Connect your Instagram and Facebook accounts to handle DMs, Messenger conversations, and comments from Commslayer.
What you can manage
Once connected, you'll receive:
- Instagram Direct Messages
- Facebook Messenger conversations
- Comments on posts and ads published by the Facebook Page and Instagram account you connect
Before you start
Your Instagram account must be a professional account, connected to your Facebook Page and linked to your Meta Business Manager. Commslayer has no separate Instagram step. You pick a Facebook Page, and the Instagram account connected to that Page comes with it.
Connect Instagram to the Page before you connect the Page to Commslayer. If it's not linked to Business Manager yet:
- Go to business.facebook.com
- Open Settings → Accounts → Instagram accounts
- Click Add and follow the prompts to connect your Instagram
This is a Meta requirement. Commslayer can't access Instagram accounts that aren't linked.
Connect to Commslayer
- Go to Settings → Inboxes → Add inbox
- Select Meta comments & DMs
- Click the Facebook button and log in
- In Meta's window, select every Page and Instagram account you want to use and approve all permissions Commslayer asks for
- Back in Commslayer, pick one Page under Choose page. The line under the field says what gets connected, for example "Connects DMs and comments"
- Check the Inbox name and click Create Inbox
- On the next screen, pick the teammates who should have access to the DMs inbox and click Add agents
Commslayer connects one Page at a time. For another Page, repeat the steps. A Page that already has both inboxes isn't listed under Choose page.
Tip: Select all Pages and Instagram accounts in Meta's window the first time, even the ones you plan to connect later. Meta remembers that choice. A Page you left out won't be offered in Commslayer until you edit the selection in Meta's window.
After connecting
New DMs appear in the DMs inbox. New comments appear under Comments in the left sidebar. Messages and comments from before you connected are not imported.
Send a test DM to your Instagram or a Messenger message to your Page to confirm everything works.
Connecting creates two inboxes for a Page: one for direct messages and one for comments. If one of them is missing, go through Settings → Inboxes → Add inbox → Meta comments & DMs again. That creates the missing inbox and leaves the other one as it is.
Where your conversations show up
Connecting a Page creates two inboxes with the same name. In Settings → Inboxes one is marked DMs and the other Comments.
- DMs: Messenger and Instagram direct messages. They show in All conversations and in the DMs inbox in the left sidebar
- Comments: comments on your posts and ads. They show under Comments in the left sidebar, not in All conversations
Administrators see both inboxes. Other teammates see an inbox once they are added to it. The step after connecting adds teammates to the DMs inbox only. To give them the comments too, open the Comments inbox under Settings → Inboxes and add them under Collaborators.
Keep both inboxes, even if you only use one. Deleting an inbox removes all of its conversations.
What doesn't arrive
- Anything from before you connected. Old DMs and old comments are not imported
- Messages and comments from a time the inbox showed Disconnected. They are not fetched after you reconnect
- Comments under posts that belong to another account. Commslayer only receives comments for the Pages and Instagram accounts you connected
- Mentions of your handle on other accounts' posts
Opening a message in Instagram or Messenger doesn't mark it as read in Commslayer.
Troubleshooting
If your Meta inbox isn't showing up or seems stuck, follow the steps in Meta inbox not showing or stuck? to reset the connection.
If an inbox shows Disconnected, reconnect it in place. Don't delete it, because deleting removes all of its conversations.
Inbox disconnected: how to reconnect, and what deleting an inbox does →