Instagram DM Setup

Switch your Instagram to a Business or Creator account

Open the Instagram mobile app and navigate to your profile:

1. Tap the hamburger icon (top-right) → Settings and privacy.
2. Scroll to Account type and tools → Switch to professional account.
3. Pick a category that describes your business (Retail, Service, Restaurant, etc.).
4. Choose Business (recommended) or Creator. Business unlocks the messaging API; Creator is more for individual influencers.
5. Complete the contact details (email, phone, address).

Connect your Instagram to a Facebook Page

This is the step most setups stumble on. Without a connected Page, the Graph API will refuse to expose messages.

1. In Meta Business Suite (business.facebook.com) → Settings → Business assets → Accounts → Instagram accounts.
2. Click Add → Connect your Instagram account.
3. Sign in with the Instagram credentials.
4. Select the Facebook Page to link. If your Page list is empty, create one at facebook.com/pages/creation first.

Allow connected-tools access to messages

Instagram has a privacy toggle that controls whether third-party platforms can read your DMs. It must be ON.

1. Open Instagram app → Profile → menu → Settings and privacy.
2. Scroll to Messages and story replies.
3. Tap Message controls → ensure Connected tools is enabled.

This setting can silently default to OFF on some accounts. If your webhook is wired correctly but no messages arrive, double-check here first.

Add the Instagram product to your Meta App

If you already created a Meta App for WhatsApp, you'll reuse it. If not, follow Step 4 of the WhatsApp setup to create one.

1. Open your Meta App at developers.facebook.com/apps.
2. From the dashboard, click Add Product.
3. Find Instagram in the product list → click Set up.
4. You'll see a new "Instagram" item in the left sidebar with sub-sections for Basic Display, Graph API and Messaging.

Find your Page ID and Instagram Business Account ID

Two IDs needed:

• Facebook Page ID — the Page connected to your Instagram.
• Instagram Business Account ID (also called IGSID) — Meta's internal ID for your Instagram, distinct from the @username.

Page ID: Meta Business Suite → Settings → Business Assets → Pages → click your Page → the numeric ID is shown in Page Information. Or browse to your Facebook Page → About → Page transparency → "Page ID".

IGSID: Use Meta's Graph API Explorer (developers.facebook.com/tools/explorer):

GET /{page-id}?fields=instagram_business_account
# Response:
{
  "instagram_business_account": {
    "id": "17841412345678901"  ← this is your IGSID
  },
  "id": "{page-id}"
}

Save both IDs.

Generate a System User access token with Instagram scopes

The same System User you created for WhatsApp can be reused. Just regenerate the token with additional scopes.

1. Meta Business Settings → Users → System Users → select your system user.
2. Under Assigned Assets, ensure the Facebook Page is assigned with Full control. Add it if missing.
3. Click Generate New Token → pick the Meta App → set Expiration: Never.
4. Tick these scopes:
   • pages_show_list
   • pages_messaging
   • pages_manage_metadata
   • instagram_basic
   • instagram_manage_messages
5. Click Generate Token → copy immediately. Meta won't show it again.

Paste credentials into MsgHub

1. Login to https://app.msghub.info.
2. Click Settings at the bottom of the sidebar.
3. Scroll to the WhatsApp Configuration section — inside it, find the Instagram Direct Messages sub-section.
4. Paste the credentials and choose a Webhook Verify Token (any random string — e.g. acme-ig-2026-verify).
5. Above, in the Meta App Credentials sub-section, ensure Meta App ID + Meta App Secret are set. These are shared across all Meta channels (WA / IG / FB) on the same Meta App.
6. Click Save.

Copy your Instagram webhook URL

The Your Webhook URL field in the Instagram Direct Messages sub-section is read-only and auto-generated from your tenant ID. It looks like:

Click the copy button next to the field. Each MsgHub tenant has its own Instagram webhook endpoint — Meta callbacks for your account never mix with anyone else's.

Configure the webhook in Meta App

1. Meta App dashboard → left sidebar → Instagram → Webhooks (or "Configuration" depending on dashboard version).
2. Click Edit subscription.
3. Paste the Callback URL from MsgHub.
4. Paste the same Verify Token you saved in MsgHub.
5. Click Verify and Save. Meta hits your URL with a challenge — MsgHub responds, green tick appears.

Subscribe to message webhook fields

Saving the URL alone isn't enough. Subscribe to events:

• messages — inbound DMs (the main one)
• messaging_postbacks — button taps inside DMs
• message_reactions — emoji reactions on your messages (optional)
• messaging_seen — read receipts (optional)

Click Done when subscribed.

Add an Instagram Tester

1. Meta App dashboard → Roles → Roles.
2. Scroll to Instagram Testers → click Add Instagram Testers.
3. Type the Instagram username of the person testing (yourself, or a colleague).
4. Click Submit. An invite is sent.

Tester accepts the invite

From the tester's handset, open a browser logged into their Instagram and visit:

Under Tester invites, click Accept. Within seconds, any DM that tester sends to your business account will flow through the webhook.

Test inbound

From the tester handset, open Instagram → search for your business account → send a DM ("hi").

• The message should appear in MsgHub Inbox → Instagram within a few seconds.
• A new contact is created automatically with the tester's Instagram username.

Test outbound

Reply from MsgHub Inbox. Because the tester messaged first, you're inside the 24-hour customer service window and free-form replies are allowed. The reply arrives in the tester's Instagram DM within seconds.