diff --git a/scripts/lib/instagram.py b/scripts/lib/instagram.py
index a826113..3861a93 100644
--- a/scripts/lib/instagram.py
+++ b/scripts/lib/instagram.py
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ def search_instagram(
 
     try:
         resp = _requests.get(
-            f"{SCRAPECREATORS_BASE}/v1/instagram/reels/search",
+            f"{SCRAPECREATORS_BASE}/v2/instagram/reels/search",
             params={"query": core_topic},
             headers=_sc_headers(token),
             timeout=30,
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ def search_instagram(
         _log(f"ScrapeCreators error: {e}")
         return {"items": [], "error": f"{type(e).__name__}: {e}"}
 
-    # Items are in the 'reels' array (ScrapeCreators v1 response)
+    # Items are in the 'reels' array (ScrapeCreators v2 response)
     raw_items = data.get("reels") or data.get("items") or data.get("data") or []
 
     # Limit to configured count
diff --git a/scripts/lib/models.py b/scripts/lib/models.py
index 13ed3bb..2d5ec7f 100644
--- a/scripts/lib/models.py
+++ b/scripts/lib/models.py
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ CODEX_FALLBACK_MODELS = ["gpt-5.1-codex-mini", "gpt-5.2"]
 # xAI API - Agent Tools API requires grok-4 family
 XAI_MODELS_URL = "https://api.x.ai/v1/models"
 XAI_ALIASES = {
-    "latest": "grok-4-1-fast",  # Required for x_search tool
-    "stable": "grok-4-1-fast",
+    "latest": "grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoning",  # Explicit: bare grok-4-1-fast aliases to reasoning variant
+    "stable": "grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoning",
 }
 
 
diff --git a/scripts/lib/openai_reddit.py b/scripts/lib/openai_reddit.py
index f98e8e4..d4e4a1e 100644
--- a/scripts/lib/openai_reddit.py
+++ b/scripts/lib/openai_reddit.py
@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@ from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 from . import http, env
 
 # Fallback models when the selected model isn't accessible (e.g., org not verified for GPT-5)
-# Note: gpt-4o-mini does NOT support web_search with filters param, so exclude it
-MODEL_FALLBACK_ORDER = ["gpt-4.1", "gpt-4o"]
+# gpt-5-mini: $0.25/1M input (8x cheaper than gpt-4.1), supports web_search with filters
+# gpt-4o-mini does NOT support web_search with filters param, so exclude it
+MODEL_FALLBACK_ORDER = ["gpt-5-mini", "gpt-4.1-mini", "gpt-4.1"]
 
 
 def _log_error(msg: str):
diff --git a/scripts/lib/polymarket.py b/scripts/lib/polymarket.py
index ee9922a..7ce87e0 100644
--- a/scripts/lib/polymarket.py
+++ b/scripts/lib/polymarket.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """Polymarket prediction market search via Gamma API (free, no auth required).
 
 Uses gamma-api.polymarket.com for event/market discovery.
-No API key needed - public read-only API with generous rate limits (350 req/10s).
+No API key needed - public read-only API with generous rate limits (15K req/10s).
 """
 
 import json
diff --git a/scripts/lib/xai_x.py b/scripts/lib/xai_x.py
index 3642dac..b00e215 100644
--- a/scripts/lib/xai_x.py
+++ b/scripts/lib/xai_x.py
@@ -91,11 +91,11 @@ def search_x(
     # Adjust timeout based on depth (generous for API response time)
     timeout = 90 if depth == "quick" else 120 if depth == "default" else 180
 
-    # Use Agent Tools API with x_search tool
+    # Use Agent Tools API with x_search tool (native date filtering)
     payload = {
         "model": model,
         "tools": [
-            {"type": "x_search"}
+            {"type": "x_search", "from_date": from_date, "to_date": to_date}
         ],
         "input": [
             {
diff --git a/tests/test_models.py b/tests/test_models.py
index 1b862ec..493a4d7 100644
--- a/tests/test_models.py
+++ b/tests/test_models.py
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ class TestSelectXAIModel(unittest.TestCase):
             "fake-key",
             policy="latest"
         )
-        self.assertEqual(result, "grok-4-1-fast")
+        self.assertEqual(result, "grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoning")
 
     def test_stable_policy(self):
         # Clear cache first to avoid interference
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ class TestSelectXAIModel(unittest.TestCase):
             "fake-key",
             policy="stable"
         )
-        self.assertEqual(result, "grok-4-1-fast")
+        self.assertEqual(result, "grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoning")
 
     def test_pinned_policy(self):
         result = models.select_xai_model(
@@ -125,10 +125,10 @@ class TestGetModels(unittest.TestCase):
             "XAI_API_KEY": "xai-test",
         }
         mock_openai = [{"id": "gpt-5.2", "created": 1704067200}]
-        mock_xai = [{"id": "grok-4-1-fast", "created": 1704067200}]
+        mock_xai = [{"id": "grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoning", "created": 1704067200}]
         result = models.get_models(config, mock_openai, mock_xai)
         self.assertEqual(result["openai"], "gpt-5.2")
-        self.assertEqual(result["xai"], "grok-4-1-fast")
+        self.assertEqual(result["xai"], "grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoning")
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/tests/test_openai_reddit.py b/tests/test_openai_reddit.py
index 607be97..550fa9c 100644
--- a/tests/test_openai_reddit.py
+++ b/tests/test_openai_reddit.py
@@ -64,13 +64,13 @@ class TestIsModelAccessError(unittest.TestCase):
 class TestModelFallbackOrder(unittest.TestCase):
     """Tests for MODEL_FALLBACK_ORDER constant."""
 
-    def test_contains_gpt4o(self):
-        """Fallback list should include gpt-4o."""
-        self.assertIn("gpt-4o", MODEL_FALLBACK_ORDER)
+    def test_contains_gpt41(self):
+        """Fallback list should include gpt-4.1 as last resort."""
+        self.assertIn("gpt-4.1", MODEL_FALLBACK_ORDER)
 
-    def test_gpt41_is_first(self):
-        """gpt-4.1 should be the first fallback option."""
-        self.assertEqual(MODEL_FALLBACK_ORDER[0], "gpt-4.1")
+    def test_gpt5_mini_is_first(self):
+        """gpt-5-mini should be the first fallback option (cheapest with web_search support)."""
+        self.assertEqual(MODEL_FALLBACK_ORDER[0], "gpt-5-mini")
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":