Connect your Instagram account
Cookping talks to Instagram through Meta's official APIs, which means a one-time OAuth connection from Settings → Instagram connection. You'll need an Instagram professional account (business or creator).
Pick your login flow
- Connect with Instagram — the direct route. Log in with the Instagram account itself. Use this if you're not sure; it fits most creators.
- Connect with Facebook Page — for Instagram accounts linked to a Facebook Page and managed through it (common for accounts run by a team or connected to Meta Business Suite). You log in with Facebook and pick the Page's Instagram account.
Both flows end the same way: you approve the permissions, choose the account if several are available, and land back in Settings with the account marked Connected.
The permissions, in plain terms
| Permission | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Read comments | Detecting your trigger keyword on automated posts |
| Manage comments | Posting your public reply ("Sent you a DM!") |
| Send messages | Delivering the opening message and the recipe link |
| Read profile / follow status | The optional follow-gating check |
Approve them all — the connection screen in Settings will flag exactly which one is
missing if a feature stops working (for example
missing permissions: instagram_manage_messages means DMs can't be sent until you
reconnect and approve messaging).
After connecting
Cookping syncs your recent posts and Reels so you can pick one when creating an automation. Use Refresh media in Settings whenever a brand-new post doesn't appear yet.
Common issues
- My account doesn't show up in the Facebook flow. The Instagram account isn't linked to the Facebook Page you logged in with. Link it in Meta Business Suite (or use the direct Instagram flow instead).
- Status shows Disconnected. Tokens can be invalidated when you change your password or revoke app access. Click Reconnect — automations resume with the same configuration.
- A permission error appears after connecting. Reconnect and approve the flagged permission; Instagram remembers previous partial approvals until you grant the missing one.
- DMs stopped after the connection was fine for weeks. Check Why didn't my DM send? — the cause is usually the messaging window or a plan limit, not the connection.