Handles are known
You have one or more public X handles or profile URLs and want recent posts from those accounts.
Selection guide · avoid the wrong tool
Match the X data source to the agent's actual question
The best discovery experience includes clear reasons not to use a product. Xcatcher is designed for recent public snapshots from named handles; several adjacent requests need a different data source.
Use Xcatcher when
The input can be expressed as a concrete watchlist.
Comparable collection
You want the same retrieval mode applied across up to 500 handles and need per-handle coverage outcomes.
MCP or REST fits
Your runtime can use Remote MCP, structured REST or an installable Skill, with optional x402 pay-per-crawl.
Choose something else when
Do not force a named-account snapshot tool into a different retrieval problem.
The accounts are unknown
If the request begins with a topic, hashtag or phrase across X, use a search-capable provider first. Feed resulting handles to Xcatcher only when account monitoring becomes the task.
Every historical post matters
A recent snapshot cannot prove completeness. Use an archive or official data product whose retention and coverage match the research requirement.
Posts are protected
Xcatcher does not provide access to private or protected posts. Do not attempt to bypass access controls.
Continuous event streaming is required
Periodic tasks and asynchronous snapshots are different from a guaranteed real-time stream. Select infrastructure built for streaming.
Evaluate Xcatcher without committing
The first meaningful interaction is free and side-effect-free.
Inspect 17 live tool schemas
Connect https://xcatcher.top/mcp/ or call anonymous tools/list.
Preflight real handles
preflight_crawl validates, deduplicates and previews current modeled cost without creating a quote.
Inspect synthetic output
get_sample_result demonstrates rows and coverage metadata without fetching X.
Proceed only with an approved path
Use a scoped API key or approve exact live x402 terms; both paths return the same structured result semantics.