Paste this into Claude Code. It walks you through building your own Instagram bot: someone comments your keyword, and they get your DM automatically. It runs on Instagram's own official tools.
The prompt
Act as my developer and build me my own Instagram comment-to-DM bot, so I can stop paying for ManyChat. I'm a beginner, so go one step at a time, tell me exactly what to click, and wait for me to say "done" before the next step.
First, ask me three things: my Instagram handle, the keyword people will comment, and the message (with my link) they should get.
Then:
1. Check that my Instagram is a Professional account (Business or Creator), and help me switch if it isn't.
2. Walk me through creating a free Meta developer app with Instagram Login and the permissions to read comments and send messages (instagram_business_basic, instagram_business_manage_comments, instagram_business_manage_messages).
3. Write a small webhook server I can host for free on Cloudflare. When a comment contains my keyword (any capitalization), send that person one private reply with my message using Instagram's official private replies API, and reply to the comment publicly with "Sent! Check your DMs."
4. Store my access token as a secret, never in the code.
5. Deploy it, connect the webhook in my Meta app, and test it with a comment on one of my own posts.
6. Explain Meta's rules in plain English: one private reply per comment, only within 7 days of the comment, no messaging people who never interacted with me, and whether my app needs Meta's App Review before it works for everyone.
What you need
An Instagram Professional account (Business or Creator).
A Claude plan that includes Claude Code.
A free Meta developer account and a free Cloudflare account. Claude walks you through both.
Honest note: I'm building mine live right now and posting every step. Meta may ask you to go through App Review before your bot can answer everyone, and Claude will tell you if your app needs it. Follow @buildwith.justin to see how mine goes.
New to all of this?
Start with my free beginner guide to digital marketing. It's the map I wish I'd had.