Connect Instagram

What this connection does

Connecting Instagram allows your Interlinked AI agent to receive and respond to Instagram Direct messages automatically. When a customer sends a Direct message to your connected Instagram account, the AI agent processes the conversation using your published workflow, product catalog, and business context — then replies on your behalf.

All Instagram conversations are also visible in the CRM inbox, where you can monitor AI responses, take manual control when needed, and manage customer interactions alongside your other channels.

Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• An Instagram Professional account — Your Instagram account must be set to Business or Creator. Personal accounts cannot receive messages through the API. If your account is still personal, switch it in Instagram Settings → Account → Switch to Professional account.
• A connected Facebook Page — Instagram Professional accounts must be linked to a Facebook Page. This is a Meta requirement for all business API integrations. You can link them in Facebook Page Settings → Instagram.
• Admin access to the Facebook Page — The Meta account you use to authorize must have admin permissions on the Facebook Page linked to your Instagram account.

How to connect Instagram

Step 1: Open the connection screen

You can connect Instagram in two places:

• During onboarding — On the Connect channels step of the setup wizard, find the Instagram card and click Connect.
• After publishing — In the AI Config wizard, navigate to the Channels step and click Connect on the Instagram card.

Step 2: Authorize with Meta

After clicking Connect, you are redirected to Meta’s authorization page. This is Meta’s official OAuth flow — your credentials are entered directly on Meta’s secure domain, not on Interlinked.

On the Meta authorization screen:

1. Log in to your Meta account if you are not already signed in.
2. Review the permissions Interlinked is requesting. These are limited to messaging capabilities — Interlinked does not request access to post on your behalf, manage your ads, or access your personal profile.
3. Select the Facebook Page linked to the Instagram account you want to connect.
4. Select the Instagram account from the list of Professional accounts associated with that Page.
5. Click Allow to grant Interlinked messaging permissions.

Step 3: Return to Interlinked

After authorization, you are redirected back to Interlinked with the Instagram channel now showing as Connected. The redirect URL includes a success parameter confirming the connection was established.

If you are in the onboarding wizard, you remain on the Connect channels step so you can connect additional channels before publishing.

What happens after connection

Once Instagram is connected and your AI agent is published:

• New Direct messages from customers are received by the AI agent and appear in the CRM inbox under the Instagram tab.
• The AI responds using your published configuration — greeting message, workflow, product catalog, and business context.
• Conversation history is stored in the CRM, including both AI-generated and manual responses.
• You can take manual control of any Instagram conversation at any time from the CRM. See Switch between AI and manual control.

Instagram-specific behaviors

Supported message types

Instagram Direct supports text messages, images, and videos. The AI agent can receive and process all of these types. Audio messages, documents, and stickers are not supported on Instagram Direct.

Story replies and mentions

When a customer replies to one of your Instagram Stories via Direct message, the AI agent receives and processes the message like any other Direct conversation. Story mentions (where someone tags your account in their own Story) may not trigger a Direct message conversation unless the customer follows up with a text message.

Message request filtering

Instagram may filter messages from accounts that do not follow you into a separate “Message Requests” area. Interlinked processes all incoming messages regardless of this filter, so your AI agent responds to both followers and non-followers.

Permissions explained

When you authorize Interlinked through Meta OAuth, the following permissions are requested:

Permission	What it allows
Read messages	Interlinked can receive incoming Direct messages sent by customers
Send messages	Interlinked can send responses on behalf of your Instagram account
Page access	Required by Meta’s API architecture — Instagram messaging is accessed through the linked Facebook Page

Interlinked does not request permissions to:

• Post content on your Instagram feed or Stories
• Access your personal Instagram account data
• Manage your Instagram ads or promotions
• View your follower analytics

Disconnecting Instagram

If you need to disconnect Instagram, you can do so from the AI Config wizard Channels step or from your Meta Business Settings. See Manage connected channels for detailed steps.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues connecting Instagram, check the following:

• Account is not Professional — Switch your Instagram account to Business or Creator in Instagram Settings before attempting to connect.
• No linked Facebook Page — Your Instagram Professional account must be linked to a Facebook Page. Link them in Facebook Page Settings → Instagram.
• Insufficient permissions — Make sure the Meta account you use to authorize has admin access to the Facebook Page.
• Authorization was cancelled — If you closed the Meta OAuth window before completing authorization, try connecting again from the beginning.
• Connection lost after initial setup — Meta tokens can expire if permissions are changed. Reconnect from AI Config.

For more solutions, see Meta connection troubleshooting.