Buffer User Management API Guide

Auth method: OAuth 2.0

Setup steps

1. Register an application at https://buffer.com/developers/apps to obtain a client_id and client_secret.
2. Redirect the user to https://bufferapp.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=CLIENT_ID&redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI&response_type=code.
3. Exchange the returned authorization code for an access token via POST to https://api.bufferapp.com/1/oauth2/token.json with client_id, client_secret, redirect_uri, code, and grant_type=authorization_code.
4. Use the returned access_token as a Bearer token or query parameter (access_token) on all subsequent API requests.

Get authenticated user

• Method: GET
• URL: https://api.bufferapp.com/1/user.json
• Watch out for: This endpoint returns only the authenticated user (the token owner). There is no endpoint to list or manage other team members via the public API.

Request example

GET /1/user.json?access_token=ACCESS_TOKEN

Response example

{
  "id": "4eb854340acb04e870000010",
  "name": "Jane Doe",
  "email": "jane@example.com",
  "plan": "team",
  "created_at": 1320703028
}

Get user's social profiles

• Method: GET
• URL: https://api.bufferapp.com/1/profiles.json
• Watch out for: Returns profiles accessible to the authenticated user only; does not expose team member profiles.

Request example

GET /1/profiles.json?access_token=ACCESS_TOKEN

Response example

[
  {
    "id": "4eb854340acb04e870000010",
    "service": "twitter",
    "service_username": "janedoe"
  }
]

• Rate limits: Buffer's public API documentation does not publish explicit numeric rate limits. Limits are enforced but thresholds are not publicly documented.

• Rate-limit headers: Unknown

• Retry-After header: Unknown

• Rate-limit notes: No publicly documented rate limit tiers or headers found in official docs as of research date.

• Pagination method: none

• Default page size: 0

• Max page size: 0

• Pagination pointer: Not documented

• Webhooks available: No

• Webhook notes: Buffer's public API documentation does not document any webhook or event subscription mechanism.

• Alternative event strategy: Polling the /user.json or /profiles.json endpoints is the only documented approach for detecting state changes.

• SCIM available: No
• SCIM version: Not documented
• Plan required: Not documented
• Endpoint: Not documented

Limitations:

• No SCIM support documented in any official Buffer help or developer documentation.
• No SSO or IdP integration (Okta, Entra, Google Workspace, OneLogin) documented.
• Team member management (invite, remove, role changes) is only available through the Buffer web UI, not via API.

Two operations are reliably supported via the public API: retrieving the authenticated user's profile (GET /1/user. json) and listing their connected social profiles (GET /1/profiles.

json). Both endpoints return data scoped strictly to the token owner; team members' profiles and roles are not accessible.

A third common need - onboarding a new team member - has no API equivalent; it requires manual steps in the Buffer web UI and an email-based acceptance flow from the invitee. Rate limits are enforced but thresholds are not publicly documented, and no rate-limit response headers are specified in official documentation.

Retrieve authenticated user profile

1. Complete OAuth 2.0 authorization flow to obtain access_token.
2. GET https://api.bufferapp.com/1/user.json?access_token=ACCESS_TOKEN
3. Parse the returned JSON for id, name, email, plan, and created_at fields.

Watch out for: Only the token owner's profile is returned. No bulk user listing is available.

List connected social profiles for a user

1. Obtain access_token via OAuth 2.0.
2. GET https://api.bufferapp.com/1/profiles.json?access_token=ACCESS_TOKEN
3. Iterate the returned array to get profile IDs, services, and usernames.

Watch out for: Profiles returned are scoped to the authenticated user's token; team members' profiles are not accessible.

Onboard a new team member

1. No API endpoint exists for this operation.
2. Navigate to the Buffer web app team settings.
3. Send an invitation via the UI; the invited user must accept via email.

Watch out for: Team member provisioning and deprovisioning cannot be automated via the Buffer API or SCIM. Manual UI steps are required.

The primary API trap is assuming that OAuth access implies org-level management capability. It does not. The Buffer API was originally built for the legacy single-user product; team and organization management features were never exposed through the public API surface.

There is no SCIM support, no IdP integration (Okta, Entra ID, Google Workspace, OneLogin), and no webhook or event subscription mechanism - polling /user.json is the only documented approach for detecting state changes. No official SDK is published by Buffer; any third-party libraries are community-maintained and carry no official support guarantee.