# Viral finder: viral post discovery

Viral finder is a ready-made SocialToAI tool that returns posts on a subject that did clearly better than their authors usually do, on one platform. A run costs from 24 credits and is priced before it starts; a run that fetches nothing is not charged. Run it here, in your AI over MCP, or over the API.

- Page: https://socialtoai.com/tools/viral-finder/
- Last updated: 2026-10-18

## What it takes

| Name | Type | Required | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | string | Yes | The subject, as keywords. |
| `platform` | string | Yes | One platform. |
| `window` | string | No | How far back to look. `"7d"` `"30d"` (default `"7d"`) |
| `scale` | string | No | small searches 3 pages; medium adds the usual level of the top 10 authors; large searches 5 pages and adds the top 30 authors. `"small"` `"medium"` `"large"` (default `"small"`) |
| `max_cost_credits` | integer | No | Refused, free, with the quote, if the run would cost more. |
| `confirm` | boolean | No | true: run it whatever it costs. false: answer the plan and its price, and run nothing. Left out: a costly run, and one that runs in the background, answers its price first. |

## What comes back

| Part | What it holds |
| --- | --- |
| Viral posts | Posts that did clearly better than their authors usually do, and by how much. |

Main number: Viral posts. Every result states how much of the plan was read and which parts of the price were charged.

## Depths and credits

| Depth | What it reads | From (credits) | How it runs | On the 100 free credits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Small | Searches 3 pages. | 24 | runs while you wait | Yes |
| Medium | Searches 3 pages and checks the usual level of the top 10 authors. | 54 | runs while you wait | On 4 of 5 platforms |
| Large | Searches 5 pages and checks the usual level of the top 30 authors. | 130 | runs while you wait | After your first purchase |

## Credits by platform

The table is for one subject on one platform.

| Platform | Small | Medium | Large |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TikTok | 36 | 76 | 178 |
| X | 24 | 54 | 130 |
| YouTube | 24 | — | — |
| Xiaohongshu | 54 | 294 | 810 |
| Douyin | 48 | 88 | 192 |
| Bilibili | 24 | 64 | 160 |

## How credits are counted

- **You see the price first**: The total is stated before anything starts. It does not grow if there is more to read.
- **Nothing fetched, nothing charged**: If nothing could be fetched, the run is not charged. If it stops partway, you are charged only for the part that finished.
- **Each depth is one price**: A depth has a fixed price on each platform. It is not reduced when there turns out to be less to read, so start small and go deeper when you need more.

## The result of one run

2026-10-18

**Viral finder: 14 rows**

Small · Done

### Method

100% of the planned reading came back (3 of 3 pages).

| Step | Platform | How it went |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Search posts | Douyin | 3 of 3 pages |
| Analyse posts | Douyin | 14 of 14 rows analysed |

Every number is counted by code from the delivered rows. Quotes are pieces of the original text. Commenters are not named.

### Bill

| Part | Quoted | Charged | Outcome | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fetching, first half | 18 | 18 | Charged | Delivered as planned. |
| Fetching, second half | 18 | 18 | Charged | Delivered as planned. |
| AI analysis | 12 | 12 | Charged | Delivered as planned. |

Charged 48 credits of 48 credits quoted.

## Use it in your AI

Connect https://mcp.socialtoai.com/mcp to your AI client as a remote MCP server ([how](https://socialtoai.com/mcp.md)), then ask:

> Use Viral finder to find [your subject] posts on TikTok that took off in the last 7 days.

MCP tool: `research` (with tool `viral_finder`).

## Call it from code

```bash
curl https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/tools/viral_finder \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCIALTOAI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "air fryer recipes",
    "platform": "tiktok",
    "window": "7d",
    "scale": "small"
  }'
```

[Viral finder in the docs](https://socialtoai.com/docs/tools/viral-finder.md)

## FAQ

**What does a run cost?**

From 24 credits at the Small depth, for one subject on one platform. The price depends on the depth and the platform, and the table on this page has every number. You see the total before anything runs, and a run never costs more than that.

**What am I charged if a run finds nothing or stops partway?**

If nothing could be fetched, the run is not charged. If content was fetched but the conditions you set filtered all of it out, only the first half of the fetching price is charged. If a run stops partway, you are charged only for the part that finished.

**What happens when a platform fails?**

The run goes on with what could be read, and the result says how much of the plan that was. The price has three parts: two for fetching and one for the AI analysis. When less than half of the planned reading came back, the second fetching part is not charged. The analysis part is charged only when at least nine in ten of the delivered rows were analysed. A call whose outcome is unknown is never retried on our own.

**Which platforms does it cover?**

6 platforms now: TikTok, X, YouTube, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Bilibili. One run reads one platform.

**Can I run it on the free credits?**

Sign-up includes 100 credits, no card. They can run: Small; Medium on 4 of 5 platforms. Running a tool on a schedule is available after your first purchase.

## Other tools

- [Brand buzz](https://socialtoai.com/tools/brand-buzz.md): How people feel about it on each platform, what comes up most, and the posts behind it
- [Comment analysis](https://socialtoai.com/tools/comment-insights.md): The topics in their comments and how big each is, plus questions, buying intent and complaints
- [Account watch](https://socialtoai.com/tools/account-watch.md): What each one posted lately, and which posts beat its usual numbers
- [Find creators](https://socialtoai.com/tools/find-creators.md): Creators who make that content, with their size, recent posts and how well each fits
- [Creator profile](https://socialtoai.com/tools/creator-card.md): Their accounts on other platforms, the numbers on each, and how sure the match is
- [Bulk link data](https://socialtoai.com/tools/batch-stats.md): One row per link with its numbers as they are now. Links that no longer work are marked