with Pinterest API v5 development, including OAuth authentication, pin/board management, analytics, and API integration patterns.
When to Use This Skill
This skill should be triggered when:
-
Implementing Pinterest OAuth 2.0 authentication flows
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Creating, updating, or managing Pins and Boards via API
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Integrating Pinterest analytics and metrics into applications
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Building Pinterest API clients or SDKs
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Working with Pinterest user account data
-
Debugging Pinterest API requests or responses
-
Implementing Pinterest sharing features in web/mobile apps
-
Setting up Pinterest business account integrations
-
Working with Pinterest ad account APIs
Key Concepts
Pinterest API v5 Overview
-
Base URL:
https://api.pinterest.com/v5/ -
Authentication: OAuth 2.0 with access tokens
-
Rate Limiting: Token-based rate limits (varies by endpoint)
-
Response Format: JSON
-
Required Headers:
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}
Core Resources
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Pins: Individual pieces of content (images, videos) saved to Pinterest
-
Boards: Collections that organize Pins by theme or topic
-
Sections: Subsections within Boards for additional organization
-
User Account: Pinterest user profile and account information
-
Ad Accounts: Business accounts for advertising functionality
Access Levels
-
Public Access: Read-only access to public data
-
User Authorization: Full access to user's Pins, Boards, and account
-
Business Access: Additional analytics and ad account management (requires appropriate roles)
Quick Reference
OAuth 2.0 Authentication Flow
Step 1: Generate Authorization URL
// Redirect user to Pinterest authorization page
const authUrl = `https://www.pinterest.com/oauth/?client_id={CLIENT_ID}&redirect_uri={REDIRECT_URI}&response_type=code&scope=boards:read,pins:read,user_accounts:read`;
window.location.href = authUrl;
Step 2: Exchange Code for Access Token
# After user authorizes, exchange authorization code for access token
curl -X POST https://api.pinterest.com/v5/oauth/token \
--header "Authorization: Basic {BASE64_ENCODED_CLIENT_CREDENTIALS}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
--data-urlencode "grant_type=authorization_code" \
--data-urlencode "code={AUTHORIZATION_CODE}" \
--data-urlencode "redirect_uri={REDIRECT_URI}"
Base64 Encoding Client Credentials:
# Encode client_id:client_secret
echo -n "your_client_id:your_client_secret" | base64
Response:
{
"access_token": "pina_ABC123...",
"token_type": "bearer",
"expires_in": 2592000,
"refresh_token": "DEF456...",
"scope": "boards:read,pins:read,user_accounts:read"
}
Pin Management
Create a Pin
curl -X POST https://api.pinterest.com/v5/pins \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"link": "https://example.com/my-article",
"title": "My Amazing Pin Title",
"description": "Detailed description of the pin content",
"board_id": "123456789",
"media_source": {
"source_type": "image_url",
"url": "https://example.com/image.jpg"
}
}'
Get Pin Details
curl -X GET https://api.pinterest.com/v5/pins/{PIN_ID} \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}"
Response:
{
"id": "987654321",
"created_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00",
"link": "https://example.com/my-article",
"title": "My Amazing Pin Title",
"description": "Detailed description of the pin content",
"board_id": "123456789",
"media": {
"media_type": "image",
"images": {
"150x150": { "url": "...", "width": 150, "height": 150 },
"400x300": { "url": "...", "width": 400, "height": 300 },
"originals": { "url": "...", "width": 1200, "height": 800 }
}
}
}
Update a Pin
curl -X PATCH https://api.pinterest.com/v5/pins/{PIN_ID} \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"title": "Updated Pin Title",
"description": "Updated description",
"link": "https://example.com/updated-link"
}'
Delete a Pin
curl -X DELETE https://api.pinterest.com/v5/pins/{PIN_ID} \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}"
Board Management
Create a Board
curl -X POST https://api.pinterest.com/v5/boards \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"name": "My New Board",
"description": "A collection of my favorite ideas",
"privacy": "PUBLIC"
}'
Privacy Options: PUBLIC, PROTECTED, SECRET
List User's Boards
curl -X GET https://api.pinterest.com/v5/boards \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}"
Get Board Pins
curl -X GET https://api.pinterest.com/v5/boards/{BOARD_ID}/pins \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}"
User Account
Get Current User Account
curl -X GET https://api.pinterest.com/v5/user_account \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}"
Response:
{
"account_type": "BUSINESS",
"id": "123456789",
"username": "myusername",
"website_url": "https://example.com",
"profile_image": "https://i.pinimg.com/...",
"follower_count": 1500,
"following_count": 320,
"board_count": 25,
"pin_count": 450
}
Analytics
Get Pin Analytics
curl -X GET "https://api.pinterest.com/v5/pins/{PIN_ID}/analytics?start_date=2025-01-01&end_date=2025-01-31&metric_types=IMPRESSION,SAVE,PIN_CLICK" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}"
Available Metrics:
-
IMPRESSION- Number of times pin was shown -
SAVE- Number of times pin was saved -
PIN_CLICK- Number of clicks to pin destination -
OUTBOUND_CLICK- Clicks to external website -
VIDEO_START- Video plays started
Response:
{
"all": {
"daily_metrics": [
{
"date": "2025-01-01",
"data_status": "READY",
"metrics": {
"IMPRESSION": 1250,
"SAVE": 45,
"PIN_CLICK": 89
}
}
]
}
}
Error Handling
Common Error Response
{
"code": 3,
"message": "Requested pin not found"
}
Common Error Codes:
-
1- Invalid request parameters -
2- Rate limit exceeded -
3- Resource not found -
4- Insufficient permissions -
8- Invalid access token
Python Error Handling Example
import requests
def create_pin(access_token, board_id, title, image_url):
url = "https://api.pinterest.com/v5/pins"
headers = {
"Authorization": f"Bearer {access_token}",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}
data = {
"board_id": board_id,
"title": title,
"media_source": {
"source_type": "image_url",
"url": image_url
}
}
try:
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=data)
response.raise_for_status()
return response.json()
except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
error_data = e.response.json()
print(f"Error {error_data.get('code')}: {error_data.get('message')}")
return None
except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
print(f"Request failed: {str(e)}")
return None
JavaScript/Node.js Integration
// Pinterest API Client Example
class PinterestClient {
constructor(accessToken) {
this.accessToken = accessToken;
this.baseUrl = 'https://api.pinterest.com/v5';
}
async request(endpoint, options = {}) {
const url = `${this.baseUrl}${endpoint}`;
const headers = {
'Authorization': `Bearer ${this.accessToken}`,
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
...options.headers
};
const response = await fetch(url, {
...options,
headers
});
if (!response.ok) {
const error = await response.json();
throw new Error(`Pinterest API Error: ${error.message}`);
}
return response.json();
}
async createPin(boardId, title, imageUrl, description = '', link = '') {
return this.request('/pins', {
method: 'POST',
body: JSON.stringify({
board_id: boardId,
title: title,
description: description,
link: link,
media_source: {
source_type: 'image_url',
url: imageUrl
}
})
});
}
async getUserBoards() {
return this.request('/boards');
}
async getPinAnalytics(pinId, startDate, endDate) {
const params = new URLSearchParams({
start_date: startDate,
end_date: endDate,
metric_types: 'IMPRESSION,SAVE,PIN_CLICK'
});
return this.request(`/pins/${pinId}/analytics?${params}`);
}
}
// Usage
const client = new PinterestClient('your_access_token');
const pin = await client.createPin('board_id', 'Pin Title', 'https://example.com/image.jpg');
Reference Files
This skill includes comprehensive documentation in references/:
- api.md - Complete Pinterest API v5 endpoint reference extracted from official documentation
Use view to read reference files when detailed information about specific endpoints is needed.
Working with This Skill
For Beginners
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Start by understanding OAuth 2.0 authentication flow (see Quick Reference above)
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Get your API credentials from Pinterest Developer Portal
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Test authentication with curl commands before implementing in your application
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Use the provided Python/JavaScript examples as starting templates
For API Integration
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Implement OAuth flow to obtain access tokens
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Store refresh tokens securely for long-term access
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Use the Pin/Board management examples for CRUD operations
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Implement proper error handling for rate limits and API errors
For Analytics & Business Features
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Ensure you have appropriate business account access
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Use analytics endpoints to track Pin performance
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Aggregate metrics across date ranges for reporting
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Implement caching to avoid unnecessary API calls
Best Practices
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Token Security: Never expose access tokens in client-side code or version control
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Rate Limiting: Implement exponential backoff for rate limit errors
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Pagination: Use cursor-based pagination for large result sets
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Webhooks: Consider using webhooks for real-time updates instead of polling
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Scopes: Request only the minimum OAuth scopes needed for your application
Common Patterns
Pagination
# Initial request
curl -X GET "https://api.pinterest.com/v5/boards/{BOARD_ID}/pins?page_size=25" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}"
# Follow-up with bookmark from response
curl -X GET "https://api.pinterest.com/v5/boards/{BOARD_ID}/pins?page_size=25&bookmark={BOOKMARK}" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}"
Bulk Operations
# Create multiple pins efficiently
def bulk_create_pins(access_token, board_id, pin_data_list):
results = []
for pin_data in pin_data_list:
result = create_pin(
access_token,
board_id,
pin_data['title'],
pin_data['image_url']
)
results.append(result)
time.sleep(0.5) # Respect rate limits
return results
Resources
Official Documentation
-
Pinterest API v5 Docs: https://developers.pinterest.com/docs/api/v5/
-
API Quickstart: https://github.com/pinterest/api-quickstart
-
OAuth Documentation: https://developers.pinterest.com/docs/getting-started/authentication/
OAuth Scopes
Common scopes you'll need:
-
boards:read- Read board data -
boards:write- Create/update boards -
pins:read- Read pin data -
pins:write- Create/update pins -
user_accounts:read- Read user account data -
ads:read- Read ad account analytics (business accounts)
Rate Limits
-
Pinterest implements per-user rate limiting
-
Typical limits: 1000 requests per hour per user
-
Rate limit headers in response:
X-RateLimit-Limit
-
X-RateLimit-Remaining -
X-RateLimit-Reset
Notes
-
Pinterest API v5 is the current version (as of 2025)
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All endpoints require authentication via OAuth 2.0
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Access tokens expire after 30 days
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Use refresh tokens to obtain new access tokens
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Business accounts have access to additional analytics features
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Video pins require special handling compared to image pins
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Some features require app review by Pinterest
Troubleshooting
"Invalid access token"
-
Verify token hasn't expired (30-day lifetime)
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Use refresh token to obtain new access token
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Check Authorization header format:
Bearer {token}
"Insufficient permissions"
-
Verify OAuth scopes include required permissions
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Business features require verified business account
-
Some operations require board/pin ownership
"Rate limit exceeded"
-
Implement exponential backoff
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Cache responses when possible
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Use webhooks instead of polling
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Check
X-RateLimit-Resetheader for retry time
"Media upload failed"
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Verify image URL is publicly accessible
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Check image meets size requirements (max 10MB)
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Ensure image format is supported (JPG, PNG, GIF)
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For video, use video-specific endpoints
Updating
This skill was generated from Pinterest's official API documentation. To get the latest API changes:
-
Check changelog for API updates
-
Review deprecation notices
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Update OAuth scopes if new features added