Instagram MCP
Hosted Instagram MCP server
One remote MCP endpoint for Instagram. Add it to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, ChatGPT or Claude, sign in, and your AI can read, search and answer your Instagram chats with your approval.
Remote MCP over Streamable HTTP with OAuth sign-in. Nothing to install or keep running.
https://api.connectchats.com/mcpHosted vs running your own Instagram MCP server
You can run an MCP server for Instagram yourself, or use a hosted one. Here is what changes.
ConnectChats (hosted)
- One URL. Nothing runs on your computer, so it keeps working when your laptop is closed.
- Sign in with OAuth from your MCP client. No tokens or session files to copy around.
- The same account and the same shared chats work in every MCP client you add it to.
- Sends are saved as drafts you approve, unless you turn on auto-send for a chat.
- Stored messages are encrypted with a key that only your passkey can unlock.
Running your own server
- You run the bridge and the server on your own machine or VPS, and keep both online.
- You handle the session, updates and reconnecting when Instagram drops the link.
- Each MCP client needs its own local setup, often a process started over stdio.
- You control the code and where the data lives.
- Approval, limits and prompt-injection safeguards are up to you.
The seven tools
Every ConnectChats MCP server exposes the same tools. Your AI picks the right one for what you ask.
list_linked_apps- Lists the chat apps you linked, such as Instagram, one line per account, with each account's connection state.
list_chats- Lists the chats you shared, unread first, with unread counts, the last message time and a preview.
read_messages- Reads messages in one shared chat: only what you have not read yet, or further back page by page.
search_messages- Searches message text across your shared chats, or within one chat app or one chat.
get_messages_to_summarize- Fetches the messages of a chat since you last read it, or since a time, so your AI can summarize them.
draft_reply- Saves a reply as a draft. Nothing is sent until you approve it in ConnectChats.
send_message- Sends right away only in chats with auto-send on. Anywhere else it saves a draft with a link to approve it.
Connect the Instagram MCP server to your client
Use the same server URL everywhere. The first time, your client opens a browser window so you can sign in.
Claude Code
Run this in your terminal, then type /mcp in Claude Code to sign in.
claude mcp add --transport http connectchats https://api.connectchats.com/mcpCursor
Add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json, or .cursor/mcp.json in a project, then sign in when Cursor asks.
{
"mcpServers": {
"connectchats": {
"url": "https://api.connectchats.com/mcp"
}
}
}Codex
Run this in your terminal, then run codex mcp login connectchats to sign in.
codex mcp add connectchats --url https://api.connectchats.com/mcpApproval first, and messages treated as untrusted
-
Sends need your approval
send_message saves a draft that you approve in ConnectChats. It sends right away only in chats where you turned on auto-send, and you can turn that off at any time.
-
Messages are untrusted content
Every message the server returns is wrapped and marked as written by other people, so your AI treats text from Instagram as data, not as instructions to follow.
-
You choose what is shared
Your AI only sees the Instagram chats you share in the dashboard. Stored messages are encrypted with a key that only your passkey can unlock.
Instagram support
ConnectChats links to your Instagram direct messages. You sign in with your Instagram account and your AI app sees the DM threads you choose to share. Posts, comments and stories stay out of it.
- One to one DMs and group chats are supported, including message requests.
- Shared posts, reels, photos and voice messages show up as short text descriptions.
- Each linked chat starts with its last 200 messages, then every new message arrives as it is sent.
- Creator and business accounts work too, which helps when your inbox is mostly people asking the same questions.
Questions
How do I start using the Instagram MCP server?
Add https://api.connectchats.com/mcp to your MCP client, sign in, link Instagram from your dashboard and share the chats you want your AI to see.
What is a Instagram MCP server?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is how AI apps call outside tools. A Instagram MCP server gives an AI app like Claude or Cursor tools to list your Instagram chats, read and search messages, and draft replies.
Do I need to run anything locally?
No. ConnectChats is a remote MCP server at https://api.connectchats.com/mcp. Your MCP client connects over HTTPS and signs you in with OAuth.
Which MCP clients work?
Any client that supports remote MCP servers over Streamable HTTP, including ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Manus, and Muse.
Can the server send messages on its own?
No. send_message saves a draft you approve, and it sends directly only in chats where you turned on auto-send.
How does it handle prompt injection?
Messages come back wrapped as untrusted content, and every tool tells the model to treat them as data. Outside chats where you turned on auto-send, nothing is sent without your approval.
Is it free?
Yes. The free plan links two chat apps and works in every supported MCP client. No card needed.
Does it help with a busy creator or business inbox?
Yes, that is a good fit. Your AI app can sort DMs that need a reply, summarize requests and draft answers you approve before they are sent.
Does Messenger come with it?
Messenger is a separate chat app in ConnectChats, linked with your Facebook account. Both use the same kind of Meta sign-in.
Related pages
Use the Instagram MCP server in
More about Instagram
MCP servers for other chat apps
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