# How to validate a social post before scheduling it with the API

> POST the same body you'd send to schedule or publish, without scheduledAt, to /api/posts/validate. You get HTTP 200 with valid & issues, & nothing is created. Check valid, not the status code, because an invalid post still returns 200.

Updated: 2026-10-05.

## What the endpoint does

`POST /api/posts/validate` runs the same media, character-limit, platform-option & X monthly-cap checks as scheduling or publishing, but doesn't create a post or queue a job.

Use it to find problems while they're cheap to fix.

## The request

Send the same body you'd send to schedule, without `scheduledAt`:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.dunsocial.com/api/posts/validate \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "X-Workspace-Id: YOUR_WORKSPACE_ID" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "socialAccountIds": ["ACCOUNT_ID"],
    "content": "Shipping something small today.",
    "mediaUrls": []
  }'
```

The token needs `posts:read`, so a read-only token can validate without being able to publish.

## The response

It returns HTTP 200 whether or not the post is valid:

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "valid": false,
    "issues": [
      {
        "socialAccountId": "ACCOUNT_ID",
        "platform": "X",
        "code": "content_length",
        "message": "Content exceeds X character limit: 283/280 characters"
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

`valid: true` with an empty `issues` array means the same payload can go straight to schedule or publish.

## Check `valid`, not the status code

This is the usual mistake. A 200 doesn't mean the post is fine. It means the check ran.

Code that only looks at the HTTP status will treat every post as valid. Always read `data.valid`.

DunSocial's SDK helps here: validate can raise a `DunSocialError` instead, if you'd rather not check the flag yourself.

## Fixing the issues

Each issue names the account, the platform, a code & a message. Fix the specific rule, such as shortening the text or adding a missing platform option, then validate again.

DunSocial returns every issue in one response, so you can fix a whole batch in a single pass instead of finding problems one at a time.

## Using it in a pipeline

Validate first, then schedule only if `valid` is true. In a CI job, fail the step when it isn't, & print the issues so a person can see why.

DunSocial's CLI, SDK & MCP all expose the same check, so a pipeline can validate the same way whatever surface it uses.

## What it can't catch

Validation checks the rules a platform enforces. It can't judge tone, accuracy or timing, & it can't promise a platform will accept a post at publish time.

A scheduled post still lands on the DunSocial calendar, where a person can review it before it goes out.

## Related guides

- [How to schedule a post with the DunSocial API](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/dunsocial-api-and-sdk-guides/how-to-schedule-a-post-with-the-dunsocial-api.md)
- [How should an AI assistant validate a post before publishing?](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/dunsocial-mcp-guides/how-should-an-ai-assistant-validate-a-post-before-publishing.md)
- [What character limits does the DunSocial API enforce?](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/dunsocial-api-and-sdk-guides/what-character-limits-does-the-dunsocial-api-enforce.md)
- [How to validate a post before publishing with the DunSocial CLI](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/dunsocial-cli-guides/how-to-validate-a-post-before-publishing-with-the-dunsocial-cli.md)

## About this document

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## Company

- Product: DunSocial, https://www.dunsocial.com
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