How to connect Instagram to Claude and post from it

First, which “Claude” do you mean?

People searching for this usually mean one of three things. All three work, and they share one Scorper account, so you can mix them.

What a connection lets Claude do (and not do)

There are three different things a tool can mean by “connect Instagram to Claude”. It helps to know which one you are getting.

• Publishing connections let Claude post, schedule and manage your feed. This is what Scorper is.
• Analytics connections let Claude read follower and post metrics. Several analytics vendors offer this; it does not post anything.
• Messaging connections let Claude reply to comments or DMs. Scorper covers the comment-to-DM case (keyword in a comment triggers a DM with your link).

With Scorper connected, Claude can: publish photos, videos (Reels) and carousels with a caption; schedule any of those for a future time; show the calendar; connect and list accounts; read follower and audience analytics; upload local media (up to 300 MB); arm, list, pause and delete comment-to-DM automations; and generate branded carousel slides to post. It cannot post to a personal (non-professional) account or exceed Meta's publishing limits.

Before you start: the two Instagram requirements

• A professional account. Meta's publishing API only works with Business or Creator accounts. On a personal account, open the Instagram app, Settings, Account type and tools, Switch to professional account. Free, reversible, keeps everything.
• The right account in your browser. The approval page connects whichever Instagram your browser is logged into. Check it before you click approve.

Route 1: connect Instagram to Claude Code

1. 1

   Paste the install line into Claude Code

   Claude Code chat, or any terminal

   npx scorper@latest init

   Installs the Scorper skills and a prompt hook, links this machine to your account with a scoped key. Needs Node 18 or newer.

2. 2

   Type the 6-digit code from your email

   Claude asks for your email, Scorper emails a code, you type it in. No account yet? One is created, no password. You pick a plan and its 7-day free trial starts at checkout.

3. 3

   Say “connect my instagram”

   connect my instagram

   Claude opens Instagram's approval page in your browser. Approve, come back, Claude confirms. If you also want comment-to-DM automations, run scorper connect --dm once for the extra messaging permission.

4. 4

   Describe the post

   post the video on my desktop called launch.mp4 to instagram

   The read-back

   ⏺ Posting to Instagram @yourbrand
      Caption: "Three things I wish someone told me at 21…"
      Confirm?
   > yes
   ✓ Posted · link below

5. 5

   Check the wiring

   scorper doctor
   ✓ Claude Code
   ✓ Codex
   ✗ Gemini CLI
   ✗ Cursor
   config: present · signed in: yes · version 0.2.5

Route 2: connect Instagram to the Claude app

1. 1

   Add a custom connector in Claude

   Open Claude's Settings, Connectors, Add custom connector, and paste:

   Connector URL

   https://dashboard.scorper.ai/api/mcp

   It is an OAuth-protected remote MCP server, so Claude asks you to sign in with your Scorper email and a code. This syncs to your other Claude devices, including the iPhone app.

2. 2

   Say “connect my instagram”

   Claude gives you the approval link. Open it, approve, come back.

3. 3

   Attach the media and say where it goes

   post this to instagram, caption about the launch, two hashtags

   Claude proposes the caption, reads the post back and publishes when you confirm.

After the connection: what people actually do with it

Post to Instagram and TikTok in one go

The file uploads once, each platform gets its own caption, both are read back.

Schedule the week

“what's going out this week?” shows the queue. “move thursday's to friday” moves it. The dashboard calendar shows the same posts.

Turn comments into leads

Anyone who comments GUIDE gets the link by DM within seconds. This is the job ManyChat charges per contact for; it is included.

Build your own tool

Because your machine holds a scoped key, anything Claude builds can post and schedule through your account.

Troubleshooting

Why not connect Claude to the Instagram API yourself?

You can. Meta's Graph API publishes in two steps (create a media container from a public image URL, then publish it), requires a Meta developer app that has passed review for the publishing permissions, a professional account linked to a Facebook Page or set up through Instagram Login, token refreshes every 60 days, and a hosted URL for every image. That is a weekend of work before the first post, and more each time Meta changes something. Scorper does that part so Claude only needs one tool. If you prefer the raw API, our programmatic posting guide walks through it honestly.

Frequently asked questions

Can Claude post to Instagram?

Not by itself. Claude can write a caption but has no permission to publish anywhere. Connect it to Scorper and it can publish photos, Reels and carousels to your Instagram professional account, schedule them, and run comment-to-DM automations. Every post is read back to you first.

Does this work with the free Claude plan?

Claude Code and the terminal route need a Claude plan that includes Claude Code. The app route needs a Claude plan that supports custom connectors. Scorper itself starts with a 7-day free trial (a card is needed to start it).

Do I need a Meta developer app or an API key?

No. Scorper holds the Meta app and the tokens. You approve the connection once in your browser, the way you would log into any app with Instagram.

Can I connect a personal Instagram account?

Instagram's publishing API only works with Business or Creator accounts. Switch in the Instagram app under Settings, Account type and tools. It is free and keeps your posts and followers.

How many posts a day can Claude publish?

Meta allows 25 API-published posts per Instagram account per 24 hours. That is a Meta rule, and Scorper works within it.

Is there a way to do this without a terminal?

Yes. In the Claude desktop, web or iOS app, add https://dashboard.scorper.ai/api/mcp as a custom connector and sign in. Same account, same tools, no terminal.

What if I use Codex or Cursor instead of Claude?

The same install command works in Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI. The steps in this guide are identical; only the agent's name changes.

Can Claude read my Instagram analytics?

Follower and audience analytics, yes: the connection includes a scorper_analytics tool for connected accounts. Deep per-post reporting is not what Scorper is for; pair it with an analytics connector if you need that.