/v1/user_profile"platform": "zhihu"Zhihu User Profile API
One account.
Get any public Zhihu account by handle and get back name, bio and followers, as JSON over HTTP or from your AI client over MCP. A call to the Zhihu User Profile API costs 2 credits ($0.004 to $0.0067 depending on the pack), failed calls are free, and the response has the same format as every other call. Last tested 2026-11-05.
Last updated:
What you get from the Zhihu User Profile API.
From a recorded answer.
A recorded call returned the object below, field by field. Names and text are removed from the sample; the numbers are as recorded.
Lighter for your AI: the same recorded data (1 item) is about 987 tokens as the platform's raw JSON and about 306 as this interface returns it, 68% fewer (measured 2026-11-06). How it was measured
| Field | In the recorded answer |
|---|---|
| username | removed from the sample |
| name | removed from the sample |
| url | removed from the sample |
| bio | removed from the sample |
| verified | null: Zhihu cannot give it |
| followers | 1,226,897 |
| following | null: Zhihu cannot give it |
| posts_count | null: Zhihu cannot give it |
2 credits a call (≈ $0.004–$0.0067): about 1,500 calls for $10.
Zhihu User Profile API: request and response
curl https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/user_profile \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $SOCIALTOAI_API_KEY" \ -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "platform": "zhihu", "username": "zhihuadmin" }'import osimport uuidimport requestsresponse = requests.post( "https://api.socialtoai.com/v1/user_profile", headers={ "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['SOCIALTOAI_API_KEY']}", # A new key for each request; the same one again retries it without paying twice. "Idempotency-Key": str(uuid.uuid4()), }, json={ "platform": "zhihu", "username": "zhihuadmin", },)print(response.json())# Connected over MCP? Ask in plain words.Look up this Zhihu account: zhihuadmin# Your AI calls the user_profile tool with:{ "platform": "zhihu", "username": "zhihuadmin"}{ "platform": "zhihu", "status": "ok", "items": [ { "platform": "zhihu", "id": "…", "ref": "…", "approx": [], "type": "account", "username": "…", "name": "…", "url": "https://example.com/…", "bio": "…", "verified": null, "followers": 1226897, "following": null, "posts_count": null } ], "unavailable": ["verified", "following", "posts_count"], "cost_credits": 2}null followingnull postsNames and text were removed from the sample; the numbers are as recorded.
Zhihu User Profile API parameters.
2 parameters, all required.
Send them as a JSON body with POST. Your key goes in the Authorization header, never in the URL.
| Name | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| platform | string | Required | — | Always "zhihu" on this page. |
| username | string | Required | — | The handle in the profile's address (url_token), such as zhihuadmin |
Where to get what you send.
usernameThe handle in the profile's address (url_token), such as zhihuadmin (e.g. zhihuadmin)
Every item these return carries its username; send it as it is:
search · type=userZhihu Search APIfollowersZhihu user followers API
Zhihu User Profile API response fields.
What Zhihu cannot give is marked.
| Field | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| items[].username | string | The handle. |
| items[].name | string | The display name. |
| items[].url | string | A link to the profile. |
| items[].bio | string | The bio. |
| items[].verified | booleanalways null | Whether the account is verified. |
| items[].followers | integer | Follower count. |
| items[].following | integeralways null | How many accounts it follows. |
| items[].posts_count | integeralways null | How many posts it has published. |
nullFields Zhihu cannot giveRead null as “Zhihu did not give this”, not as zero. These are always null on this call:
verifiedWhether the account is verified.followingHow many accounts it follows.posts_countHow many posts it has published.
Compared with the WeChat Articles User Profile API, this call also gives bio and followers.
Every item also has platform, id, ref, approx and type; the response around the items is the same on every call. Response format
Zhihu User Profile API: paging and billing.
5 calls per second per key, 20 after a purchase; going over is not charged. Rate limits
A failed call costs 0 credits and is never retried on its own. Error codes
“Last tested” above is the last day a real call of this interface succeeded. Each call reads from the platform, and fetched_at in the answer is when it was read. The same request sent again with the same key within 5 minutes is a replay (replayed: true): 0 credits, and the answer as first read.
Once connected over MCP, these questions use the Zhihu User Profile API.
Look up this Zhihu account: zhihuadmin
2 creditsuser_profile {"platform":"zhihu","username":"zhihuadmin"}Find Zhihu accounts about "人民日报", then for the first 3: look up this Zhihu account.
8 creditssearch {"platform":"zhihu","query":"人民日报","type":"user"}user_profile {"platform":"zhihu","username":"<username>"} × 3
Give this to your AI.
Copy it into Claude or ChatGPT.
How to connectUse the SocialToAI MCP server (https://mcp.socialtoai.com/mcp) for this: Look up this Zhihu account: zhihuadminCall the user_profile tool with {"platform":"zhihu","username":"zhihuadmin"}. Needed: username.For several, call it once for each: 2 credits each.Before you start, work out how many credits it will take in all and ask me; call it only after I agree.What usually comes next, with the ref or username it returns: user_posts (User Posts), call zhihu.followers (User followers).If SocialToAI is not connected yet, tell me how to connect it; never ask me to paste a key into the chat.Answer with a link to every item you used, and tell me how many credits it cost.Paste it into a chat once SocialToAI is connected over MCP. There is no key in it: Claude and ChatGPT sign in, other clients send a key in a header.
These ready-made tools call it when they run.
creator-cardTheir accounts on other platforms, the numbers on each, and how sure the match is
batch-statsOne row per link with its numbers as they are now. Links that no longer work are marked
The same call on other platforms.
All platforms and prices/v1/user_profile{ "platform": "zhihu", "username": "zhihuadmin" }2 creditsper callRead next.
What its own API allows, who can use it and what it costs, with sources.
Let your AI read Zhihu.