FlowAI

Why didn't my Instagram or Facebook comment automation send a DM?

Troubleshoot a comment-to-DM automation that didn't reply or send. Read the event log and fix the most common causes. Step by step with FlowAI.

About 3 minutes

Before you start

  • An automation in FlowAI that didn't do what you expected.

Steps

  1. 1

    Check the automation is on

    Open Automations. The automation must be switched on, not paused or just saved. Turning one on needs your free trial or a plan.

  2. 2

    Open its event log

    On the automation's card, open the event log. Each comment it saw is listed with a status, and a reason when it was skipped.

  3. 3

    Read the reason

    "No matching automation" means the comment didn't contain your keyword. "Different post" means the keyword matched, but the automation is limited to other posts. "Already messaged recently" means that person already got this automation's message in the last 24 hours.

  4. 4

    Look for the other skip reasons

    "Own reply echo" is FlowAI ignoring its own reply, which is correct. "Already manually handled" means you replied to that Facebook comment yourself. "Contact limit reached" means your plan's active contacts are full for the month, and people already counted still get messages.

  5. 5

    If it says failed, read the error

    A failed row shows the error text. If it mentions your connection, reconnect the account under Social Connections.

  6. 6

    Check how old the comment is

    Instagram only lets an app send one private reply to a comment, and only within 7 days of that comment. FlowAI answers new comments after you turn the automation on, so it doesn't reach comments people left earlier.

  7. 7

    Check Instagram's message setting

    If public replies work but DMs don't, open Instagram, then Settings, Messages and story replies, Message controls, Connected tools, and make sure "Allow access to messages" is on. Meta requires it before an app can send messages for your account.

  8. 8

    Test with a second account

    Comment from a different Instagram or Facebook account. Meta doesn't allow an account to send a private reply to its own comment, so testing from the connected account itself won't work.

Tips and if something goes wrong

  • An Instagram account must be Business or Creator, not personal.
  • If a keyword has two automations, check that the one you want is the one that matches.

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Next: How to auto-reply to Instagram and Facebook comments

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