Where to set it up
Settings → Automations → Auto-replies to comments → “Set up”. Or from a post's thread in Comments: “Auto-reply for this post”.
You need connected Instagram. Only the store owner can set this up.
The main switch
At the top of the page there's the “Auto-replies” switch for the whole store. It's off by default. While it's off, no rule works — even an enabled one.
A rule
A rule tells the bot four things.
1. When it fires
- Has a keyword — only for comments with these words or phrases. Add a word and press Enter.
- Any comment — for every new comment.
Words are matched whole, regardless of case: “price” won't fire on “priceless”, and + is a separate word. Add variants in other languages yourself.
2. Where it applies
- All posts — including the ones you publish later.
- One post — pick it from the list. Such a rule takes priority over a rule for all posts.
3. How it replies
- Public — under the comment, visible to everyone, addressing the author as
@handle. - In Direct — privately to the comment's author.
- Public + Direct — two texts: a short note under the comment (“We've sent you a DM 💌”), the rest in Direct.
4. Text — up to 1000 characters. You can insert one from quick replies. Placeholders such as the buyer's name aren't supported yet.
On the right there's a preview: how the reply will look under the post and in Direct.
A rule can be turned off without deleting it — the “Rule enabled” switch.
One Direct reply per comment. Instagram allows only one private reply per comment and only within 7 days. If the bot sent it, you can't send your own private reply to that comment — you'll continue once the buyer writes back.
Ready-made templates. If there are no rules yet, the page offers templates — for example, “+, want, price” → “We've sent you a DM 💌” publicly and an invitation to write the details in Direct. You can edit a template before saving.
Rule order
If several rules match a comment, the first in the list wins. A rule for a specific post always beats a rule for all posts. Drag to change the order.
Safeguards
They always work and need no setup:
- no more than 60 auto-replies per hour per store. If the limit is reached, the bot pauses until the hour is up, and both this page and the comment thread say so — reply to new comments manually;
- to the same person — no more than once every 10 minutes;
- the bot doesn't react to your own replies;
- comments older than an hour are skipped — so that after a pause the bot doesn't answer yesterday's questions.
How it shows in Comments
- The bot's reply in the thread is marked “⚡ auto-reply”.
- Under the comment — “The bot messaged the author in Direct · time” if the reply went to Direct.
- In the post header — “Bot replied: N”; in the list of posts — ⚡ with a number.
- A comment the bot answered is no longer waiting for you.
A deleted rule stops firing, and replies already sent stay.
Other automations
The same Settings → Automations page has what the dashboard can write to buyers by itself, in the chat the order came from. Each can be turned on separately (from the Plus plan):
- Waybill number in the chat — as soon as you create a waybill, the buyer gets the number and a tracking link. See Nova Poshta.
- Reminders about unpaid orders — if a buyer placed an order with online payment but didn't pay, the dashboard reminds them. See Order payment.
And with the Plus plan the buyer also gets “Payment received” in the chat right after paying by card — no need to turn it on.