Instagram comment-to-DM. Set up by asking Claude.
For Instagram Business and Creator accounts
When someone comments GUIDE on my latest reel, DM them the guide.
@northlight.studioComment-to-DM on one reel
Here's the preview. Turn it on?
Yes
It's on. Anyone who comments GUIDE on that reel gets the guide by DM.
Claude can DM everyone who comments a keyword on your Instagram reel. Connect it to Motion Reel, tell it the reel, the word and the DM, and check the preview it shows you before it turns on.
DM automation your agent can run.
- Set it up
- Pick the account, one reel or every reel, the keywords and the DM. It only previews until you say yes.create_automation
- Change or turn it off
- Edit the keywords or the DM, pause it, or delete it.update_automationdelete_automation
- See what it sent
- Every automation, and what each one has sent.list_automationsget_automation
- Answer one by hand
- Read a reel's comments, reply in public, or DM one person.list_commentsreply_to_commentdm_commenter
Connect it in a minute.
Connect your agent
Run this in a terminal. The first time Claude uses it, your browser opens: sign in and click Allow. For the Claude app, Codex, Cursor and others, see how to connect each one.
claude mcp add --transport http motionreel https://motionreel.app/mcp
Connect your account
Connect your Instagram account in the Motion Reel dashboard, with Instagram's own login, and allow comments and messages. Your agent can't do this part.
Ask in plain words
Your agent shows you a preview. Nothing changes until you say yes.
Things to ask.
- “When someone comments GUIDE on my latest reel, DM them the guide.”
- “Turn on comment-to-DM for every reel on @northlight.studio. Anyone who comments LINK gets my newsletter link.”
- “What has the GUIDE automation sent so far, and did any fail?”
- “Turn off the GUIDE automation.”
How it behaves.
- Keywords
- Whole words, in any case. With no keywords, every comment counts.
- Who gets one
- Each person once per reel. Replies under other comments, and your own comments, are skipped.
- How fast
- Usually within a minute. Motion Reel sends up to 5 a minute per account, so a busy reel's DMs queue.
- Deadline
- Instagram allows the DM for 7 days after the comment.
- The DM
- Put your link in it.
- Public reply
- Optional. Add a few versions and one is picked at random. It's skipped on a very busy reel.
- What it needs
- A public Business or Creator account, connected with comment and message access, and "Allow access to messages" on in the Instagram app.
Updated November 8, 2026. Also in Markdown at /agents/comment-to-dm.md.
Questions
Can Claude DM people who comment on my reels?+
Yes. Connect Claude to Motion Reel and ask it to set up comment-to-DM. Motion Reel then watches the reel and sends your DM to everyone whose comment matches. Claude only sets it up, after you've seen the preview and said yes.
Does comment-to-DM work on every reel?+
You choose one reel or every reel on the account, and a keyword or any comment. Each person gets one DM per reel, and your own comments never trigger it.
Will someone get the same DM twice?+
No. Each person gets one DM per reel, even if they comment several times or more than one automation matches.
Does it work on TikTok or YouTube?+
No. Comment-to-DM is only on Instagram.
How does the DM get sent?+
Through Instagram's private replies, the official way for an app to answer a comment with a DM. You connect with Instagram's own login.
Can I turn it off?+
Yes, at any time. Ask Claude to turn it off, or do it in the dashboard.
Which agents work with it?+
Claude Code, the Claude app, Codex, Cursor, OpenClaw and Hermes Agent, and any other MCP client that speaks Streamable HTTP.
Motion Reel