How to connect Instagram to Spider Social

Spider Social uses Instagram API with Instagram Login (Business Login) — separate from Facebook Page login. You connect a professional Instagram account (Business or Creator) so Spider can create media containers and publish.

Before you start

• Instagram account must be professional (Business or Creator), not a personal profile stuck in classic mode.
• You need a Spider workspace and a role that can connect channels.
• In Meta development mode, add the Instagram account as an Instagram Tester on the app and accept the invite before Connect will work.

Accept the Instagram tester invite (development apps)

1. On Meta for Developers → your app → App roles → Add People → Instagram Tester → enter the Instagram username.
2. On a desktop browser, log into that Instagram account and open instagram.com/accounts/manage_access.
3. Open the Tester invites tab and Accept.

Until that accept happens, OAuth often fails or looks like missing permissions.

Connect in Spider

1. Open the right workspace in Spider Social.
2. Choose Connect → Instagram.
3. Complete Instagram’s authorize screen for the business scopes Spider requests (basic profile + content publish).
4. Confirm you’re returned to Spider with the Instagram channel connected.

Instagram media must be reachable via public URLs when publishing — Spider’s upload flow handles that for images and Reels-style video.

Trial Reels

A Trial Reel is a single Instagram video shown to non-followers first. It does not appear on the grid or for followers until it graduates.

In the composer (one Instagram video attached), check Trial Reel and leave Manual selected so nothing hits the grid until you share it in the Instagram app. Auto if it performs lets Instagram graduate it if non-followers engage well.

Agents set trialReel to MANUAL (or true) on POST /api/v1/posts with exactly one video. Graduation cannot be done via the API.

Publish checklist

• Attach at least one image or video for Instagram.
• Prefer Review for client sign-off before schedule.
• Watch the calendar: scheduled posts sort into Review’s Queued lane by publish time (Next, #2, #3…).

Facebook Page vs Instagram Login

Connecting Facebook Pages does not automatically connect Instagram. Spider treats them as separate channels on purpose — clearer permissions, clearer ownership, clearer Review.

If you need both, connect Facebook and Instagram separately into the same workspace.

Stuck?

• Re-check tester invite acceptance on desktop Instagram.
• Confirm the Meta app has the correct OAuth redirect URI for Instagram Business Login (HTTPS; localhost is usually rejected).
• Make sure you’re connecting the professional account you intended — not a personal side account.