How to Automate Instagram Direct Messages with Instagram Agent

August 25, 2025

Jotform makes it simple to automate your Instagram direct messages (DMs) with Instagram Agent. Instead of replying to every DM yourself, you can set up automated responses that welcome new followers, answer common questions, or point people in the right direction. The agent can also pull from your Knowledge Base to answer questions, trigger actions based on specific messages, and keep conversations going around the clock—or only during the times you set.


Notes

  • You’ll need a Professional Instagram account to use the Instagram Agent. Professional accounts can be set up as either Business or Creator.
  • If you reset your Instagram password and log out of all devices, your Instagram Agent will disconnect. To keep using it, just log back in and authenticate your account again. As long as you stay logged in, the connection won’t break.
  • You can only connect one Instagram account to one agent at a time. If you want to switch agents, first disconnect the current one from Meta, then authenticate the new agent with your account. Check out our guide on How to Switch Your Connected Instagram Agent to Another One to learn more.
  • Some users turn off DMs. If you do that while using Instagram Agent, it won’t be able to send you DMs either.

Connecting Your Instagram Account to an Instagram Agent

Before you can start automating your DMs with Instagram Agent, connect your Instagram account first. It only takes a minute from the Build tab—here’s how:

  1. In AI Agent Builder, in the Channels menu on the left side of the page, click on the Instagram icon.
  2. Then, click on Go to Instagram on the top-right side of the page and connect your Instagram Account.
Click on Instagram icon in AI Agent Builder Channels menu in Jotform
  1. Now, in the Instagram Agent window that opens, click on Log in with Instagram.
Instagram Agent window with Log in with Instagram button in Jotform

And you can also do it this way from the Publish tab:

  1. In AI Agent Builder, in the blue navigation bar at the top of the page, click on Publish.
  2. Then, click on Instagram Agent in the menu on the left side of the page.
  3. Now, click on Login with Instagram and connect your Instagram Account.
Publish tab in AI Agent Builder top navigation bar in Jotform

Note

When you connect your Instagram account, make sure you allow permissions to manage your comments and messages.

  1. Once connected, in the Train Data section, you can either click on Skip to move past this step or check the boxes for the items you want Instagram Agent to learn from:
    • Bio — Uses information from your Instagram profile bio.
    • Posts — Pulls content and context from your published posts.
    • DMs — Learns from past DMs to respond more accurately.
  2. Then, click on Next.
Train Data section in Instagram Agent showing Bio, Posts, and DMs options in Jotform
  1. Now, once the Instagram Agent is ready, click on Complete, and you’re done.
Complete button in Instagram Agent to finish setup in Jotform

Now that you’ve successfully connected your Instagram account to Instagram Agent, let’s set up your Agent to automate DMs.

Setting Up Automated DM Replies with the Reply to DMs Feature

Once you’ve connected your Instagram account, the Reply to DMs option is turned on by default. If you want to customize and further automate your replies, here’s the quick way to do it:

  1. While you’re on the Instagram Agent page, under the Agent Abilities section, click on the Gear icon next to Reply to DMs.
Gear icon next to Reply to DMs under Agent Abilities in Instagram Agent in Jotform
  1. Next, in the Select DM Type section, choose how you want the Agent to handle DMs: 
    • All DMs — It replies to every incoming DM.
    • DMs with Specific Keywords — It only replies when a message includes selected keywords.
Choosing between All DMs or DMs with Specific Keywords in Instagram Agent in Jotform
  1. Then, in the Advanced Settings section, configure these things:
    • Follower Count — Toggle this on to reply only to users with a specific number of followers.
    • Time Window — Toggle this on to allow replies only within a set time period.
  2. Now, click on Save, and you’re all set.
Advanced Settings in Instagram Agent with Follower Count and Time Window options in Jotform

That’s it! Your Instagram Agent is now ready to automatically reply to DMs using the setup you created. You can always come back later to update keywords, follower counts, or time windows to fine-tune your automation and keep conversations running smoothly.

Jotform Instagram Agent
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