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).
Click Connect with Instagram, log in with the professional Instagram account itself, and approve the requested permissions. A Facebook Page is not required. You then 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_business_manage_messages means DMs can't be sent until you
reconnect and approve messaging).
After connecting
Cookping loads posts and Reels directly from Instagram when you create or edit an automation. The picker starts with the newest page; use Load more posts to browse older content. Cookping stores only the post you select.
Common issues
- My account cannot be connected. Confirm that it is an Instagram professional account, not a personal account, and that you logged in with that Instagram account.
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a business account to use Cookping?
You need an Instagram professional account — either business or creator type. Meta's messaging APIs don't work with personal accounts. Switching is free in the Instagram app under Settings → Account type and tools.
Does Cookping post on my behalf?
No. Cookping reads comments on the posts you automate, sends the replies and DMs you configured, and nothing else. It never creates posts, stories, or follows anyone.
Why does Cookping ask for so many permissions?
Each permission maps to one feature: reading comments (to match keywords), managing comments (to post your public reply), and messaging (to send the DM). Declining any of them breaks the corresponding step, which is why the connection screen asks for all of them.