# Publish a saved draft

> Markdown version of https://docs.postlake.dev/api/post-posts-by-id-publish . The canonical page for humans.
> PostLake is the social media API for AI agents: https://postlake.dev/llms.txt

`POST /v1/posts/{id}/publish`

Publish or schedule in place with the original ID and immutable sourceDraftId. Content, campaign, assetMetadata and platform options are preserved. Supply expectedSnapshot from GET to fence every stored field. Identical completed approvals return the existing result without reposting; a claimed or uncertain operation returns 409. Approval-required agents cannot approve themselves. Personal drafts remain editable after every destination fails; approved submissions retain a failed outcome for reconciliation.

## Request

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

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.postlake.dev/v1/posts/{id}/publish \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POSTLAKE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"scheduledAt":"…","timezone":"…","accounts":["…"],"expectedSnapshot":"…"}'
```

### Parameters

| Field | Type | Required | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | Yes | In the URL. |

### Body

| Field | Type | Required | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `scheduledAt` | string or null | No | Publish at this time instead. Omit to keep whatever time the draft was carrying (or send now if it had none). Send null to clear the draft's time and publish immediately. |
| `timezone` | string | No | IANA timezone (e.g. Europe/London) for a naive scheduledAt. |
| `accounts` | array of string | No | Publish to these accounts instead of the draft's own destinations. |
| `expectedSnapshot` | string | No | Full-state snapshot from GET. Any intervening edit rejects approval with 409. |
| `profile` | string | No | Publish to every account under this profile instead of the draft's own destinations. |
| `platforms` | array | No | Optional filter applied to the resolved destinations. |


## Response

Published or scheduled (`201`).



### Example

```json
"…"
```


## Calling this from an agent

Agents do not call REST. They call tools. Over the hosted MCP server this operation is `create_post`, and the agent authorises with OAuth so your API key is never pasted into a chat or seen by the model. You control what any one agent may do: which brands it may act for, which networks it may reach, how much a day, and whether it may spend credits bought up front.

## Errors

Every failure uses one shape: a stable `type`, a granular `code`, the field at fault in `param`, and a plain-language `fix`. See https://docs.postlake.dev/errors.md .

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 create_post 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.

## Related

- [Cancel a scheduled post, discard a draft, or retract a live one](https://docs.postlake.dev/api/delete-posts-by-id.md) `DELETE /v1/posts/{id}`
- [Recover a creation receipt without replaying a write](https://docs.postlake.dev/api/get-idempotency-receipt.md) `GET /v1/idempotency/{key}`
- [List posts](https://docs.postlake.dev/api/get-posts.md) `GET /v1/posts`
- [Get post](https://docs.postlake.dev/api/get-posts-by-id.md) `GET /v1/posts/{id}`