How to Connect Instagram to LenoChat

April 15, 2026

Receive and reply to Instagram Direct Messages from your LenoChat inbox — connect once and every DM flows in automatically.

Requirements Before You Connect

Before connecting Instagram to LenoChat, your Instagram account must meet three requirements set by Meta. These conditions are enforced during the Facebook OAuth authorisation process and cannot be bypassed. Make sure all three are in place before you begin to avoid connection errors.

Instagram Business Account — your Instagram account must be set to Business type. Personal and Creator accounts cannot be connected to LenoChat. If your account is currently Personal or Creator, you must convert it to Business in the Instagram app before proceeding. Visit Instagram's official guidance to learn how to switch account types.
Facebook Page Linked to Instagram — your Instagram Business account must be linked to a Facebook Page that you administer. The link is configured in Instagram Settings → Account → Linked Accounts → Facebook. If no Facebook Page is linked, LenoChat cannot discover your Instagram account during the OAuth flow.
Message Control Enabled — Instagram must have Message Control enabled so that third-party apps like LenoChat can access your Direct Messages. This is set in Instagram's Privacy → Messages settings. LenoChat requests the instagram_basic and instagram_manage_messages permission scopes when you authorise via Facebook.

Navigate to Instagram Integration Settings

The Instagram connection panel is located in your LenoChat dashboard under Settings. From there you can view your connection status, start the OAuth flow, and see all currently connected Instagram accounts. Here is how to reach it.

Step 1: Log in to your LenoChat dashboard.
Step 2: Click Settings in the left-hand navigation sidebar.
Step 3: In the Settings menu, scroll to the Channels section.
Step 4: Locate the Instagram panel and click it to expand it.
Step 5: You will see the Connect with Facebook button if no Instagram account is connected, or a list of your connected accounts if the integration is already active.

LenoChat Instagram integration settings page showing Connect with Facebook button to start Instagram connection process

Tip: Before clicking Connect with Facebook, open the Instagram app on your phone and confirm that your account type shows Business Account under Settings → Account → Account Type. If it says Personal or Creator, tap Switch to Professional Account and choose Business. Completing this step first prevents the most common connection error.

Step 1 — Click Connect with Facebook and Log In

Click the Connect with Facebook button in the Instagram panel. A Facebook Business Login popup opens. Log in using the Facebook account that administers the Page linked to your Instagram Business account. If you are already logged into Facebook in your browser, Facebook may skip the login screen and jump straight to the permissions request.

The popup uses Facebook's official OAuth 2.0 dialogue — LenoChat never sees or stores your Facebook password.
If the popup is blocked by your browser, click the 'Log in directly in a new tab' link shown below the Connect button. This opens the same OAuth flow in a new tab instead of a popup.
During login, Facebook validates that the account you are logging into has admin access to at least one Facebook Page with a linked Instagram Business account. If no qualifying account is found, the process will end with no accounts connected.

Step 2 — Review and Grant Permissions

After logging into Facebook, you are presented with a permissions screen listing what LenoChat is requesting access to. LenoChat requests two scopes: instagram_basic for reading your Instagram profile and account information, and instagram_manage_messages for sending and receiving Direct Messages on your behalf. Review each permission and click Allow to proceed. Both permissions are required — declining either one prevents the integration from functioning.

instagram_basic — allows LenoChat to read your Instagram Business account's ID, name, username, and profile picture. This information is used to display your account identity in the LenoChat dashboard and to associate incoming messages with the correct workspace.
instagram_manage_messages — allows LenoChat to receive incoming Direct Messages via Facebook's webhook system and to send replies back to visitors on your behalf. This is the core permission that makes the inbox integration work.
If you need to review or revoke these permissions later, you can do so in Facebook's Business Settings under Business Integrations → LenoChat.

Facebook permissions screen listing instagram_basic and instagram_manage_messages access requests for LenoChat integration

Step 3 — Select Your Instagram Account

After granting permissions, Facebook shows a list of all Instagram Business accounts linked to your Facebook Pages. Each account is identified by its Instagram name and username. Select the Instagram account or accounts you want to connect to LenoChat. If you have multiple Instagram Business accounts linked to different Pages, you can select all of them — LenoChat will create a separate inbox channel for each account.

Step 1: Review the list of eligible Instagram accounts shown in the selection screen.
Step 2: Check the box next to each account you want to connect.
Step 3: Click Next to confirm your selection and complete the OAuth flow.
Only Instagram Business accounts linked to Pages you administer as an Admin (not Editor or Analyst) will appear in this list. If an expected account is missing, verify your role on the linked Facebook Page.

Connection Confirmed — What Happens Next

After selecting your Instagram account and completing the OAuth flow, LenoChat processes the connection and stores your account credentials securely. The Instagram panel in Settings updates to show your connected account's name. A success notification confirms: 'The pages have been successfully connected.' Your Instagram integration is now live.

Instagram Direct Messages sent to your connected account from this point forward will appear in your LenoChat inbox in real time via Facebook's webhook system.
LenoChat subscribes your Facebook Page to a webhook that notifies your workspace every time a new DM arrives — messages are delivered without any manual refresh.
If Leno AI is configured and active on your workspace, it will automatically begin handling incoming Instagram DMs — analysing each message and sending intelligent replies without any agent intervention needed.
You can connect additional Instagram accounts at any time by returning to Settings → Channels → Instagram and clicking Connect with Facebook again.

LenoChat Instagram integration settings showing a successfully connected Instagram Business account with account name displayed

Tip: After connecting, open the Instagram app and go to Settings → Privacy → Messages → Primary Receiver and set LenoChat as the primary receiver. This ensures DMs are delivered to LenoChat first so that Leno AI can respond immediately. If another app is set as primary receiver, messages may arrive with a delay or not at all.

What You Can Do With the Instagram Integration

Once connected, LenoChat treats your Instagram Direct Message inbox the same way it treats conversations from your website widget, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp. The following features are available on all Instagram conversations.

Receive and reply to Instagram Direct Messages — all DMs sent to your connected Instagram Business account appear in the LenoChat inbox. Agents can read messages, type replies, and send them back to the visitor's Instagram inbox directly from LenoChat without opening the Instagram app.
Leno AI auto-responses — if Leno AI is configured, it reads every incoming Instagram DM and generates a contextually relevant reply based on your product knowledge base, FAQs, and training data. Responses are sent automatically, 24 hours a day, with no agent involvement required.
Human agent handoff — when a visitor types 'talk to agent' or similar phrases, or taps the Talk to Agent quick-reply button, Leno AI stops responding and transfers the conversation to the agent queue. Agents receive a notification and can pick up the conversation immediately.
Image attachments — visitors can send JPEG image attachments through Instagram DMs, and these are received and displayed in the LenoChat inbox so agents can view them and respond in context.
Visitor profile information — LenoChat fetches the visitor's Instagram display name, username, and profile picture automatically when a new conversation begins. This information is shown in the conversation sidebar so agents always know who they are speaking with.
Multiple accounts — you can connect more than one Instagram Business account to the same LenoChat workspace. Each account appears as a separate channel source in the inbox, making it easy to manage multiple brands or regional accounts from one place.

What the Instagram Integration Does Not Support

The Instagram integration in LenoChat focuses on Direct Messages only. Some Instagram features are outside the scope of what the Meta API makes available to third-party tools. Understanding these limitations helps you plan your customer communication workflow correctly.

Comments — Instagram post comments and reel comments cannot be managed through LenoChat. The integration is limited to private Direct Messages only. Comment management must be done directly in the Instagram app or Meta Business Suite.
Story replies — story replies are a form of Direct Message in Instagram's native app, but delivery to third-party tools depends on your Message Control and Primary Receiver settings. Configure LenoChat as the Primary Receiver to maximise delivery of story reply DMs.
Unsupported message types — if a visitor sends a file type that Meta does not support for third-party delivery (such as a PDF, a reel, or a sticker), LenoChat will show an automated notice in the conversation. The conversation can continue normally with text messages.
Outbound broadcasting — LenoChat does not support sending proactive broadcast messages to Instagram users. All conversations must be initiated by the visitor in accordance with Meta's messaging policies.
Message editing and deletion — if a visitor edits or unsends a message in Instagram, that change is not reflected in the LenoChat inbox. The original message remains visible in the conversation history.

Disconnecting an Instagram Account

If you need to remove an Instagram account from your LenoChat workspace — for example, when switching brands or decommissioning a channel — you can disconnect it from the same Settings panel where you connected it. Disconnecting removes LenoChat's access to that account's DMs and automatically unsubscribes the Facebook Page webhook.

Step 1: Navigate to Settings → Channels → Instagram in your LenoChat dashboard.
Step 2: Locate the connected account you want to remove in the list of connected Instagram accounts.
Step 3: Click the Disconnect button next to that account's name.
Step 4: Confirm the disconnection in the dialogue that appears.
After disconnecting, LenoChat calls Facebook's Graph API to unsubscribe from that Page's webhooks. New DMs sent to the disconnected account will no longer appear in LenoChat, but existing conversation history in your inbox is preserved and remains accessible.

Common Issues & Solutions

My Instagram account does not appear during the OAuth flow

This typically means the Instagram account is not set to Business type, or it is not linked to a Facebook Page you administer. Open the Instagram app, go to Settings → Account → Account Type and confirm it shows Business Account. Then go to Settings → Account → Linked Accounts and verify Facebook is connected. Finally, confirm your role on the Facebook Page is Admin. After resolving all three conditions, retry the connection in LenoChat.

The Facebook login popup is blocked and does not open

Most browsers block popups by default. When blocked, click the 'Log in directly in a new tab' link shown below the Connect with Facebook button in LenoChat. This opens the OAuth flow in a new browser tab instead of a popup window and completes the connection normally. Alternatively, allow popups from your LenoChat dashboard domain in your browser settings.

Instagram DMs are not appearing in my LenoChat inbox after connecting

First, verify that Message Control is enabled on your Instagram account and that LenoChat is set as the Primary Receiver in Instagram → Settings → Privacy → Messages. Second, confirm the account is listed as connected in Settings → Channels → Instagram. Third, send a test DM to your Instagram account and wait up to 30 seconds for the webhook to deliver it. If messages still do not arrive, disconnect and reconnect the account to refresh the webhook subscription.

Leno AI is not responding to Instagram DMs automatically

Check that Leno AI is enabled in your workspace and configured to handle conversations on all channels. Navigate to Settings → Leno AI and confirm the AI status is Active. Also verify that your workspace is within its AI conversation quota — if the monthly limit is reached, Leno AI pauses automatically until the next billing cycle resets the counter.

The connected Instagram account disconnected itself after a few days

This occurs when the Facebook Page access token used by LenoChat expires or is invalidated. Tokens can become invalid if the Facebook admin's password or two-factor authentication settings are changed, or if Facebook revokes the token for security reasons. Reconnect the account through Settings → Channels → Instagram → Connect with Facebook to generate a fresh long-lived access token.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Facebook account to connect Instagram to LenoChat?

Yes. Instagram's Direct Message API is part of the Meta platform, and access is granted through Facebook's OAuth flow. You need a Facebook account that administers a Facebook Page linked to your Instagram Business account. LenoChat uses the Page's access token — not your personal Facebook password — to send and receive messages on your behalf.

Can I connect a Personal or Creator Instagram account?

No. Meta restricts Direct Message API access to Instagram Business accounts only. Personal and Creator accounts do not have access to the instagram_manage_messages permission that LenoChat requires. You must convert your account to Business type in the Instagram app before attempting to connect to LenoChat.

Can I connect more than one Instagram account to the same LenoChat workspace?

Yes. You can connect multiple Instagram Business accounts to a single LenoChat workspace. Each account linked to a Facebook Page you administer will appear during the OAuth account-selection step. Select all the accounts you want to connect, and each one creates a separate channel source in your LenoChat inbox.

Will Leno AI automatically reply to Instagram DMs?

Yes, if Leno AI is configured and active on your workspace. As soon as a new Instagram DM arrives, Leno AI processes it and generates a reply based on your knowledge base and training data. Replies are sent to the visitor's Instagram inbox automatically. When the visitor requests a human agent, the conversation is transferred to the queue and Leno AI stops replying.

What happens to existing Instagram conversations if I disconnect the account?

Existing conversation history stored in your LenoChat inbox is fully preserved after disconnecting. You can still view past messages, notes, and conversation details. However, no new messages from that Instagram account will be delivered after disconnection. To resume receiving messages, reconnect the account through Settings → Channels → Instagram.

Can I manage Instagram post comments through LenoChat?

No. LenoChat's Instagram integration only covers Direct Messages. Post comments, reel comments, and live video comments are not accessible through the Meta messaging API that LenoChat uses. Comment management must be done directly in the Instagram app or Meta Business Suite.

How quickly do Instagram DMs appear in LenoChat after a visitor sends one?

New DMs typically appear in your LenoChat inbox within a few seconds of being sent. LenoChat registers a real-time Facebook webhook when you complete the OAuth flow — this webhook notifies LenoChat immediately when a new message arrives. In rare cases during periods of high traffic on Meta's infrastructure, delivery can take up to 30 seconds.