Instagram (instagram)

Category: io | Form: | Symbol: Ig

One Instagram Business account — publish media, read engagement insights, DM within the 24h window

Represents a single Instagram Business account with a typed op surface (fetch-profile, list-feed, fetch-media-insights, list-account-insights, list-inbox, list-conversation, draft/publish-post, draft/send-dm, validate-auth, health). Instagram requires a Business account linked to a Facebook Page and uses the Graph API — same auth flow as Facebook. For mcp, run an ig-mcp-style server (upstream: github.com/…/ig-mcp) with INSTAGRAM_ACCESS_TOKEN + FACEBOOK_APP_ID + FACEBOOK_APP_SECRET + INSTAGRAM_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID via env_refs. DM sending is constrained to the 24-hour messaging window after a user first contacts the account (Instagram platform rule).

Guide

One Instagram Business account — publish media, read engagement insights, DM within the 24h window

What It Does

Instagram is an IO connector that represents a single Instagram Business (or Creator) account and exposes a typed operation surface over the Meta Graph API. It can read profile and feed data, pull per-media and per-account engagement insights, browse DM conversations, draft and publish media posts, and send DMs. The account must be a Business/Creator account linked to a Facebook Page — it uses the same auth flow as the facebook element.

Writes go through a draft → approval → send/publish lifecycle. draft-post and draft-dm stage content; approve-draft flips a draft to approved; publish-post and send-dm consume an approved draft. DM sending is constrained to the 24-hour messaging window after a user first contacts the account (an Instagram platform rule) — send-dm verifies the window before calling the Graph API.

Operations are executor-pluggable: each can be transported via mcp, browser, or api (set by executor_policy). The MCP path runs an ig-mcp-style server with credentials supplied through spec.mcp.env_refs (each env var maps to a modifiers/variable slug). Per the validation YAML, the api executor is not implemented in the MVP and its ops return INSTAGRAM_OP_NOT_ON_EXECUTOR.

Element Definition

Property	Value
Type	instagram
Category	io
Form	atom
Handler	InstagramHandler
Activity type	connector
Auth methods	bearer, none
Delivery mode	async
Streaming	not supported

Channel constraints: caption/body limit 2200 chars, plain text (no markdown), attachments and threading supported, subject not required.

Properties

Field	Type	Default	Description
account_handle	string	—	Instagram handle (e.g. triform.io, without @); required, max 64
display_name	string	—	Display name, max 256
owner_user_id	string (uuid)	—	Owning user; required
executor_policy.default	string	mcp	Transport: mcp, browser, or api
executor_policy.overrides	object	—	Per-op transport overrides
executor_policy.mcp_server_ref	string	—	Element picker — MCP server ref
executor_policy.browser_ref	string	—	Element picker — browser ref
mcp.transport	string	stdio	MCP transport: stdio, http, sse
mcp.env_refs	object	—	Expected keys: INSTAGRAM_ACCESS_TOKEN, FACEBOOK_APP_ID, FACEBOOK_APP_SECRET, INSTAGRAM_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID
browser.mode	string	user_browser	user_browser or headless
graph_api_version	string	v22.0	Graph API version
rate_limits.calls_per_hour	integer	50	Outbound calls per rolling hour
rate_limits.calls_per_day	integer	200	Outbound calls per rolling day
rate_limits.profile_visits_per_day	integer	50	Profile visits per day
rate_limits.follows_per_day	integer	15	Follows per day
rate_limits.messages_per_day	integer	10	DMs per day

Capabilities

Capability	Description
instagram-read	Read profile, media, insights, DMs
instagram-publish	Publish media posts (gated by approval)
instagram-dm	Send DMs within the 24-hour messaging window
instagram-insights	Per-media and per-account engagement metrics
executor-pluggable	Operations transported via mcp, browser, or api

This element attaches rate-limit, auth-policy, and evaluator modifiers, and uses variable, user-browser, and chromeless.

Error Codes

Code	Class	Retryable	Notes
INSTAGRAM_AUTH_FAILED	auth	no
INSTAGRAM_TOKEN_EXPIRED	auth	no
INSTAGRAM_INSUFFICIENT_SCOPES	auth	no
INSTAGRAM_RATE_LIMITED	internal	yes
INSTAGRAM_OP_NOT_ON_EXECUTOR	validation	no	Op not available on the selected executor
INSTAGRAM_DM_WINDOW_EXPIRED	validation	no	24-hour messaging window has closed
INSTAGRAM_MCP_UNREACHABLE	internal	yes

Operations

fetch-profile — POST fetch-profile (auth: read)

Fetch the account’s profile info (username, followers, biography). No input.

list-feed — POST list-feed (auth: read)

List recent media posts published by this account. Input: limit (integer, default 25, max 100), cursor (string).

fetch-media-insights — POST fetch-media-insights (auth: read)

Read engagement metrics for a specific media post (reach, likes, saves, video views). Input: media_id (string, required).

list-account-insights — POST list-account-insights (auth: read)

Read account-level metrics (reach, impressions, profile views). Input: period (day | week | days_28, default day).

list-inbox — POST list-inbox (auth: read)

List recent DM conversations. Input: limit (integer, default 20, max 100).

list-conversation — POST list-conversation (auth: read)

Read the full message history of one DM conversation. Input: conversation_id (string, required).

draft-post — POST draft-post (auth: write)

Draft a media post (requires approval to publish). Input: caption (string, max 2200, required), media_urls (array of strings, 1–10 items, required), media_type (IMAGE | VIDEO | REELS | CAROUSEL_ALBUM). Carousels accept up to 10 media URLs.

publish-post — POST publish-post (auth: write)

Publish an approved media post (two-step Graph API: create container → publish). Input: draft_id (uuid, required).

draft-dm — POST draft-dm (auth: write)

Draft a DM (requires approval + must be within 24h reply window). Input: recipient_id (string, required), body (string, max 1000, required).

send-dm — POST send-dm (auth: write)

Send an approved DM (verifies 24h window before calling Graph API). Input: draft_id (uuid, required).

approve-draft — POST approve-draft (auth: write)

Flip a draft from status=draft to status=approved (authorizes send). Input: draft_id (uuid, required). Output: draft_id, status.

list-drafts — POST list-drafts (auth: read)

List drafts for this element (optionally filter by status). Input: status (draft | approved | sent | failed), limit (integer, default 50, max 500). Output: drafts array.

capture-cookies — POST capture-cookies (auth: write)

Persist a captured cookie jar as a modifiers/variable for this account. Default flow needs no input — reads the live cookie jar the Triform Connect extension syncs, filters to this platform’s domain, and upserts a variable named {element_slug}-cookies. Optional cookie_jar and variable_slug overrides. Output: variable_slug, env_var_name, value_bytes, next_step.

validate-auth — POST validate-auth (auth: read)

Check the Graph API access token — used by health diagnostics. No input.

health — GET health (auth: read)

Probe executor reachability + token validity. No input.

get-activity-stats — POST get-activity-stats (auth: read)

Usage + rate-limit counters for this account — powers the activity dashboard. Pure read over the per-circle social_call_log table (consumes no rate budget). Returns the configured limits, current-period usage_now (calls, profile visits, follows, messages, posts), and history series (by_hour over 24h, by_day over 30 days).

Quick Start

# 1. Create the element (Business account linked to a Facebook Page).
#    Store creds as modifiers/variable rows and map them through
#    spec.mcp.env_refs: INSTAGRAM_ACCESS_TOKEN, FACEBOOK_APP_ID,
#    FACEBOOK_APP_SECRET, INSTAGRAM_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID.

# 2. Read recent media posts.
POST /api/{circle}/{slug}/ops/list-feed
{ "limit": 10 }

# 3. Pull engagement for one post.
POST /api/{circle}/{slug}/ops/fetch-media-insights
{ "media_id": "17895695668004550" }

# 4. Draft → approve → publish a post.
POST /api/{circle}/{slug}/ops/draft-post
{ "caption": "Launch day!", "media_urls": ["https://.../image.jpg"], "media_type": "IMAGE" }
POST /api/{circle}/{slug}/ops/approve-draft
{ "draft_id": "<draft-uuid>" }
POST /api/{circle}/{slug}/ops/publish-post
{ "draft_id": "<draft-uuid>" }

From an agent, triform_ops(action: "call", slug: "{slug}", operation: "list-feed", input: { limit: 10 }).

Common Mistakes

• Missing identity. account_handle and owner_user_id are both required (identity_required rule) — without them the element fails validation.
• MCP default without transport. If executor_policy.default is mcp, mcp.transport must be set (mcp_config_when_mcp_default rule), else validation errors.
• Choosing the api executor. The api executor is not implemented in the MVP — ops return INSTAGRAM_OP_NOT_ON_EXECUTOR (validation warning).
• Replying outside the 24h window. DMs can only be sent within 24 hours of the user’s first contact; send-dm returns INSTAGRAM_DM_WINDOW_EXPIRED otherwise.
• Sending before approval. publish-post / send-dm consume an approved draft — draft first, then approve-draft, then send/publish.
• Over-posting media URLs. draft-post accepts 1–10 media_urls; captions are capped at 2200 chars and DM bodies at 1000.

Relationships

• Attaches to: rate-limit, auth-policy, evaluator
• Uses: variable, user-browser, chromeless

Capabilities

• instagram-read: Read profile, media, insights, DMs
• instagram-publish: Publish media posts (gated by approval)
• instagram-dm: Send DMs within the 24-hour messaging window
• instagram-insights: Per-media and per-account engagement metrics
• executor-pluggable: Operations transported via mcp, browser, or api

Properties

Property	Type	Default	Description
account_handle	string	—	Instagram handle (e.g. ‘triform.io’ — without @)
display_name	string	—
owner_user_id	string	—
executor_policy	object	—
mcp	object	—	MCP server transport config. Upstream: ig-mcp (Python, Graph API).
browser	object	—
graph_api_version	string	"v22.0"
request_jitter_ms	array	[500,2000]
rate_limits	object	—	Caps on outbound Instagram activity per account, per rolling period

Operations

activity

Get /ops/activity | Auth: Read

Get activity events for this element

Scope depends on element capabilities: individual elements query by element_id, project-form elements with activity-scope-members include member activities, circle-level elements with activity-scope-all query the entire circle. Gracefully returns empty list if activities table is missing (old circles).

approve-draft

Post /ops/approve-draft | Auth: Write

Flip a draft from status=draft to status=approved (authorizes send)

attachments

Get /ops/attachments | Auth: Read

List all modifiers and resources attached to this element

Returns both modifiers (policy enforcement) and resources (data injection) with is_modifier flag to distinguish. Items in the generated MODIFIER_TYPES list are modifiers; everything else is a resource. Includes cascade_policy and version pin info.

batch_stats

Get /ops/batch_stats | Auth: Read

Get per-element statistics for all children of this element

Returns per-child stats plus an aggregate. Most meaningful on compound or manifest form elements (repositories, circles, projects); atoms have no children so the result is an empty children array with a zeroed aggregate. Uses efficient GROUP BY SQL. Weighted averages for eval scores.

capture-cookies

Post /ops/capture-cookies | Auth: Write

Persist a captured cookie jar as a modifiers/variable for this account

Default flow (no input needed): reads the live cookie jar the Triform Connect extension already syncs into physics, filters to this platform’s domain, serializes as a JSON array, upserts a modifiers/variable named {element_slug}-cookies, and returns the variable_slug + env_var_name pair for wiring into spec.mcp.env_refs. ONE CLICK — no client-side extraction required. Optional overrides: cookie_jar (caller-supplied pre-extracted jar — JSON dict / array / Netscape / ‘k=v; k=v’ string) and variable_slug (override the default name). Returns value_bytes, cookie_count, and source (bridge_registry | caller_supplied).

compose

Post /ops/compose | Auth: Execute

Batch add and remove modifiers on this element in a single call

Declarative composition: add modifiers by ref path (slug or path@version) and remove by attachment ID, all in one atomic call on the target element. Each ‘add’ entry resolves the source element, validates topology, attaches with optional priority and cascade policy. Each ‘remove’ entry deletes the attachment row. Returns a summary of what was added and removed. Example: compose({ add: [{ref: “my-prompt”}, {ref: “rate-limit/api@v2”, priority: 50}], remove: [{attachment_id: “uuid”}] })

context

Get /ops/context | Auth: Read

Get connected elements (graph traversal)

Graph traversal showing all connected elements with their relationship type (contains, contained_by, references, referenced_by, attaches, etc.). Use ?depth=N to control traversal depth (default 1) and ?types=actor,data to filter by element types.

create

Post /ops/create | Auth: Write

Create child element

POST to the parent path — element_type goes in the request body, NOT the URL. Both element_type and slug are required and must be non-empty. Name is derived from slug if omitted. Writes to both Git and PostgreSQL. All elements are stored flat under the circle — no intermediate library wrapper rows.

delete

Delete /ops/delete | Auth: Admin

Delete element (soft delete)

Soft delete — sets state to ‘deleted’ but retains the record. Cannot delete elements that have children (has_no_bond precondition) or active runs. Requires admin auth and confirmation.

disable

Post /ops/disable | Auth: Admin

Disable element (hides and prevents use)

Idempotent — safe to call on already-disabled elements. Optionally pass a reason string. Disabled elements cannot be invoked or executed. Inverse of enable.

draft-dm

Post /ops/draft-dm | Auth: Write

Draft a DM (requires approval + must be within 24h reply window)

draft-post

Post /ops/draft-post | Auth: Write

Draft a media post (requires approval to publish)

Instagram posts require a media URL (image or video). Carousels accept up to 10 media URLs. Caption capped at 2200 chars.

enable

Post /ops/enable | Auth: Admin

Enable element (makes usable and visible)

Idempotent — safe to call on already-enabled elements. Transitions element to ready/enabled state. Cannot enable deleted elements. Inverse of disable.

export_bundle

Get /ops/export/bundle | Auth: Read

Export element as downloadable git bundle

On non-root-namespace elements, returns a binary git bundle. On root-namespace (circle) elements, dispatch hands off to the circle’s own export_bundle op, which returns a multi-element JSON envelope with one base64 bundle per child element — this is intentional, not an error.

fetch-media-insights

Post /ops/fetch-media-insights | Auth: Read

Read engagement metrics for a specific media post (reach, likes, saves, video views)

fetch-profile

Post /ops/fetch-profile | Auth: Read

Fetch the account’s profile info (username, followers, biography)

get

Get /ops/get | Auth: Read

Get element details

Element is already resolved by the routing layer — this returns the cached element, not a fresh DB query. Use the path /api/{circle}/{slug} to address elements.

get-activity-stats

Post /ops/get-activity-stats | Auth: Read

Usage + rate-limit counters for this Instagram account — powers the activity dashboard

Pure read op over the per-circle social_call_log table — does NOT consume any rate budget. Returns the current-period counters (calls_last_hour, calls_today, profile_visits_today, follows_today, messages_today, posts_today), the configured spec.rate_limits caps, and two history series: hourly over the last 24 hours and daily over the last 30 days. The portal charts these as stacked-area activity graphs per element.

health

Get /ops/health | Auth: Read

Probe executor reachability + token validity

import_bundle

Post /ops/import/bundle | Auth: Write

Import git bundle into element

Accepts a base64-encoded git bundle in the JSON bundle_base64 field. Use overwrite=true to replace existing elements with same slug (default skips duplicates). Imported elements get new UUIDs. Returns counts of imported/skipped elements and any errors.

intention

Get /ops/intention | Auth: Read

Get element intention with full inheritance chain

Returns three levels: direct (this element’s intention), inherited (from category and root), and resolved (final merged intention). Useful for understanding an element’s purpose in context of its hierarchy.

list-account-insights

Post /ops/list-account-insights | Auth: Read

Read account-level metrics (reach, impressions, profile views)

list-conversation

Post /ops/list-conversation | Auth: Read

Read the full message history of one DM conversation

list-drafts

Post /ops/list-drafts | Auth: Read

List drafts for this element (optionally filter by status)

list-feed

Post /ops/list-feed | Auth: Read

List recent media posts published by this account

list-inbox

Post /ops/list-inbox | Auth: Read

List recent DM conversations

promote

Post /ops/promote | Auth: Admin

Promote element configuration to a target environment

Only for manifest-form elements (projects). Environments advance: dev → demo → live. dev→demo requires member+ role, demo→live requires admin. Freezes member versions at promotion time (creates snapshot). Persists environment config to spec.environments.

publish-post

Post /ops/publish-post | Auth: Write

Publish an approved media post (two-step Graph API: create container → publish)

readme

Get /ops/readme | Auth: Read

Get element README.md content

Reads README.md from the element’s git repository. Returns empty content (not an error) if no README exists. Always returns markdown format.

readme_update

Post /ops/readme_update | Auth: Write

Update element README.md content

Creates or overwrites README.md in the element’s git repo. Commits to the draft branch. Content must be provided as a markdown string.

receive

Post /ops/receive | Auth: None

Receive incoming external traffic

Entry point for external traffic reaching this IO element. Declared auth: none to bypass platform auth — element-level auth is enforced by IoReceiveExecutor before dispatching into the flow graph. The flow/app that wires this element as an entry point determines what happens next.

remove-modifier

Post /ops/remove-modifier | Auth: Execute

Remove an attached modifier from this element by attachment ID

Removes a modifier/resource attachment by its row ID. The ID comes from the attachments or context API. This is the reverse of attach — called on the target element, not the source.

restore

Post /ops/restore | Auth: Admin

Restore element to a specific version

Automatically snapshots the current state before restoring (creates a ‘Before restore to vN’ version entry). Writes restored spec to git as .triform/spec.yaml. Git failures warn but don’t fail the operation — DB state is authoritative. Cannot restore deleted elements.

schema

Get /ops/schema | Auth: Read

Get element input/output schema (MCP tools/list compatible)

Returns type-level port schemas from the TypeRegistry — not instance-specific overrides. Includes direction (input/output), required flag, and JSON schema per port. Useful for understanding what data an element accepts and produces.

send

Post /ops/send | Auth: Execute

Send a message/request to external system

Explicitly sends payload to the configured external target. For HTTP elements, POSTs to the target URL. For chat platforms, sends via the platform API. Put data in the payload field. Returns send status and response details.

send-dm

Post /ops/send-dm | Auth: Write

Send an approved DM (verifies 24h window before calling Graph API)

source

Get /ops/source | Auth: Read

Get any file’s content from the element’s git repository

Reads an arbitrary file from the element’s CAS-backed git tree by its relative path. Same store as readme, just generalized. Path safety: rejects .. traversal, leading /, and null bytes. Use this to view main.py for action elements, asset files for SPAs, etc. Returns empty content (not an error) if the file doesn’t exist.

source_branches

Get /ops/source/branches | Auth: Read

List Source branches for this element

Returns the standard draft/demo/live Source branches, their current commits, and promotion relationships. Use GET /api/{element_path}/ops/source/branches.

source_promote

Post /ops/source/promote | Auth: Write

Promote Source branch forward

Promotes draft to demo or demo to live through the generated element op path. Direct Git pushes to demo/live are blocked by Source policy.

source_repair

Post /ops/source/repair | Auth: Write

Inspect or repair the element Source index

Runs Source repair through the element operation path. Defaults to dry_run=true; set dry_run=false only after reviewing a dry-run report.

source_status

Get /ops/source/status | Auth: Read

Get Source control status for this element

Returns the branch-aware clone URL, checkout commands, current draft commit, child source-link count, portable export summary, Source health, warnings, and auth hints for the addressed element. Use the element-first path: GET /api/{element_path}/ops/source/status.

source_validate

Post /ops/source/validate | Auth: Read

Validate Source branch contents

Validates a Source branch before accepting local Git workflow changes or promotion. Defaults to branch=draft and rejects runtime data, generated output, secret material, and unreadable CAS refs.

stats

Get /ops/stats | Auth: Read

Get aggregate statistics for this element

Health status is computed: error if errors_per_day > 5 or success_rate < 0.8, warning if errors_per_day > 0 or success_rate < 0.95. Firing alerts escalate health to error/warning. Default period is ‘day’. Returns runs_per_day, success_rate, avg_duration_ms, and more.

test_connection

Post /ops/test-connection | Auth: Execute

Test connection configuration

Validates the element’s configuration locally without making an actual external connection. Checks that required credentials are set, URLs are valid, etc. Returns success boolean and error details. Safe to call repeatedly.

tree

Get /ops/tree | Auth: Read

Get the element’s position in the graph — ancestors, children, references, and subtree statistics

Uses per-circle ElementGraph cache for O(1) lookups. Returns ancestors (containment chain), children (direct), members (references), referenced_by (reverse refs), attachments, and subtree stats. Default depth is 3, max is 10. Pass ?include_metadata=true for name/state on each node.

update

Patch /ops/update | Auth: Write

Update element

Partial update — send only the fields you want to change. spec, name, and intention are all independently optional. spec MUST be a JSON object when present; deep-merged into the existing spec by default. Empty {"spec":{}} preserves existing spec content but still records a new version (no-op for content, not for version state). To clear/replace the entire spec wholesale send {"spec":{...},"deep":false}. List-typed spec fields use replace semantics (the patch list replaces the existing list, no array merging). Coordinates Git + DB writes. Slug cannot be changed after creation.

update_meta

Patch /ops/update_meta | Auth: Write

Update element metadata (lightweight merge — does NOT bump version or snapshot spec)

Shallow JSONB merge into element.meta. Top-level keys in the provided value replace existing meta values; other keys are preserved. Used for UI metadata like canvas positions, panel state, viewer preferences. Wire-shape op_name is update_meta (distinct from update) so SSE subscribers + the cache auto-invalidator can distinguish lightweight metadata changes from spec edits without inspecting the payload. The MutatingElementStore wrapper stamps this op_name on the lifecycle event emitted by update_element_meta storage calls.

validate-auth

Post /ops/validate-auth | Auth: Read

Check the Graph API access token — used by health diagnostics

version

Get /ops/version | Auth: Read

Get current version or full history

Returns current version by default. Pass ?history=true for full version history (up to ?limit=N, default 50). Versions are backed by the element_versions table. Every spec update creates a new version entry.

Error Codes

Code	Class	Retryable	Description
INSTAGRAM_AUTH_FAILED	auth	no
INSTAGRAM_TOKEN_EXPIRED	auth	no
INSTAGRAM_INSUFFICIENT_SCOPES	auth	no
INSTAGRAM_RATE_LIMITED	internal	yes
INSTAGRAM_OP_NOT_ON_EXECUTOR	validation	no
INSTAGRAM_DM_WINDOW_EXPIRED	validation	no	DM cannot be sent — 24-hour messaging window has closed
INSTAGRAM_MCP_UNREACHABLE	internal	yes