# How to connect Instagram to Hermes Agent (no Meta developer app)

> Connect Instagram to Hermes Agent with ClawLink: no Meta developer app, no App Review, no long-lived token to mint. 29 Instagram tools your agent calls from chat.

Web version: https://claw-link.dev/hermes/instagram

Most guides for giving Hermes Agent Instagram access start with registering your own OAuth app or pasting API keys into env files, then leave the token refresh and tool wiring to you. ClawLink gives Hermes a more practical Instagram setup: pair once in the browser and your always-on Hermes agent can act on Instagram for you, reading and doing real work on your behalf with no auth, token refresh, or tool wiring to build yourself.

**Start here — paste this into Hermes to set up ClawLink:**

> Set up ClawLink for Hermes and tell me when it's ready.
> 1. Install the plugin: `hermes plugins install ClawLink-HQ/hermes-plugin --enable`
> 2. Start pairing with `hermes clawlink begin`. It prints an approval link, so show me the link and stop, don't wait.
> 3. I'll approve it in my browser, then reply "approved".
> 4. When I say approved, finish setup: `hermes clawlink finish`
> 5. Then run `hermes clawlink test` and tell me whether ClawLink is ready.

## Setup

It takes three steps to connect Hermes to Instagram.

1. **Install ClawLink** — add the plugin to Hermes Agent once.
2. **Connect Instagram** — one-click OAuth in the ClawLink dashboard.
3. **Use it from chat** — ask Hermes Agent in plain English.

**Alternative for any agent (no plugin needed):** if the Hermes Agent plugin route isn't available or doesn't work, any AI agent with shell access can use the ClawLink CLI instead:

```bash
npx -y @useclawlink/cli login          # sign in via browser — no API key to paste
npx -y @useclawlink/cli connect instagram  # connect Instagram (browser OAuth)
npx -y @useclawlink/cli actions instagram  # list available actions
npx -y @useclawlink/cli run instagram <action> --input '<json>'  # execute (add --confirm for writes)
```

### Install by command

The prompt above walks Hermes through this. By hand, it is four commands and a browser approval:

```bash
hermes plugins install ClawLink-HQ/hermes-plugin --enable
hermes clawlink begin    # prints an approval link — open it and approve
hermes clawlink finish   # after approving in the browser
hermes clawlink test
```

Then connect Instagram in the [ClawLink dashboard](https://claw-link.dev/dashboard) — a one-click OAuth approval, no API keys.

Verify the connection by asking Hermes:

> Post the image at the URL I paste next to my Instagram account. Use instagram_post_ig_user_media to create the container with the caption I give you, then call instagram_post_ig_user_media_publish to publish it. Confirm both steps and give me the media id.

### Using a different agent?

The Hermes plugin is one client of ClawLink's MCP server. Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or any agent that can run a shell command pairs with the same ClawLink account through the CLI:

```bash
npx -y @useclawlink/cli login
```

`login` opens the same browser approval and stores a credential locally. Once Instagram is connected in the dashboard, that agent calls the same 29 Instagram tools over MCP. Full setup for MCP clients and shell agents: [connect apps to any AI agent](https://claw-link.dev/learn/connect-apps-to-any-ai-agent).

## Instagram MCP for Hermes

Looking for a Instagram MCP server for Hermes Agent? ClawLink connects Instagram to Hermes Agent and exposes 29 Instagram tools your agent can call over [MCP](https://claw-link.dev/learn/what-is-an-mcp-server), with [hosted auth](https://claw-link.dev/learn/oauth-for-ai-agents) and nothing to run or maintain yourself. Using OpenClaw instead? The [OpenClaw Instagram integration](https://claw-link.dev/openclaw/instagram) works the same way.

Publishing to Instagram from your own code means registering a Meta developer app, adding the Instagram Graph API, requesting instagram_basic and instagram_content_publish, and submitting for App Review before anyone but you can use it. Weeks, for the ability to post a photo. ClawLink connects through Meta's consent screen using an app that has already been through that process, so you sign in, approve access, and the 29 tools below work from Hermes chat. You do not create a developer app, you do not go through App Review, and you do not manage a token that expires in 60 days.

## What the Hermes Agent Instagram integration can do

29 Instagram tools are ready for Hermes Agent once the account is connected. The 27 below are the ones people reach for most; your agent can call all 29.

### 27 of 29 Instagram tools for Hermes

| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Create carousel container** `instagram_create_carousel_container` | Create an Instagram carousel container |
| **Get ig comment replies** `instagram_get_ig_comment_replies` | List replies to an Instagram comment |
| **Get ig media** `instagram_get_ig_media` | Get a specific Instagram media item |
| **Get ig media children** `instagram_get_ig_media_children` | Get Instagram media children (carousel items) |
| **Get ig media comments** `instagram_get_ig_media_comments` | List comments on an Instagram media item |
| **Get ig media insights** `instagram_get_ig_media_insights` | Get insights for an Instagram media item |
| **Get ig user content publishing limit** `instagram_get_ig_user_content_publishing_limit` | Get Instagram content publishing limit |
| **Get ig user media** `instagram_get_ig_user_media` | List Instagram media items |
| **Get ig user stories** `instagram_get_ig_user_stories` | List Instagram user stories |
| **Get ig user tags** `instagram_get_ig_user_tags` | List Instagram user tags |
| **Get user info** `instagram_get_user_info` | Get Instagram user info |
| **Get user insights** `instagram_get_user_insights` | Get Instagram user insights |
| **Post ig media comments** `instagram_post_ig_media_comments` | Post a comment on an Instagram media item |
| **Post ig user media** `instagram_post_ig_user_media` | Create an Instagram media container |
| **Post ig user media publish** `instagram_post_ig_user_media_publish` | Publish an Instagram media item |
| **Get conversation** `instagram_get_conversation` | Get details about a specific Instagram DM conversation (participants, etc) |
| **Get ig user live media** `instagram_get_ig_user_live_media` | Get live media objects during an active Instagram broadcast |
| **Get messenger profile** `instagram_get_messenger_profile` | Get the messenger profile settings for an Instagram account |
| **Get page conversations** `instagram_get_page_conversations` | Get Instagram conversations for a Page connected to an Instagram Business account |
| **List all conversations** `instagram_list_all_conversations` | List all Instagram DM conversations for the authenticated user |
| **List all messages** `instagram_list_all_messages` | List all messages from a specific Instagram DM conversation |
| **Mark seen** `instagram_mark_seen` | Mark Instagram DM messages as read/seen for a specific user |
| **Post ig comment replies** `instagram_post_ig_comment_replies` | Create a reply to an Instagram comment |
| **Post ig user mentions** `instagram_post_ig_user_mentions` | Reply to a mention of your Instagram Business or Creator account |
| **Send image** `instagram_send_image` | Send an image via Instagram DM to a specific user |
| **Send text message** `instagram_send_text_message` | Send a text message to an Instagram user via DM in an existing conversation |
| **Update messenger profile** `instagram_update_messenger_profile` | Update the messenger profile settings for an Instagram account |

## Example prompts

**Post a photo with a caption**

> Post the image at the URL I paste next to my Instagram account. Use instagram_post_ig_user_media to create the container with the caption I give you, then call instagram_post_ig_user_media_publish to publish it. Confirm both steps and give me the media id.

**See what performed**

> Run instagram_get_ig_user_media for my last 20 posts, then instagram_get_ig_media_insights on each. Show me reach, saves, and engagement in a table sorted by reach, and tell me what the top three have in common.

**Reply to comments on the latest post**

> Find my most recent post with instagram_get_ig_user_media, pull its comments with instagram_get_ig_media_comments, and draft a reply to each genuine question. Wait for my approval, then post them with instagram_post_ig_comment_replies.

**Check the publishing allowance before a batch**

> Run instagram_get_ig_user_content_publishing_limit and tell me how many posts I have left in the current window. If it is fewer than five, stop and tell me instead of starting the batch.

## How the Instagram tools behave

The publishing model is the part that surprises people. The rest is argument detail from the manifest.

- **Publishing is always two calls.** `instagram_post_ig_user_media` creates the container, `instagram_post_ig_user_media_publish` posts it. Carousels add a third shape: `instagram_create_carousel_container` groups several children before the same publish call.
- **`instagram_get_ig_user_content_publishing_limit` exists and is worth calling first.** It reports usage against Meta's per-account publishing window, which is the difference between a batch that completes and one that dies halfway with a permissions-shaped error.
- **Media ids come from `instagram_get_ig_user_media`.** Nothing resolves a post's URL or caption to an id. `instagram_get_ig_media_children` expands a carousel into its individual items, which is what you need for per-image insights.
- **Insights split by subject.** `instagram_get_ig_media_insights` covers one post; `instagram_get_user_insights` covers the account. Asking for "my Instagram stats" usually means both.
- **Direct messages are in this integration.** `instagram_list_all_conversations`, `instagram_list_all_messages`, `instagram_send_text_message`, `instagram_send_image`, and `instagram_mark_seen` reach real conversations, so keep an approval step in the prompt before the agent sends anything.
- **Comment replies and comments are different tools.** `instagram_post_ig_media_comments` comments on a post; `instagram_post_ig_comment_replies` replies to an existing comment; `instagram_delete_comment` removes one. "Respond to the comments" spans the first two.
- **Stories are read-only here.** `instagram_get_ig_user_stories` lists them and `instagram_get_ig_user_tags` finds tagged content. There is no Story-publishing tool in this set.

## ClawLink vs. building it yourself

The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual OAuth app setup plus your own token handling, permission troubleshooting, and tool plumbing for Hermes Agent. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want Instagram working from chat.

| | Manual | ClawLink |
|---|---|---|
| **Connection flow** | Register a Instagram app, configure redirect URLs, manage consent details, and reconnect users when auth settings drift. | Users connect Instagram through the hosted browser flow and ClawLink keeps the token lifecycle out of your app code. |
| **Ongoing maintenance** | You own refresh logic, permission debugging, environment config, and every provider-specific edge case for Instagram. | ClawLink handles the repetitive integration plumbing so your team can focus on the workflow instead of the infrastructure. |
| **Agent usability** | You still need to expose the right Instagram actions to the runtime in a format your agent can reliably use. | 29 tools for Instagram are already exposed through ClawLink, so the agent can read and act from chat immediately. |

## ClawLink vs. Composio

Composio also exposes Instagram to AI agents. It is developer infrastructure: Python and TypeScript SDKs, an MCP server, and a catalog past 1,000 apps, aimed at teams shipping agent products. ClawLink is built for Hermes Agent users instead. You install the plugin once, connect Instagram in the browser, and the 29 tools above work from chat. There is no SDK, no config file, and no API key handling. Choosing between them? Read the full [Composio alternatives](https://claw-link.dev/hub/composio-alternatives) comparison.

### Hermes paired but still can't use Instagram
Pairing is a two-step handshake: run `hermes clawlink begin`, approve the link in your browser, then run `hermes clawlink finish`. If you ran finish before approving, or the approval link expired, run `hermes clawlink begin` again to get a fresh link. Confirm the plugin was installed with `--enable`, then verify with `hermes clawlink test`.

### Connection succeeds but no tools appear
Reconnect Instagram from the dashboard, then start a fresh chat if the runtime still has the old tool catalog loaded.

### "Tool schema not loaded yet" error when calling Instagram tools
Instagram tool schemas load on demand the first time a tool runs and are cached after that, so this error usually clears on its own: wait a few seconds and retry the same request. If every Instagram call keeps failing with it in a fresh chat, reconnect from the dashboard, and contact support if it still persists — that pattern points to a configuration problem on our side, not something you can fix by reconnecting again.

### Instagram returns 403 or "permission denied" on one action while others work
Two usual causes. The connected account may not have access to the specific workspace, inbox, store, or project in the request — check that first. If access looks right, the agent may have sent a placeholder value (like "YOUR_ID" or an example id from documentation) instead of a real one: ask it to run a list or search tool first, then retry the action with a real id from those results. Most failures at this stage are one of these two, not ClawLink bugs.

### Instagram returns "The user is not an Instagram Business" or media calls come back empty on a working connection
The account is a personal one. Meta's Instagram Graph API only serves Professional accounts, so the OAuth connection completes, the agent reports success, and then every media call returns nothing. Switch to a Business or Creator account in the Instagram app under Settings, then Account type and tools, and link it to a Facebook Page if you plan to publish. Reconnect from the dashboard afterwards so the grant picks up the new account type. Worth separating from advice you will find elsewhere: the steps about creating a Meta app, requesting permissions, or submitting for App Review do not apply to this connection, but the Professional-account and linked-Page requirements do, because those are properties of your account rather than of the app.

Ask the agent to diagnose it:

```text
Run instagram_get_user_info and tell me exactly what account type and username you are connected to. Then run instagram_get_ig_user_media and report how many items came back.
```

### Instagram returns 403, "(#10) Application does not have permission for this action", or "(#200) Permissions error"
Two causes, and they are distinguishable in one call. The first is a partial approval: Meta's consent screen lets you decline individual permissions, so a connection can read your profile and media while every publish attempt fails. Reconnect from the dashboard and accept the whole set. The second is a placeholder argument: an agent that has not listed anything yet will invent an ig-user-id or media id, and the shape is valid enough to reach Meta, which answers with a permissions error rather than a not-found. That is why it looks like a scope problem when it is a bad id. Run instagram_get_user_info to get the real id, then instagram_get_ig_user_media for real media ids, and retry with those.

Ask the agent to diagnose it:

```text
Run instagram_get_user_info and show me the exact user id. Then run instagram_get_ig_user_media and list the first five media ids. Do not retry the failed call until both have returned.
```

### A publish succeeds but nothing appears, or a media container is created and never posted
Instagram publishing is two calls, not one. The first creates a media container that holds the image or video and the caption; the second publishes it. An agent that runs instagram_post_ig_user_media and stops has done half the job, and the post exists only as an unpublished container. Ask for instagram_post_ig_user_media_publish explicitly. If the publish call itself fails, check the publishing allowance with instagram_get_ig_user_content_publishing_limit, because a full window fails at exactly this step. Videos add a wrinkle: Meta processes them asynchronously, so a container can be created and not yet be ready to publish for a short period.

Ask the agent to diagnose it:

```text
Tell me which Instagram tools you called in order and what each returned. If you created a media container, give me its id and whether you called the publish tool afterwards.
```

### OAuth finished in the browser but the account is still missing
Try reconnecting Instagram and complete the consent flow in the same browser session. Partial OAuth approvals or switching accounts mid-flow can leave the connection incomplete.

### Is there a Hermes Agent Instagram integration?
Yes. ClawLink is the fastest way to connect Hermes to Instagram: link your Instagram account once in the browser and Hermes Agent can call the Instagram API through 29 ready-made tools — no custom code or token handling.

### How do I connect Instagram to Hermes with ClawLink?
Install the plugin with `hermes plugins install ClawLink-HQ/hermes-plugin --enable`, then pair once: run `hermes clawlink begin`, approve the link in your browser, and run `hermes clawlink finish`. Connect Instagram in the dashboard and Hermes can use it from the next message — no config files or API keys to manage.

### How long does it take to connect Instagram to Hermes Agent?
About two minutes. Sign in, click Connect next to Instagram in the dashboard, authenticate, and Hermes Agent can use it from the next chat message.

### Why use ClawLink instead of wiring Instagram up myself?
The alternative to ClawLink is usually manual OAuth app setup plus your own token handling, permission troubleshooting, and tool plumbing for Hermes Agent. That is fine if you want to build and maintain the integration yourself. Most teams just want Instagram working from chat.

### Can I post to Instagram from an AI agent without my own Meta developer app?
Yes. Building it yourself means a Meta developer app, the Instagram Graph API, permissions like instagram_basic and instagram_content_publish, and App Review before the integration works for anyone outside your test users. That review exists because Meta gates content publishing, and it is the reason most people never finish. ClawLink connects through an already-reviewed app, so the work reduces to approving access on Meta's own screen. The permissions model is unchanged: Meta still governs what the grant covers, and you can revoke it from Business Integrations in your Instagram or Facebook settings whenever you want.

### Do I still need a Business or Creator account and a linked Facebook Page?
Yes, and this is the one Meta requirement a hosted connection cannot remove. The Instagram Graph API only works with Professional accounts, meaning Business or Creator, and publishing requires the account to be linked to a Facebook Page. Both are settings on your side, both are free, and both take a couple of minutes in the Instagram app under Account type and tools. What ClawLink removes is the developer-app and App Review layer above that. If the agent connects successfully and then cannot see any media, a personal account is the first thing to check.

### Can the agent post Stories, Reels, and carousels?
Carousels yes, through instagram_create_carousel_container followed by instagram_post_ig_user_media_publish. Stories can be read through instagram_get_ig_user_stories. Publishing on Instagram is deliberately a two-step process in Meta's API: you create a media container first and publish it second, which is why a single "post this" instruction sometimes creates a container and stops. Ask for both steps explicitly, or tell the agent to publish once you have seen what it built.

### How many posts can the agent publish in a day?
Meta enforces a publishing limit per Instagram account, and the toolset exposes it directly: instagram_get_ig_user_content_publishing_limit reports what you have used and what remains against the current window. Ask the agent to check that before a bulk run rather than after, because hitting the ceiling mid-batch leaves half the queue unpublished and produces an error that looks like a broken connection.

### Hermes paired but still can't use Instagram
Pairing is a two-step handshake: run `hermes clawlink begin`, approve the link in your browser, then run `hermes clawlink finish`. If you ran finish before approving, or the approval link expired, run `hermes clawlink begin` again to get a fresh link. Confirm the plugin was installed with `--enable`, then verify with `hermes clawlink test`.

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