The Tailwind Public API and MCP Server let you, or the tools you use, schedule Pinterest content programmatically. Whether you're building a custom workflow, connecting Tailwind to another app, or asking an AI assistant to create pins for you, these two interfaces are the doors in.

What is the Tailwind API?

The Tailwind API is a REST (HTTP) interface that lets any programming language or platform talk to your Tailwind account. You can list your connected Pinterest accounts, browse Boards and Board lists, see your smart-schedule timeslots, and, most importantly, create, schedule, reschedule, and delete Pins.

It's a good fit for:

Server-side integrations that push content into Tailwind from your own systems.
Custom dashboards and reporting that pull data out of Tailwind.
Automated workflows (Zapier-style, cron jobs, internal tools).
Third-party apps that want to schedule Pins on behalf of their users.

What is the Tailwind MCP Server?

The Tailwind MCP Server speaks the Model Context Protocol — an open standard that lets AI assistants (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible clients) connect directly to your Tailwind account. Instead of copying and pasting images or titles, you can just ask your AI assistant:

"What Pinterest accounts do I have connected to Tailwind?"
"Schedule this image to my Recipe Ideas board for tomorrow at 9 AM."
"Show me my queued Pins for next week."

Under the hood it uses the same authentication and endpoints as the REST API — so anything the API can do, your AI assistant can do too.

Where to find it in Tailwind

Both the API and MCP Server are managed from the same place in your Tailwind dashboard:

Settings > Integrations > Tailwind API

From that tab you can create new API keys, view usage statistics, and revoke keys. You'll also see "Authorized apps" beneath the API keys section — that's where third-party apps you've connected via OAuth will appear.

Getting started: create an API key

Log in to Tailwind.
Go to Settings > Integrations > Tailwind API.
Click Create new key and give it a descriptive name (e.g. "Zapier", "Internal dashboard", "Claude Desktop").
Copy the key and store it somewhere safe. Keys start with tw_pk_.

Important: the full key is only shown once, at creation time. After that you'll only see a masked version. If you lose the key, revoke it and create a new one.

Treat your API key like a password. It grants access to your whole Tailwind organization — don't share it publicly or commit it to version control.

Using the REST API

The API base URL is https://api-v1.tailwind.ai. Every request needs your API key in the Authorization header as a Bearer token.

Example — list your Pinterest accounts:

curl -X GET https://api-v1.tailwind.ai/v1/accounts \   -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

What you can do:

Accounts — list Pinterest accounts and their smart-schedule timeslots.
Boards — list Boards and Board lists (groupings) for any account.
Posts — list, create, retrieve, reschedule, and delete Pins. Filter by status (draft, queued, sent, uploading) and date range.

Full endpoint reference, request/response schemas, and code examples in JavaScript, Python, and cURL are in the developer docs at api-docs.tailwind.ai.

Setting up the MCP Server

The MCP Server is hosted at https://mcp.tailwind.ai. You use the same API key to authenticate.

Claude Desktop (stdio via mcp-remote bridge) — add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{   "mcpServers": {     "tailwind": {       "command": "npx",       "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.tailwind.ai", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here"]     }   } }

Restart Claude Desktop, then try asking "What Pinterest accounts do I have connected to Tailwind?"

Claude Code — run:

claude mcp add tailwind --transport http --url https://mcp.tailwind.ai --header "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here"

Cursor — go to Settings > Features > MCP Servers > Add Server, choose type http, URL https://mcp.tailwind.ai, and add the Authorization: Bearer your_api_key_here header.

Other MCP-compatible clients — point them at https://mcp.tailwind.ai with the same Bearer token. If the client only supports stdio, use npx -y mcp-remote https://mcp.tailwind.ai --header "Authorization: Bearer your_api_key" as a bridge.

The MCP Server exposes five tools (actions the AI can take): list_accounts, list_posts, create_post, schedule_post, and delete_post. It also exposes six resources (read-only data): accounts, boards, board lists, timeslots, posts, and individual post details.

Rate limits

To keep things fair for everyone, the API enforces two limits:

5,000 requests per day per API key (resets at midnight UTC).
10 requests per second per API key.

Every response includes these headers so you can track usage in real time:

X-RateLimit-Limit — your daily limit.
X-RateLimit-Remaining — requests remaining today.
X-RateLimit-Reset — Unix timestamp when the limit resets.

If you hit the limit, you'll get an HTTP 429 Too Many Requests response with the message "Daily rate limit of 5000 requests exceeded. Resets at midnight UTC." Best practice: implement exponential backoff on 429s, cache data that doesn't change often (like Boards), and monitor the remaining-header to stay ahead of the limit.

Need a higher limit? Email [email protected] with your organization name, use case, and expected request volume. We'll respond within two business days.

Who can use it

The API and MCP Server are available to all Tailwind accounts with Pinterest connected. There's no separate developer plan or add-on — just create a key from Settings > Integrations > Tailwind API and you're good to go. The API key has full access to every Pinterest account, Board, and Board list in your organization, so use a dedicated key per integration when possible.

Security best practices

Keep keys private. Never commit them to version control. Store them in environment variables or a secrets manager.
Use separate keys per integration. If one gets compromised, you only have to revoke that one.
Rotate periodically. Generate new keys every few months and revoke the old ones.
Revoke unused keys. If you stop using an integration, remove its key from Settings > Integrations > Tailwind API.
Your key is not shared with AI models. When you use the MCP Server, the key stays in your local configuration — the AI assistant uses it to call the server but never sees the key itself.

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized — the API key is missing, revoked, or wrong. Double-check for extra whitespace, verify the key in Settings, and make sure the header is formatted as Authorization: Bearer tw_pk_....

429 Too Many Requests — you've hit the daily or per-second rate limit. Back off and retry later, or reach out to support if you consistently need more headroom.

MCP connects but no tools appear — wait a few seconds for the server to initialize, then ask about your accounts to trigger the connection. For Claude Desktop, make sure Node.js is installed (mcp-remote needs it). Check your client's MCP logs if the issue persists.

Media URL errors when creating a Pin — the image or video URL must be publicly accessible and resolve to a supported media type. Test the URL in an incognito window to confirm it loads without authentication.

How to use the Tailwind Public API and MCP Server