Connect AI to Your Instagram DMs

Every sale I've made from Instagram started the same way. Someone commented, someone DM'd, someone asked a question. The problem is that questions arrive at 2am, in bursts of fifty, and the people asking expect an answer in minutes. Miss that window and they buy from whoever answered first.

This setup fixes that. Manychat sits between Instagram and you. It is the tool almost every big creator uses to run their DMs, it's an official Meta partner, and it works through Instagram's own messaging API, so nothing about it is against the rules. Plug Claude or ChatGPT into it and the conversation itself gets handled: the question answered, the right product suggested, the link sent, the hesitation dealt with, all inside the DM.

Claude Or ChatGPT? Either One Works

Manychat has a built-in integration for both, and the setup is the same: an API key, one card in Integrations, one block in your automation, and the same system prompt. Pick whichever you like:

• Claude writes replies that sound natural and human, which is exactly what you want in a DM.
• ChatGPT is easy if you already have an OpenAI account.

You can switch any time by connecting the other key and picking it in the same block. Nothing else in this guide changes.

How The Pieces Fit

Instagram sends the message to Manychat. Manychat runs your automation. One block in that automation sends the person's message plus your instructions to Claude or ChatGPT through your own API key. The AI writes the reply, Manychat sends it back into the DM. The person never leaves Instagram and never sees a bot interface.

What you can do with it

• Answer questions. Shipping, sizes, ingredients, pricing, whatever people ask ten times a day. Answered instantly, in your voice.
• Recommend products. Someone describes their problem, the AI picks the one product that fits and sends the link.
• Turn comments into buyers. A comment on your post triggers a DM, the AI takes it from there to the sale.
• Turn DMs into followers. Before anyone gets your freebie, check that they follow you, and ask them to if they don't.
• Qualify leads. Ask two or three questions, save the answers to the contact, tag the hot ones for you.
• Deliver lead magnets. Send the guide, then keep the conversation going instead of going silent.
• Book calls. Handle the back and forth, send the booking link when they're ready.
• Hand off gracefully. Complaints, refunds and medical questions go to a human with one line.
• Reply in any language. The person writes in Spanish, they get Spanish back. No setup.

Get Manychat (One Month Of Pro Free)

You need a Manychat account on the Pro plan, because the Claude and ChatGPT integrations live in Pro. Sign up through my creator link and use the code below for a free month of Pro. The Free plan doesn't include either integration, so the code matters for this guide.

Create your account. Open the Manychat creators page and click the sign-up button. You'll sign in with your Facebook or Instagram login, the same way you'd connect any Meta tool.

Connect Instagram. Your Instagram needs to be a Business or Creator account (free switch in Instagram Settings, then Account type). In Manychat, go to Settings, then under Channels click Instagram and connect. Log in when asked and allow the message permissions. Without message access Manychat can't read or send DMs, which is the whole point.

Enter the code. In Settings, under Billing, open Subscriptions, pick Pro, and enter MAVGPT at checkout. You'll see the PRO badge next to your name in the top left when it's active.

What you connect to Manychat is an API key, not your regular Claude or ChatGPT login. It's separate from a paid Claude or ChatGPT subscription: the key is billed by usage, in cents, and works even if you never pay for the app itself. Do the one for the AI you picked.

For Claude

Open the API keys page. Go to platform.claude.com (the Claude Console) and sign in or create an account. Open API Keys.

Create the key. Click Create Key, name it something like "Manychat DMs," and copy the key that starts with sk-ant- right away. You won't be able to see it again. Close the window without copying and you'll need to make a new one.

Add a few dollars of credit. In the Console's billing settings, add credit (five or ten dollars is plenty to start). New accounts have no balance, and an empty balance is the number one reason the AI block silently returns nothing.

For ChatGPT

Open the API keys page. Go to platform.openai.com and sign in with your ChatGPT login. In the left sidebar click API Keys. If you've never been here, it will ask you to create an organization and verify a phone number. Two minutes.

Create the key. Click + Create new secret key in the top right. Name it something like "Manychat DMs," leave permissions on All, and click Create. Copy the key that starts with sk- immediately. This is the only time OpenAI shows it.

Add a few dollars of credit. In the sidebar click Settings, then Billing, and add credit (five or ten dollars is plenty to start). An empty balance is the number one reason the AI block silently returns nothing.

What it costs

A DM reply is a few hundred tokens. On the smaller, faster models (like Claude Haiku or a ChatGPT "mini" model), that works out to well under a cent per reply, and low single-digit cents on the bigger ones. A thousand conversations a month is a coffee, not a bill. Set a monthly spend limit in your billing settings so a runaway flow can never surprise you.

Settings, then Integrations. In the left sidebar click Settings. In the settings menu scroll down to the Extensions section and click Integrations. You'll see cards for TikTok Ads, Google Sheets, Hotmart and more. Scroll until you see the Claude card or the ChatGPT card.

Paste the key.

• Claude: paste your sk-ant- key into the card and click Connect Claude Account.
• ChatGPT: paste your sk- key into the API Secret field and click Connect ChatGPT Account.

When it works, the card shows the account as connected. That's the whole connection.

Here is every click. Total time, about ten minutes. It's the same for Claude and ChatGPT.

New automation, blank canvas. Click Automation in the left sidebar, then + New Automation (top right). In the templates window click Start From Scratch and choose Start from a blank canvas. Rename "Untitled" to something like "AI DM assistant" using the pencil icon.

Pick the trigger. Click + New Trigger. Under Instagram choose Instagram Message ("User sends a message") and set it to fire on any message, or use keywords if you only want AI on certain topics. For the "handles the whole conversation" effect, use the Default Reply instead: Automation, then Basic, then Default Reply, set to Every time. Default Reply catches any DM that didn't match another automation, so your keyword flows keep working and the AI takes everything else.

Add the AI block. Click Choose first step, then Actions. In the actions panel click + Action and pick Claude or ChatGPT in the left list (for ChatGPT, then choose Make request). A setup window opens with four things to fill in. The labels differ slightly between the two, but it's the same four things:

• Model. Start with a small, fast model (Claude Haiku or a ChatGPT "mini" model): fast, cheap, good. Pick a bigger model if you want sharper writing and don't mind a few cents more. The models Manychat lists change over time, so use what you see.
• Your prompt. Your instructions. Paste the system prompt from the section below, filled in for your business.
• The person's message. Click the field, choose System Fields, then Last Text Input. This hands the AI the message the person just sent.
• Where to save the reply. Create a new custom field called ai_reply (text type). The AI's answer lands here.

Click Save.

Send the reply. Click Choose Next Step, then Instagram. In the message block, type {{ai_reply}} (or click the field picker and choose your ai_reply custom field). That's the whole message. Now click Set Live in the top right.

The Trick: Turn Every DM Into A Follower

Before anyone gets the thing you promised them, check whether they follow you. If they don't, ask them to follow first, then send it. Every DM that comes in for your freebie becomes a chance at a new follower.

Add a Condition. In the automation that sends your resource, right before the message with the link, click Choose Next Step, then Condition. Add a condition, go to System Fields, click the Instagram icon and choose Follows you on Instagram.

If they follow you: connect that branch to the message with your resource.

If they don't: send a short, friendly message, like "Follow me real quick, then tap the button below and it's all yours." Add a button ("I followed") that leads back to the same Condition, so it checks again.

The System Prompt That Sells

The system prompt is the only part of this that's yours. It's the difference between a bot that says "Great question!" and a DM assistant people buy from. It works the same in Claude and ChatGPT, and it's built to handle real DM situations: shipping questions, an angry order complaint, a pregnancy question, a one-word "price?" Fill in the brackets.

You are the Instagram DM assistant for [BRAND], run by [YOUR NAME]. You're chatting with a real person in Instagram DMs: keep every reply short (2 to 4 sentences), warm and human. No bullet points, headers or emojis.

What we sell: [PRODUCT 1] ([PRICE]) for [WHO IT'S FOR]. [PRODUCT 2] ([PRICE]) for [WHO IT'S FOR]. Shipping: [FREE/COST], [REGION], arrives in [DAYS]. Links: [PRODUCT LINK]. Free resource: [LINK].

Your job: answer the person's question honestly, then move them one step closer to buying. Next steps, in order: send the free resource, recommend the one product that fits their situation, share the product link. End every reply with one question or one clear next step.

Rules: Only use the products, prices and shipping listed here. If you don't know, or they ask about shipping outside [REGION], say [YOUR NAME] will confirm. If they ask about medical conditions, allergies or pregnancy, tell them to check with a doctor and do not recommend a product. If they complain about an order or ask for a human, reply "Let me get [YOUR NAME] to jump in," ask for their order number, and stop selling. Offer code [CODE] ([DISCOUNT]) only if they explicitly ask.

Why each part is there. Two to four sentences keeps you under Instagram's 1,000-character limit and stops the wall of text that screams bot. "Only use the products listed here" stops invented bundles. "Say [name] will confirm" gives it a way out instead of a guess. The complaint rule stops selling and gets the order number. The block only sees the latest message, so each reply reads as the first one, and the memory trick below fixes that.

The promise is that a comment on your post turns into a sale. That takes two automations working together: one that catches the comment and opens the DM, and the AI assistant that takes over once the person replies.

The comment catcher. New automation, trigger Post or Reel Comments. Pick the post (or all posts), set the keyword (or any comment), and send a short DM: "Hey! Saw your comment. Here's the link. Want help picking the right one?" Keep it human and end with a question. Add the follow check from above before the link if you want the follow too.

The AI takes over. When the person answers that question, their DM no longer matches a keyword, so it hits your Default Reply automation, the one with the AI block. From here the AI answers, recommends and sends links until they buy or ask for you. Want more people in those DMs? My Meta Ads guide for ChatGPT or Claude shows how to drive paid traffic into them.

Keywords first, AI second. Keep your keyword automations (your lead magnet words, your "link" replies) as separate automations. Manychat matches those first. The AI only sees what's left, which is exactly the open-ended questions it's good at. Don't put the AI on the keyword itself or people who type "sales" to get a guide will get a sales pitch instead of the guide.

Turn answers into data. Before the AI block, add an Actions step with Add Tag ("AI conversation") and after it, if the reply included a product link, tag "link sent." Now Contacts filters show you exactly who the AI is talking to and who's warm. Add Set User Field to capture an email the person typed, or a Kit or Mailchimp action to push them to your list.

Memory, Handoffs, And The AI Step

Giving it memory. The AI block is stateless: each run only gets the latest message. For most DM sales that's fine. When you want it to remember the thread, create a text custom field called chat_history. In the system prompt add a line: "Conversation so far: {{chat_history}}" using the field button in the prompt box. After the reply block, add a Set User Field action that sets chat_history to {{chat_history}} User: {{Last Text Input}} You: {{ai_reply}}. Now every run sees the thread.

Long histories mean long prompts, which cost more and can push past the 120-second timeout. Add a Smart Delay or a Condition that clears chat_history after 24 hours of silence.

The human handoff. The prompt already tells the AI to say "Let me get [name] to jump in." Make that real: add a Condition after the reply, "ai_reply contains 'jump in'," and on the true branch use the Inbox actions to assign the conversation to yourself and mark it open, plus Add Tag "needs human." You get the ones that matter, the bot gets the rest.

The native option: AI Step. Manychat also has its own AI, no key needed. When you click Choose Next Step, the option is AI Step ("Let AI handle conversations"). It has two boxes, Tell AI what to do (the goal) and Give AI context (your info), then a Generate button. It runs the whole back and forth on its own, collects data, and can hand off. It needs the Manychat AI add-on on your plan.

My take: start with the Claude or ChatGPT block. It costs cents, and the system prompt gives you real control over how you sound. Try AI Step when you want the form-filling style conversations without wiring anything.

Five Prompts For Five Jobs

Swap the "Your job" paragraph in the main prompt for one of these. They work the same in Claude and ChatGPT.

The lead qualifier

Your job: find out three things, one question at a time: what they're trying to achieve, what they've tried, and their budget range. Once you have all three, thank them, say [NAME] will reach out within a day, and stop. Never ask two questions at once.

The product matcher

Your job: ask one question to understand their situation, then recommend exactly one product from the list with a one-sentence reason and its link. If nothing on the list fits, say so and suggest the free resource instead of forcing a sale.

The booking assistant

Your job: answer questions about [SERVICE], then send the booking link [LINK] as soon as they show interest. If they ask about price, give the range [RANGE], say the exact quote happens on the call, and never negotiate in the DM.

The lead magnet follow-up

The person just received our free [GUIDE]. Your job: ask what they're hoping to get from it, answer any question about the topic in plain language, and if they want to go deeper, point them to [PAID OFFER] with its link. Never push if they only wanted the free guide.

The support desk

Your job: help existing customers with [PRODUCT] using only the info here. For order status, refunds or anything about money, reply "Let me get [NAME] to jump in," ask for the order number, and stop.

Mistakes That Break The Setup

• No credit on your API account. The block returns nothing and the DM goes unanswered. Add credit with Anthropic (Claude) or OpenAI (ChatGPT) and set a monthly limit.
• Replies too long. Instagram cuts off at 1,000 characters and the block times out at 120 seconds. Keep the prompt tight and cap replies at four sentences.
• Forgetting Last Text Input. Leave the person's message empty and the AI answers your system prompt instead of the person. Always set it.
• Sending the reply from the wrong field. The message block must contain the same custom field you saved to. ai_reply in, ai_reply out.
• AI on the keyword flows. People typing your lead-magnet word get a pitch instead of the freebie. Keywords first, AI as Default Reply.
• Letting it quote prices you didn't list. Everything it's allowed to say goes in the prompt. Nothing else exists.
• No human exit. Add the complaint rule and the handoff Condition. One bad bot reply to an angry customer is public in an hour.
• Never testing. DM your page from another account (one that doesn't follow you, to test the follow check) before you post the video that sends 5,000 people to it.

Do This Today

Get Manychat at manychat.com/creators with code MAVGPT, create your Claude or ChatGPT key, paste the system prompt with your three products filled in, and set it live. Then post something with a question in the caption and watch the DMs answer themselves. If you still need the posts that start those conversations, my go viral with Claude guide and the Instagram carousel generator cover the content side.

Published September 4, 2026 · Checked October 2026