Instagram Direct Message (DM)

The Instagram Direct Message (DM) trigger connects an Instagram Business account to your agent. From then on, DMs, story replies, and mentions that land in the account are answered automatically, using the prompt and tools you configured.

Requirements

• Instagram Business or Creator account. Personal accounts don’t work — convert it in the Instagram app under Settings → Account type and tools → Switch to professional account.
• Login access to the account. Authorization runs through Instagram Login (you sign in with your own Instagram username and password, not through Facebook). No linked Facebook Page is required.

Connecting

Instagram is connected as an inbox, not inside the agent editor — you pick the agent that answers at the end of the process.

1. In the admin panel, go to Inboxes and click Connect inbox.
2. Under the Instagram group, pick Instagram Direct.

3. Click Connect with Instagram.

4. A popup opens with the Instagram login. Sign in with the account that manages the professional profile.
5. Approve the requested permissions (read and reply to the professional account’s messages).
6. When the popup closes, the card shows Connected: @your_handle. Click Continue.
7. Pick the agent that will answer the DMs (or leave it on human support), confirm the inbox name and click Finish.

If the browser blocks the popup, allow popups for app.squados.io and try again.

How it works

• Instagram fires a webhook into SquadOS every time a DM arrives.
• SquadOS creates (or continues) a conversation per Instagram contact.
• The agent processes the message using your prompt + tools + knowledge base and replies through the Instagram API.
• The reply lands in the user’s Direct inbox as if you had typed it.

Messages sent by the account itself (by you, from the Instagram app) never trigger the agent — it only replies to people writing to the account.

Taking over a conversation (human support)

In Conversations, click Take to pause the AI and reply manually: your message is delivered to the customer’s Direct inbox. Human replies are allowed for up to 7 days after the customer’s last message.

Disconnecting

Under Inboxes, open the ⋮ menu on the Instagram inbox, click Edit and, in the Connection block, click Disconnect. SquadOS stops receiving webhooks for the account right away, and the subscription is removed on Meta’s side too.

Disconnecting preserves the conversation history. Deleting the inbox is a different thing — see Inboxes.

Token and renewal

The Meta token is valid for 60 days and SquadOS renews it automatically before it expires. If renewal fails (for example, you revoked the app’s access on Instagram), the inbox shows a warning and you need to reconnect: under Inboxes, use Edit and click Connect with Instagram again.

Limits and notes

• Meta enforces rate limits per professional account. At very high volumes, messages may be delayed.
• Instagram only delivers DMs via webhook for professional accounts — newly converted accounts start receiving webhooks a few minutes after the conversion.
• The agent cannot initiate a DM conversation — only reply to people who messaged first (Meta’s rule).
• The automatic reply window is 24h after the user’s last message. After that, only human support (Take) can reply, within the 7-day window.

Common issues

• “Popup blocked”: allow popups for app.squados.io in your browser.
• “Token expired”: automatic renewal failed. Under Inboxes, open the inbox with Edit and click Connect with Instagram again to re-authorize.
• DMs don’t arrive: confirm the account is in Business or Creator mode. Allow a few minutes after connecting for the webhook to stabilize.
• “Could not connect”: the account used to sign in is not a professional account, or authorization was cancelled midway. Convert the account and try again.