Sample data free · live runs use credits

Instagram story viewer

See any public account's active stories — photos render, videos play.

Enter a public Instagram handle to load its currently-active story tray without connecting your own Instagram account. Photo frames render and video stories play right in the browser, each marked with how long ago it was posted. Stories expire after 24 hours, so an empty result means nothing is live right now. Useful for social teams tracking competitor promotions, creators checking how brands use stories, and researchers capturing ephemeral content before it disappears. Powered by the UnifAPI Instagram endpoint.

Sample dataIllustrative results — connect and top up to run real lookups; your first top-up includes a 2,000-credit bonus.
Run live
Enter a public Instagram handle to see its currently-active stories.

How do I view someone's Instagram story without an Instagram account?

Enter a public account's handle above. The viewer loads the stories it has live right now, photos and videos, each marked with when it was posted. You need no Instagram account; a live check runs from a UnifAPI workspace.

Will they know I viewed their Instagram story?

No. Instagram lists the accounts that watched a story, and this check runs on UnifAPI's servers without your Instagram account, so your name cannot appear on that list.

Why not open the story on Instagram?

Instagram asks you to sign in before it plays a story, and a signed-in view puts your account on the viewer list. Here the story plays in your browser, straight from Instagram's own servers.

How much does an Instagram story check cost?

Sample checks are free and labeled as samples. A live check costs 1 credit per active story, with a 10-credit minimum ($0.01), and the first top-up adds a one-time 2,000-credit bonus.

What you can see, and what you can't

You can see

  • Every story the account has live now (stories last 24 hours)
  • Photos and videos, played in the browser
  • When each story was posted

You can't see

  • Stories from private accounts
  • Stories older than 24 hours (pinned ones are in the highlights viewer)
  • Who else viewed a story
For agents

Give this to your agent

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • Claude Code
  • Codex

  1. Connect UnifAPI

    Add to Claude(opens claude.ai in a new tab)

    Using ChatGPT, Claude Code or another client? See the setup steps

  2. Paste this into your agent

    connect the UnifAPI MCP server at https://mcp.unifapi.com and show the Instagram stories @nasa has live right now

and let it take it from there.

Pay as you go from workspace credits · OAuth sign-in, no key to paste · read-only. Works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and any MCP client.

API reference
How it works

Built on the UnifAPI gateway

Every result above is one API call against the same live public-data surface that UnifAPI Skills use. Agents can call the same data through MCP when a workflow needs evidence.

Go deeper

The concepts behind this tool

Instagram profile analyzer

Followers, engagement rate, and format mix for the same account.

Social listening

From watching one account's stories to monitoring whole conversations.

Competitive intelligence

Track competitor promotions across platforms from one workspace.

Instagram former username checker guide

Use account-history checks alongside story and profile research.

Instagram highlights viewer

The highlights the same account keeps pinned under its bio, titles and covers included.

Threads viewer

The same handle on Threads — profile and latest posts.

Instagram former username checker

The old usernames behind the account, with change dates where disclosed.

More free tools

Other tools on the same platforms

Social media handle availability checker

Check a username across every social platform in one shot.

FAQ

Questions about this tool

How does the Instagram story viewer work?

Each check fetches the account's live story tray through the UnifAPI Instagram endpoint and renders the media straight from Instagram's CDN — the same payload an agent gets from the API. Live checks cost one credit per active story, with a 10-credit minimum per check.

Why does an account show no stories?

Stories expire 24 hours after posting, so the tray is often empty — that's the honest answer, not a failure. If an account posted nothing in the last day, there is nothing to show. Accounts that post daily are the reliable test cases.

Can I view stories from a private account?

No. Private accounts don't expose their stories on any public surface, and this tool only reads public data.

Is my Instagram account involved in the check?

No. Checks run through UnifAPI's public-data gateway, not through an Instagram login — you never connect your Instagram account here, and the tool only fetches what the target account exposes publicly.

Can I monitor stories over time via the API?

Yes — the same endpoint serves agents and scripts, so a workspace can poll an account list on a schedule and archive frame metadata before it expires. Companion Instagram endpoints cover profiles, posts, reels, followers, and highlights; see /apis/instagram.

Use the same data in your own agent.

Add UnifAPI once, then ask your assistant to fetch live public data with the same per-record pricing.

Add to Claude(opens claude.ai in a new tab)Pricing

Using ChatGPT, Claude Code or another client? See the setup steps