Connect Instagram to B6AI

Overview

Connecting Instagram Direct lets your bot answer DMs on your professional Instagram account, with handoff to human agents, ideal for social commerce and support.

Instagram messaging runs through Meta and requires your Instagram account to be linked to a Facebook Page.

What you can do on Instagram

Connecting Instagram lets your bot hold real conversations there, with full handoff to human agents when needed. On this channel you can:

1. Answer Instagram Direct messages with your bot.
2. Respond to story replies and mentions (within Meta’s policy).
3. Hand off to a human agent when needed.
4. Use quick replies and buttons to guide the conversation.
5. Share product and link content to drive social commerce.

How the Instagram channel works

B6AI connects through a Meta app to your Instagram professional account, which must be linked to a Facebook Page. Inbound DMs arrive at B6AI via a webhook; B6AI replies using a Page access token that has Instagram messaging permissions.

A messaging window applies, similar to Facebook Messenger.

Prerequisites

Have all of the following ready before you begin, each is required to complete the connection.

1. An Instagram professional (Business or Creator) account.
2. A Facebook Page linked to that Instagram account.
3. A Meta app with the Instagram and Messenger products.
4. Admin access to the Page/business, and the Enterprise Admin role in B6AI.

Link Instagram to a Page & Meta app

1. In the Instagram app, convert your account to a professional account (Settings → Account type and tools).
2. Link the Instagram account to a Facebook Page (Page settings → Linked accounts).
3. At developers.facebook.com, create or select an app and add the Instagram and Messenger products.
4. Connect the Page/Instagram account to the app and allow access to messages.

Get your Instagram (Meta) messaging credentials

These are the values you will paste into B6AI. Copy each one carefully.

1. Generate a Page access token with the instagram_manage_messages permission (via the app’s Messenger/Instagram settings, for the linked Page).
2. Copy the Page ID and the Instagram account ID.
3. Choose a Webhook verify token you’ll use on both Meta and B6AI.

Page ID:            1044xxxxxxxx
Instagram account:  1789xxxxxxxx
Page access token:  EAAG…
Verify token:       <a-strong-random-string>

Required permissions

Grant exactly these permissions so B6AI can send and receive messages on Instagram.

Configure the webhook

Incoming messages reach B6AI through a webhook. In most cases B6AI registers this for you when you connect; if Instagram requires manual setup, use the values B6AI shows during connection.

1. In the Meta app webhooks, subscribe the linked Page to the messages/messaging fields.
2. Set the Callback URL and Verify token to the values B6AI shows.
3. B6AI completes the verification handshake automatically.

Connect Instagram in B6AI

Channels are configured per bot. In B6AI, open Bots and choose the bot you want on Instagram, switch to its Channels tab, and click Configure on the Instagram card. Complete the form (every field is explained below), Save, then toggle Enable to turn the channel on.

1. In B6AI, open Bots, choose your bot, and go to its Channels tab.
2. Click Configure on the Instagram card.
3. Enter the Instagram account ID and the access token that has Instagram messaging permissions.
4. Save, then toggle Enable.

Publish the bot to Instagram

Once the channel is configured and enabled on the bot, publish the bot so customers get answers on Instagram.

1. On the bot’s Channels tab, confirm the Instagram channel shows Configured and is Enabled.
2. Open the bot in Bot Builder and run it through the test simulator until it passes validation.
3. Click Publish. The bot now serves conversations on Instagram.

Verify with a test conversation

Confirm the channel is live end to end before sharing it with customers.

1. From a different Instagram account, send a DM to your professional account.
2. Confirm the bot replies.
3. Check the conversation appears in the Chats inbox and test a handoff.

Messaging rules & behavior

Every channel has its own rules about when and how businesses may message customers. Understanding these prevents blocked or undelivered messages.

1. A standard 24-hour window applies for responding to user-initiated messages.
2. Human-agent handoff has an extended window under Meta’s policy.
3. You can’t message people who haven’t messaged you first.
4. All content must follow Instagram’s platform and messaging policies.

Troubleshooting

If messages are not delivered or the bot does not reply, match the symptom below to its cause and fix.

Limitations

Keep these constraints in mind when designing conversations for Instagram.

1. Requires a linked Facebook Page.
2. Messaging windows and Instagram policy restrictions apply.
3. One Instagram account per channel connection.

Security & compliance

1. Grant only the scopes and permissions listed above, never request more “just in case”.
2. Rotate your Instagram (Meta) messaging credentials on a regular schedule, and immediately if you suspect exposure.
3. Restrict the Enterprise Admin role (which manages integrations) to a small, trusted group.
4. Prefer a dedicated service account or bot user over a personal login, so access survives staff changes.
5. Review the integration’s activity in the B6AI Activity Logs periodically for unexpected calls.
6. Disconnect the integration the moment a credential leaks; then rotate it in Instagram before reconnecting.

Recommendations

1. Test against a sandbox or non-production Instagram account before connecting live data.
2. Document which bots and flows depend on this integration so changes are predictable.
3. Set a recurring reminder to review scopes and rotate credentials.
4. Enable only the capabilities you actually use today; you can widen scopes later.