Connect Instagram so your AI agent answers direct messages

Your account must be a Business or Creator account. In Instagram, open Settings → Account type and tools. If you see Switch to professional account, tap it and follow the steps.

In Instagram, open Settings → Messages and story replies → Connected tools and turn on Allow access to messages. Without it, Meta never sends your messages to Serviti, and nothing tells you why.

Open Settings → Accounts → Instagram accounts, choose your account and open Connected assets. You should see a Facebook Page. No Page? Create one for your business and connect it from the same screen.

Note the ID shown under your Instagram username. This is your Instagram account ID for Serviti.

Open Settings → Accounts → Pages and choose your Page. Copy the ID under its name. This is your Facebook Page ID for Serviti.

Go to My Apps → Create app. Give it a name such as YourBusiness DM Agent. Meta rejects names containing Instagram, Insta, Gram, Facebook or FB. Enter a contact email you check.

Under Use cases, choose the one for managing messaging and content on Instagram.

Pick the business portfolio that owns your Instagram account and Page, then finish creating the app.

Open App settings → Basic and fill in your business’s Privacy policy URL: Meta needs it before you can publish. Fill in any other field Meta marks as required. Click Save changes.

Click Publish. Meta’s webhook settings say it outright: an unpublished app receives only test messages, not your customers’. For your own account you do not need App Review or Advanced Access.

In your Meta app (developers.facebook.com), open App roles → Roles → Add people, choose Instagram Tester and enter your Instagram username.

On a computer, go to instagram.com → Settings → Apps and websites → Tester invites and click Accept.

Back in your Meta app (developers.facebook.com), open Use cases → Instagram → Customize → API setup with Instagram login. Under Generate access tokens, click Add account and sign in to your Instagram account. Then switch on Webhook subscription next to it. If the switch is not available yet, come back to it after Part 7.

On the same screen, find the Instagram app secret, click Show and copy it. This is the App Secret Serviti needs. It is not the App secret under App settings → Basic: Meta signs your messages with the Instagram one.

Open Settings → System users → Add. Give it any name that differs from your app’s name, for example yourbusiness-dm-bot, and choose the Admin role.

Open the system user and, under Assigned assets, make sure your new app is listed with Full access. If not, use Assign assets to add it. You can add your Facebook Page and Instagram account the same way.

Click Generate token, choose your app and click Next. Set expiry to Never, click Next, then under Select permissions tick instagram_basic, instagram_manage_messages, pages_read_engagement and business_management. Click Generate token and copy it straight away: Meta shows it once.

A permission missing from the list? Add it to your app’s Instagram use case under Customize, then generate again. Don’t use the token from the Instagram login screen instead.

In the menu, open AI agents → Channels and expand Instagram — answer direct messages. Under AI agent on your Instagram, click Connect Instagram.

• Instagram account ID: from step 3.
• Facebook Page ID: from step 4.
• Access token: the system user token from step 16.
• App Secret: the Instagram app secret from step 13.
• Does this app callback serve another integration or account? Choose No — this callback is dedicated. If your app’s callback already serves another tool, don’t overwrite it: create a separate Meta app for Serviti (Part 3) and use that.

Click Connect. Serviti checks with Meta that your token can read the account you named.

Serviti now shows a Callback URL and a Verify token. Keep this page open. Treat both like passwords.

In your Meta app (developers.facebook.com), open Use cases → Instagram → Customize → API setup with Instagram login → Configure webhooks. Paste the Callback URL and Verify token from Serviti and click Verify and save.

In the Webhook fields list on the same screen, switch messages to Subscribed. Leave Attach a client certificate off.

In Serviti, switch on Let the AI answer direct messages. Then send your account a direct message from a different Instagram account. Check that a reply arrives and that the conversation appears in Serviti. Repeat with a customer-style account outside the app’s roles once Meta grants the required access.

No reply? Check the Webhook subscription switch from step 12 is on, then see Troubleshooting below.

To answer someone yourself, reply from the Instagram app: the AI steps back from that chat for 12 hours.

Before you call it ready

• A real test DM arrives from another Instagram account.
• The AI reply is delivered and the conversation appears in Serviti’s Customer inbox.
• A clearly labelled test enquiry using contact details you control is captured in Leads and the configured alert arrives.
• A human reply pauses the AI for that conversation; confirm it does not answer over your team.
• Repeat the DM test with an account outside your app’s roles once the required Meta access is in place. Webhook verification or a Meta test sample alone is not an end-to-end test.