CORE API

Zhihu search API

search on Zhihu: 0.2 credits per successful call, with clear inputs, source data and billing.

01 / CORE API

One request

0.2 credits per successful or empty call. Failed calls cost 0.

Replace any PASTE_PUBLIC placeholder with a supported public identifier. This is a request template; it does not run automatically.

REQUEST TEMPLATE

curl --request POST 'https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/search' \
  --header "X-API-Key: $SOCIALTOAI_API_KEY" \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'Idempotency-Key: REPLACE_WITH_A_UNIQUE_REQUEST_ID' \
  --data '{"platform":"zhihu","query":"AI research","count":5}'

02 / CORE API

Native support

Result shape: item or profile_card (type=user). Pagination: returned opaque cursor.

sort: relevance.

time_range: all.

content_type: all, text.

type: content, user.

These values describe the reference card. Additional restrictions can apply to user discovery or a content subtype. Inspect applied_params and warnings instead of assuming an unsupported filter was honored.

03 / CORE API

A schema-checked example

Illustrative result with one invented value and an example trial balance. It shows the response shape; it is not a live response or a production availability measurement.

ILLUSTRATIVE JSON · NOT LIVE

{
  "request_id": "example_only_not_a_live_call",
  "schema_version": "v1",
  "fetched_at": "2026-09-05T00:00:00Z",
  "status": "ok",
  "applied_params": {},
  "warnings": [],
  "items": [
    {
      "kind": "item",
      "id": "EXAMPLE_ITEM_ID",
      "author": {
        "name": "example_author"
      },
      "published_at": "2026-09-01T08:30:00Z",
      "metrics": {
        "likes": 412,
        "comments": 96
      },
      "title": "Illustrative post title",
      "text": "Illustrative excerpt, not real content."
    }
  ],
  "platform": "zhihu",
  "billing": {
    "cost": 0.2,
    "balance": 1.8,
    "unit": "credits",
    "pricing": "standard"
  }
}

04 / CORE API

Platform limitations

Content search may return questions, answers and articles, without a subtype filter. Only relevance/all sorting and time semantics are native.

A bare numeric detail ID is an answer ID. Use a standard URL for questions and articles. Comments accept answers only.

Creator posts currently return public articles, not the full answer history.

Use the account url_token or a standard profile URL. Source page sizes vary; use the returned cursor and inspect warnings.

All Zhihu actions →

Frequently asked questions

What does this call cost?

0.2 credits for a successful or empty lookup. Failed calls cost 0 credits.

Can I paginate?

Use only the returned opaque cursor, preserving the platform and query. Check has_more and your remaining budget.

Are all platform features covered?

Content search may return questions, answers and articles, without a subtype filter. Only relevance/all sorting and time semantics are native. A bare numeric detail ID is an answer ID. Use a standard URL for questions and articles. Comments accept answers only. Creator posts currently return public articles, not the full answer history. Use the account url_token or a standard profile URL. Source page sizes vary; use the returned cursor and inspect warnings.

YOUR AI. A WIDER VIEW.

Start with one good question.

Get 2 free credits ↗

No card. Read-only public data. Explicit limits and transparent credits.