Instagram automation
Instagram automation: what you can automate, and how
Postkey is the most agentic DM automation tool. Set up your Instagram automations by hand in a few minutes, or let ChatGPT, Claude or your own agent set them up for you.
The short answer
Instagram automation is software that does your repeat Instagram work through Meta's official API: replying to comments and DMs, sending a link when someone comments a keyword, asking for a follow or an email first, and publishing posts on a schedule. It needs an Instagram professional account (Business or Creator), and Instagram only lets a business message people who wrote or commented first. Postkey automates all of these, run by you or by an AI agent over MCP.
Updated October 20, 2026 (Instagram's rules, from Meta's developer docs)
What Postkey automates on Instagram
| Job | What happens |
|---|---|
| Comment to DM | Someone comments your keyword under a post or reel. Postkey replies under the comment and sends them a DM with a button; your link follows after one tap. |
| Follow to unlock | The link opens once they follow you. Postkey can check with Instagram that they really do. |
| Collect emails | The DM asks for their email and sends the reward when they reply. The email is saved on the contact. |
| Auto-replies | Keyword DMs, story replies, story mentions, a welcome message and ice breakers, each answered by an automation you set up once. |
| Inbox | Every Instagram conversation in one place, with the time left to reply shown on each one. |
| AI replies | Postkey AI answers DMs and comments in your voice, inside the limits you set. From the Create plan. |
| Scheduling | Posts and reels go out on time, to Instagram and 9 other networks, with each post's DM keyword set on the post. |
All of these are live on Instagram today, through Meta's official sign-in and API. The guides under Read next walk through each one.
What Instagram allows
These rules come from Meta's API, so they are the same for every Instagram automation tool. Postkey keeps every automation, and every AI assistant, inside them.
- It needs an Instagram professional account (Business or Creator). A personal account cannot use Instagram's messaging API; switching is free in Instagram's settings.
- The person writes first. Meta: "Conversations only begin when an Instagram user sends a message to your app user." A comment allows one DM (a private reply) within 7 days of it.
- After their last message a business has 24 hours to answer. A reply typed by hand can still go out for 7 days more; automations cannot.
- People who do not follow you find your DM in their message requests. Meta: "All new conversations from Instagram users who aren't followers of your app user will appear in the Requests folder."
- You sign in to Instagram on Meta's own page, so Postkey never sees your password, and you can disconnect at any time.
Sources: Meta for Developers: Instagram Messaging API, Meta for Developers: Private Replies
Set it up yourself, or ask your AI agent
By hand: connect your Instagram account, pick a template or start from scratch, type the keyword and the DM, check the phone preview and switch it on. Most people are live in a few minutes.
With an agent: connect Postkey's MCP server to ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor or your own agent, and ask in plain words. It has up to 52 Postkey tools, and switching an automation on waits for your yes by default. Things people ask:
- Set up an automation: anyone who comments GUIDE under my next reel gets my guide link by DM.
- Ask people to follow me before the link opens.
- Which DMs are still unread? Draft replies to the shipping questions.
- Schedule Friday's reel for 9am and send the shop link to everyone who comments SHOP.
Why Postkey is the most agentic DM automation tool
Postkey's MCP server can build, edit and switch on automations. An agent can do the whole job:
- Build, edit and switch on DM automations: comment to DM, keyword DMs, follow to unlock, collecting emails.
- Read the inbox, draft replies and send them once you say yes.
- Write, schedule and publish posts, and set the DM keyword each post's comments reply to.
- Find and tag contacts, and report how posts and automations did.
- Up to 52 tools in one MCP server, with OAuth sign-in or an agent key, and a skill file that teaches the agent the rules.
- Approvals, limits and protection from instructions hidden in DMs built in, so you can let an agent run it.
Questions
Yes, through Meta's official API and inside its rules: the person writes or comments first, one private reply per comment within 7 days, and replies within 24 hours of their last message. Tools that log in with your password or work outside the API do not follow those rules.
No. Instagram's messaging API works only with an Instagram professional account (Business or Creator). Switching is free and keeps your posts and followers.
Yes. Postkey's Free plan includes 4 live automations, 25 contacts a month and 5 scheduled posts a week.
Yes, with Postkey. Connect its MCP server to ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant, and it can build comment-to-DM automations, answer DMs and schedule posts. Sending, publishing and switching on wait for your yes by default.
No. Instagram only lets a business reply to people who wrote to it or commented on its posts, so no tool on Meta's API can send a cold DM.