Connect your ChatLab chatbot to Instagram so it automatically answers direct messages sent to your Instagram professional account. Like the Messenger integration, setup is a Facebook login with a few clicks - no tokens, no webhooks.
What the Integration Provides
When connected, your chatbot answers text direct messages sent to your Instagram account. Conversations appear in the Chatlogs tab marked with an Instagram icon, next to your widget conversations.
All standard bot features work on Instagram - training data, AI model settings and connected integrations. Each bot reply uses message credits exactly like widget traffic.
Requirements
Instagram messaging has more prerequisites than other channels. All four are required:
- An Instagram professional account - Business or Creator. Personal accounts do not work with Meta's messaging API. Switch for free in the Instagram app: Settings -> Account type and tools -> Switch to professional account.
- The Instagram account linked to a Facebook Page you manage. Meta delivers Instagram messages through the linked Page, so this link is the core of the integration. Link them in the Instagram app (Edit profile -> Page) or in Meta Business Suite (your Page -> Connected assets -> Connect assets -> Instagram account).
- A Meta Business Portfolio containing the Page. ChatLab uses long-lived business tokens that never expire, and Meta issues them only through a Business Portfolio login.
- Message access enabled on the Instagram account. In the Instagram app: Settings -> Messages (or Privacy -> Messages) -> allow access to messages for connected tools. If this switch is off, Meta silently drops messages and the integration appears dead even though everything else is correct.
You also need a ChatLab plan that includes the Instagram integration.
Connecting Instagram
- Log in to ChatLab and select your chatbot.
- Open the Deploy tab and select Instagram in the Messaging channels section of the Select Platform panel.
- Click Connect with Facebook.
- In the Facebook popup, log in and select the business portfolio that contains your Page.
- Share access to both the Page and the Instagram account - the popup asks for both. If you share several Pages, ChatLab will ask you to pick the one linked to your Instagram account.
- Done - the panel shows your connected Instagram handle, the card gets a green dot, and the chatbot starts answering direct messages.
If ChatLab reports that the selected Page has no linked Instagram professional account, complete requirement 2 above and connect again.
Testing the Integration
Send a direct message to your Instagram account from a different account. The chatbot should reply within a few seconds, and the conversation should appear in Chatlogs with the Instagram icon.
Current Limitations
- The chatbot answers text direct messages. Story replies, media attachments, voice messages and comments are ignored in this version.
- Replies are sent immediately in response to an incoming message, within Meta's standard 24-hour messaging window.
- Live chat takeover from the ChatLab admin panel is not yet available for Instagram conversations.
Disconnecting
Open the Deploy tab, select the Instagram card and press Disconnect. The chatbot stops answering direct messages immediately. Conversation history stays in Chatlogs. You can reconnect at any time.
Troubleshooting
"The selected Facebook Page has no linked Instagram professional account"
Your Page and Instagram account are not linked yet, or the Instagram account is still a personal account. Switch the account to professional and link it to the Page (see Requirements), then connect again.
The bot does not answer direct messages
- Check the message access switch in the Instagram app (Settings -> Messages) - this is the most common cause. It must allow connected tools to access messages.
- Make sure you shared both the Page and the Instagram account during the Facebook login. Disconnect and connect again if unsure.
- Check that your subscription includes the Instagram integration and that your message credits are not exhausted.
I do not see my Page in the popup
The popup lists Pages from the business portfolio you selected. Add the Page to your portfolio in Meta Business Suite and make sure your Facebook account has admin access to both.