How to quote a tweet on X, and why a link isn't the same
To quote a tweet on X, open the post, tap the repost icon, choose Quote, add your words and post. A quote sent through a scheduling tool can look different. We compared real posts from the X app and the X API, and the API ones keep a visible link.
TL;DR
- The quoted post doesn't count against your character limit, and posts from protected accounts can't be quoted.
- Since April 2026 the X API keeps its quote field for Enterprise customers, so a scheduler without an Enterprise contract quotes by adding the post's link.
- In our tests, both quotes sent through the API showed the quote card with the link still visible above it. The quote from the X app showed no link.
- The link takes 23 characters plus 2 for the blank line, and through the API it raises the post's price from $0.015 to $0.20.
- X doesn't document the link behavior, so it could change. For a quote with no visible link, post it on X itself. X's web composer can also schedule a quote, though we haven't seen one go out yet.
On this page · 7 sections
To create a quote on X, open the target post, tap the repost icon, select Quote, type your comment, and hit post. X now refers to tweets as posts and retweets as reposts, but the steps remain identical on both web and mobile.
Quotes generated via a scheduling tool may appear differently. We executed quotes through the X API and compared them against one created directly in the X app. While both methods generate a quote card, posts sent via the API retain a visible link above that card.
How to quote a post on X
- Open the post you wish to quote.
- Tap the repost icon located beneath it.
- Select Quote.
- Compose your comment. You are permitted to include up to four photos, one GIF, or one video.
- Publish the post.
X’s official help page notes that the quoted post does not consume your character limit. However, posts from protected accounts are excluded: you cannot repost them, and therefore cannot quote them either.
What a quote post actually is
| Action | What your followers see |
|---|---|
| Repost | The original post, with no input from you |
| Quote | Your text, accompanied by the original content in a card below it |
| Reply | Your text appearing under the original, within its conversation thread |
Use a Quote when you want your own followers to read your commentary. Use a Reply when you are engaging directly with the original author.
Why a quote from a scheduler displays a link
X’s API includes a field for quoting named quote_tweet_id. In April 2026, X removed quote posts from all self-serve API plans, and its documentation now reserves this field exclusively for Enterprise customers. Since Postmoderno operates on X’s pay-per-use plan, that specific field is inaccessible to us, just as it is for any tool lacking an Enterprise contract.
This leaves the link option. If you place the post’s URL at the end of your text, X still generates a quote card but preserves the link within the body text as well. Buffer’s guide suggests a similar approach, placing your message before the link, though it omits details on exactly what readers will see.
What we tested
We analyzed three real posts from our founder’s account.
| DR 38 post | DR 40 post | RAM post | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sent from | X app | X API | X API |
| Image attached | Yes | Yes | No |
| Quote card | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Link visible in the text | No | Yes | Yes |
entities.urls in X’s data |
Empty | The quoted link | The quoted link |
The quoted_tweet field initially misled us. All three posts contain this data behind X’s embeds, leading us to classify the API posts as true quotes until we examined them closely. The actual field to inspect is entities.urls, which remains empty for the X app post but contains the quoted link for the API posts.
You can verify this yourself using X’s embed of the DR 40 post. It appears identical on x.com, featuring the link line above the image and the card below it.
X treated the RAM post, which quotes another user, identically to the DR 40 post, which quotes our own content. We have only tested placing a link at the end of the text; since X does not document this behavior, it could change without warning.
What the link costs you
X counts a single link as 23 characters, and the blank line preceding it adds 2 more, leaving you with 255 of your 280 characters for your own writing. The free X character counter calculates this automatically for you.
The financial impact is more significant. X’s pricing charges $0.20 for a post containing a link, compared to just $0.015 for a plain one. What an X API post costs illustrates the monthly toll this takes. Your readers also receive an extra line, truncated to something like x.com/name/status/….
If a post needs to look clean, quote it on X itself.
Schedule a quote on X itself
X’s own scheduler can hold a quote. On x.com in a browser, open the post, click the repost icon, choose Quote, write your text, then click the calendar icon and pick a date and time. The Buffer guide linked above gives the same steps and says the option is on the web only, not in the mobile app.
We scheduled one on November 9, 2026. X’s Drafts page listed it under the Scheduled tab with the quoted post on its own line, separate from our text, so X holds it as a quote rather than as a link. We have not yet watched one go out, so we can’t yet show how it looks once published.
How to schedule a quote with Postmoderno
Instruct your agent on which post to quote, what text to use, and when to publish. Postmoderno appends the link at the end of your text, counts it against your limit, and retrieves the quoted post’s content before you confirm.
The preview displays exactly what readers will see: your text, the link line, any attached image, and finally the quote card. If the original post has been deleted, the preview alerts you before any scheduling occurs.
How to schedule tweets from Claude or ChatGPT details the setup process. If you are building directly on the API, what the X API can and can’t do outlines the other limitations we discovered.