Overview

By connecting Instagram to Bugalou, all your Instagram Direct Messages appear in your team inbox. This makes it easy for your team to respond quickly without switching between apps.

Requirements

Before connecting, make sure you have:

• An Instagram Business Account (not a Personal account)
• A Facebook Page linked to your Instagram account
• A Meta Business Portfolio with verification
• Admin rights on the Facebook Page linked to your Instagram
• A Bugalou account on a paid plan

Step 1: Switch to a Business account (if needed)

If you're using a personal Instagram account, you first need to switch to a Business account:

1. Open Instagram and go to Settings → Account
2. Tap "Switch to Professional account"
3. Choose Business
4. Connect to your Facebook Page when prompted

Step 2: Open the Channel Catalog

In your Bugalou dashboard, click "Channels" in the left sidebar to open the Channel Catalog. Find the "Instagram" card (it has the "Popular" badge) and click the "Connect" button.

Step 3: Connect your Instagram account

On the Instagram DM Integration page, you'll see the requirements listed again. When ready, click the "Connect Instagram Account" button (it has a purple-to-pink gradient). A popup window will open where you:

1. Log in with the Facebook account that manages your Business account
2. Grant Bugalou permission to access your Instagram messages
3. Select the Facebook Page linked to your Instagram account
4. Confirm the connection

The popup will close automatically after completion.

After connecting

Once connected, the page shows your Instagram account info with a green "Active" badge. You'll see a confirmation card listing what's now configured:

• Incoming DMs are automatically received in your team inbox
• AI Agent can reply to Instagram messages
• Unified inbox: WhatsApp + Instagram in one overview
• Story mentions and replies are supported

Important notes

• You can only connect one Instagram account per Bugalou organization
• You can receive DMs from users who have contacted your account before, or from users who respond via story mentions/replies
• Instagram does not allow initiating conversations — you can only reply to messages

Replying: 24 hours and 7 days

Meta decides how long you can reply to a customer. The clock runs from the customer's last message: every new customer message restarts it, your own messages don't.

• Within 24 hours: normal replies and replies from the AI agent.
• Between 24 hours and 7 days: a team member can still reply from the inbox. Bugalou then adds Meta's "human agent" label automatically.
• After 7 days: you can't reply until the customer writes again. You get a clear message instead of a failed send.

The AI agent always stays within 24 hours (it answers immediately anyway). In the inbox you see next to the channel how much time you have left, for example "5h 12m left to reply", or "7-day window expired". For more details, see Reply windows: 24 hours and 7 days.

Managing the connection

• Click "Refresh Status" to check the connection status
• Click "Disconnect" to remove the Instagram connection (you'll need to confirm)

Troubleshooting

Messages not appearing

Verify that your Instagram Business account is properly linked to your Facebook Page. Go to your Facebook Page settings to check the Instagram connection.

Can't find my Instagram account

Make sure your Instagram Business account is connected to a Facebook Page where you have admin access. Also verify that your Meta Business Portfolio is verified.

Team Routing

After connecting Instagram, you can assign a default team to this channel. All new incoming Instagram DMs will automatically be routed to the selected team. Go to the Instagram settings page and use the "Default Team" dropdown to select a team.

For more advanced routing, you can create routing rules that route conversations based on keywords, time of day, or other conditions. See Teams Management for a complete overview.