API reference · Media

Erase an uploaded file and its previews

DELETE /v1/media/{id}

Owner-scoped, irreversible erasure. First GET /v1/media/{id}/deletion, then send its snapshot. Blocks drafts, approval requests, queued/scheduled/processing targets, concurrent publication and more than 200 references. Replace/remove their media or cancel/reject those posts first. Terminal social posts remain online, but PostLake previews disappear. No publishing-credit refund. Storage failures retain a retryable deletion receipt. This overrides the minimum retention only at the owner's instruction. Does not erase external URLs or copies held independently by social networks.

Request

Authenticate with a bearer API key. Agents calling over MCP authorise with OAuth instead and never handle the key.

curl -X DELETE https://api.postlake.dev/v1/media/{id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POSTLAKE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"snapshot":"…"}'

Parameters

FieldTypeRequiredWhat it is
idstringYesIn the URL.

Body

FieldTypeRequiredWhat it is
snapshotstringYes

Response

Original and stored previews removed; repeated completion returns the same receipt (200).

FieldTypeRequiredWhat it is
idstringNo
deletedbooleanNo
deletesSocialPostsbooleanNo
cancelsSchedulesbooleanNo
refundsPublishingCreditsbooleanNo

Example

{
  "id": "…",
  "deleted": false,
  "deletesSocialPosts": false,
  "cancelsSchedules": false,
  "refundsPublishingCredits": false
}

Limits

Write operations are limited per account, and rate-limit responses include Retry-After. Do not automatically retry a write unless this operation explicitly documents idempotency.

Calling this from an agent

Agents do not call REST. They call tools. Over the hosted MCP server this operation is upload_media, and the agent authorises with OAuth so your API key is never pasted into a chat or seen by the model. The reply comes back in the same normalised shape you see above, which is what lets an agent reason about it without a per-network branch.

You control what any one agent may do with it: which brands it may act for, which networks it may reach, how much it may do in a day, and whether it may spend credits you bought up front. See the MCP server.

Errors

Every failure uses one shape: a stable type, a granular code, the field at fault in param, and a plain-language fix. An agent can act on it without a person reading the message. See Errors and retries.

Check the result before retrying a write. Only operations that explicitly support idempotency can safely replay an Idempotency-Key.

Common questions

Can an AI agent do this without the REST API?

Yes. Over MCP the same job is the upload_media tool. The agent authorises with OAuth, so no API key is pasted into a chat or seen by the model, and the answer comes back in the same normalised shape.

Is it safe to retry this call?

Do not automatically repeat a write after a timeout unless that endpoint explicitly documents idempotency. First read the resulting state; a second request could repeat the action.

What happens when it fails?

You get one error shape: a stable type, a granular code you can branch on, the offending field in param, and a fix written so an agent can correct itself rather than stop. Full list on Errors and retries.

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