Feedframer

Instagram Setup Guide

This guide covers connecting your Instagram account to Feedframer: what kind of account you need, the permissions Feedframer asks for, what the account statuses mean, and how to fix a connection that has stopped working.

You don't need a Meta developer account, a Facebook app or a Facebook Page. Feedframer connects through Instagram's own login.

Requirements

  • A Feedframer account. Sign up free.
  • An Instagram Business or Creator account. Instagram's API doesn't serve personal accounts.

Switch a personal account to Business or Creator

Switching is free, and you can switch back later. In the Instagram app:

  1. Go to your profile and open the menu.
  2. Open Settings and activity, then Account type and tools.
  3. Tap Switch to professional account.
  4. Choose Creator or Business and follow the prompts.

Either type works with Feedframer. Instagram moves these menus from time to time; if yours look different, see Instagram's help article Set up a professional account.

Connect your account

  1. Log in to Feedframer and open your Dashboard.
  2. Click Connect Account. If you haven't connected an account yet, the button says Connect Your First Account.
  3. Instagram asks you to log in. Log in as the account you want to connect.
  4. Review the permissions and allow them.
  5. Instagram sends you back to the Dashboard with the account connected.

Permissions Feedframer asks for

Feedframer requests two Instagram permissions:

Permission What Feedframer uses it for
instagram_business_basic Reading your profile (username, name, bio, website, profile picture, follower and post counts) and your posts
instagram_business_manage_comments Reading the comments on your posts, returned when you request include[]=comments

Feedframer only reads from Instagram. It doesn't post, edit or delete anything on your account.

What happens after you connect

  1. The account appears on your Dashboard with the status Importing Posts..., and Feedframer starts fetching your latest posts.
  2. You get an email confirming the account is connected.
  3. When the first import finishes, the status changes to Ready and you get a second email with your API key.
  4. Your API key is on the account's card, labelled Feedframer API Token. See Authentication.

After that, Feedframer keeps your posts up to date on its own: daily on the Free plan and hourly on Premium. To update sooner, click Refresh Posts on the account's card. You can do that once every 24 hours on Free and once an hour on Premium.

Feedframer also renews your Instagram access token automatically before it expires, so a healthy connection needs no attention from you.

Account statuses

The account's card on the Dashboard shows its status. The Accounts API returns the same thing in its status field.

Dashboard shows API status Meaning
Ready ready Connected and working.
Importing Posts... importing Feedframer is fetching posts from Instagram.
Refreshing Token... refreshing_token Feedframer is renewing your Instagram access token.
Invalid Token invalid_token Instagram no longer accepts the connection. You need to reconnect.

While the status is Importing Posts... or Refreshing Token..., the Dashboard updates by itself when the status changes, and the Refresh Posts and Disconnect buttons are hidden.

Fix a connection: Invalid Token

Instagram can withdraw Feedframer's access, for example when you change your Instagram password or remove Feedframer's access in Instagram's settings. When Instagram refuses the connection, the account's status changes to Invalid Token and the account's card explains what broke and offers a Reconnect button.

Check the Dashboard — Feedframer does not email you about this. If Instagram refused the connection because you took access away, reconnecting is the only thing that restores it: Feedframer cannot retry its way back in, because the token it would retry with is the one you revoked. A short-lived error on Instagram's side can clear on its own, but access you removed never does.

While the account shows Invalid Token:

  • Your API key keeps working.
  • The API, GraphQL and RSS feed keep serving the posts Feedframer already stored.
  • New Instagram posts don't appear until you reconnect.

To reconnect:

  1. On the account's Dashboard card, click Reconnect.
  2. Log in to Instagram as the same Instagram account and allow the permissions.
  3. The status changes to Importing Posts... and then Ready.

Your API key stays the same, so you don't need to change anything on your website.

If you log in to Instagram as a different account at step 2, Feedframer treats it as a new connection with its own key, and it counts towards your plan's account limit.

The Refresh Connection button on each card does the same thing for an account that's still working. It sends you through the Instagram login again, which grants any permissions Feedframer has added since you connected. It also keeps your API key.

Disconnect an account

  1. On the account's Dashboard card, click Disconnect.
  2. Confirm with Disconnect Account.

When you disconnect:

  • The account's API key stops working immediately. Requests using it return HTTP 401 with the error code INVALID_API_KEY.
  • Any cached responses for the account are cleared.
  • The account no longer counts towards your plan's account limit.
  • Feedframer keeps the account's stored data for at least 30 days.

If you connect the same Instagram account again later, Feedframer restores it with a new API key. The old key does not come back. Update the key wherever you use it.

Disconnecting and reconnecting is not the way to get a new key for an account that's working. Use Regenerate instead; see Authentication.

Account limits

Plan Instagram accounts
Free 1
Premium Up to 5

When you reach your plan's limit, the Connect Account button disappears from the Dashboard. To connect more accounts, disconnect one or upgrade on the Pricing page.

Several Feedframer users can connect the same Instagram account, each with their own key. A single Feedframer user can't connect the same Instagram account twice; logging in with it again updates the existing connection.

Troubleshooting

"Instagram authorization failed"

You cancelled the Instagram login or didn't allow the permissions. Click Connect Account again and allow them.

"Invalid state parameter. Please try again."

The login took too long, or it was started in another tab. Start again from the Dashboard.

"An error occurred while connecting your Instagram account. Please try again."

Instagram didn't complete the connection. Check that the account is a Business or Creator account, then try again. If it keeps happening, contact support.

Posts are missing or out of date

  • Check the account's status on the Dashboard. If it shows Invalid Token, reconnect as described above.
  • Free accounts update daily and Premium accounts hourly. Click Refresh Posts to update sooner.
  • The Free plan serves your 6 most recent posts only.
  • Some reels come from Instagram without a downloadable file or thumbnail. Feedframer skips those posts.

Need help?

Email [email protected] or use the contact page.