update-clips

name	update-clips
description	Update the Instagram reels/clips GraphQL constants in backend/graphql.go when Instagram changes their reels feed API (clips doc_id, friendly name, app ID). Use when reels stop loading in the feed or when chat-mode reel prefetch fails, or when the user pastes reels-tab network request data from the browser.

Update Clips Skill

This skill handles updating the app when Instagram changes the GraphQL API behind its reels feed (the "clips" query). The user will paste raw request headers and/or POST body payloads from Instagram's network tab. Your job is to diff them against the current constants, identify what changed, request any missing info, and update the code.

Context

This app intercepts Instagram GraphQL responses via Chrome DevTools Protocol. The clips query does double duty:

1. Feed capture (passive): As the user browses the Instagram reels tab, Instagram fires PolarisClipsTabDesktopPaginationQuery. We intercept the response body, match on the xdt_api__v1__clips__home__connection_v2 connection key, and feed new reels into the app via processReelResponse().
2. Chat-mode prefetch (active replay): In DM/chat mode, prefetchReel() replays the clips query for a single shared reel (keyed by its shortcode) using a captured token-bearing template, so navigation can show the reel without a page load.

If Instagram changes clipsDocID or clipsFriendlyName, the active replay in prefetchReel() breaks (chat-mode reels fail to load). If they change the response connection key xdt_api__v1__clips__home__connection_v2, passive feed capture breaks (no reels appear at all).

Why this matters — account safety

This is critical: if we send a malformed or outdated request to Instagram's API, Instagram will ban the account. The prefetchReel() path fires our own request built from a captured template. If our constants are stale, we send a request that no longer matches what the real Instagram frontend sends. Keep the constants current and matching a genuine, recently-captured request — never guess a doc_id.

⚠️ No drift detection (unlike comments)

Note a key difference from the comments flow: comments run through validateCommentsRequest(), which compares an intercepted live request's doc_id against initialCommentsDocID and silently disables pagination on a mismatch — so drift is caught before we send anything. The clips prefetch has no such check: prefetchReel() fires the request blind, using clipsDocID directly with no comparison against a live request. Nothing in the code tracks whether the clips doc_id still matches Instagram's frontend. The only signal that it drifted is the feature silently failing (chat-mode reels not loading). So when a user reports this breaking, don't look for an error or a log — assume the constants may be stale and re-capture as below.

What can change

All hardcoded Instagram API identifiers live in backend/graphql.go as constants:

const (
    clipsDocID        = "..."  // doc_id for the reels/clips feed query
    clipsFriendlyName = "..."  // fb_api_req_friendly_name for the clips query
    expectedAppID     = "..."  // x-ig-app-id header value (shared across all queries)
)

These are used in two places:

• processReelResponse() (backend/graphql.go): parses the response. Routed to by matching xdt_api__v1__clips__home__connection_v2 in processFeedGraphQLBody() / processDMGraphQLBody().
• prefetchReel() (backend/dm.go): builds a replay via newGraphQLRequest(..., clipsDocID, clipsFriendlyName, readEndpoint, vars).

Note the clips query uses the read endpoint (https://www.instagram.com/graphql/query), selected by readEndpoint in newGraphQLRequest().

Where to obtain the new values

This is a bit more nuanced than comments. Don't just scroll the Reels tab — that fires a ClipsTabDesktopPaginationQuery too, but with generic feed variables. You want the exact shape prefetchReel() replays: a clips query keyed to a single shared reel by its shortcode (chaining_media_id). Reproduce it the same way the app's flow originates — from a reel a friend shared in DMs:

1. Open the browser Network tab and filter for graphql (or query).
2. Go to a friend's DMs and find a reel they sent you.
3. Click the ⋯ (top-right three dots) on that reel → "Go to post" — or "Copy link" and paste it into a new tab. Either way a new reel page loads (e.g. https://www.instagram.com/reels/DaRF0Z_qeDq/).
4. The initial GraphQL request on that page is the one you want. Confirm it by these markers:
   • URL: https://www.instagram.com/graphql/query (the read endpoint)
   • X-FB-Friendly-Name header / fb_api_req_friendly_name body field: PolarisClipsTabDesktopPaginationQuery
   • X-Root-Field-Name header: xdt_api__v1__clips__home__connection_v2
   • variables.data.chaining_media_id equals the shortcode in the URL (e.g. DaRF0Z_qeDq) — this is the tell that it matches our replay.
5. From that request copy the fields below.

Field	Source	Constant
doc_id	POST body (doc_id form field)	clipsDocID
fb_api_req_friendly_name	POST body (also the X-FB-Friendly-Name header)	clipsFriendlyName
x-ig-app-id	Request header	expectedAppID

The captured variables block also confirms the prefetchReel() field names (container_module, seen_reels, chaining_media_id, should_refetch_chaining_media, first, the __relay_internal__pv__* provider flags) — cross-check them if prefetch returns empty (see step 6 below). Note our replay sets should_refetch_chaining_media: true and first: 1, whereas a captured page-load may show false / 10; those two are ours to control and are not something to copy over.

Step-by-step process

1. Read current constants

Read the constants block in backend/graphql.go (the clipsDocID / clipsFriendlyName / expectedAppID lines).

2. Parse what the user provided

The user will paste raw request data from the network tab (key-value pairs, raw URL-encoded body, HAR export, or screenshots). Extract:

• doc_id
• fb_api_req_friendly_name
• x-ig-app-id (from headers, if provided)

3. Diff against current constants

Constant	Current	New	Changed?
clipsDocID	...	...	YES/no
clipsFriendlyName	...	...	YES/no
expectedAppID	...	...	YES/no

4. Request missing info

If the user pasted a different query (e.g. friendly name doesn't contain ClipsTabDesktop), ask them to capture the reels-tab request specifically. If headers weren't provided, ask for the x-ig-app-id header value.

5. Apply changes

Update only the constants that changed in backend/graphql.go. Use the Edit tool on individual lines — do not rewrite the file.

6. Check for structural changes

Beyond the constants, Instagram could also change:

• Response connection key: xdt_api__v1__clips__home__connection_v2 routes clip responses in both processFeedGraphQLBody() and processDMGraphQLBody(), and is the JSON tag on reelResponse.Data.Connection. If reels stop appearing entirely (not just chat-mode prefetch), this key likely changed. Update it in all three spots.
• reelMedia struct fields: The response media shape (pk, code, video_versions, user, clips_metadata, caption, floating_context_items, …) maps into reelMedia. If reels load but fields come back empty (no video, no username, no music), a field name changed.
• Prefetch variables: prefetchReel() builds a variables map with container_module, seen_reels, chaining_media_id, should_refetch_chaining_media, and the __relay_internal__pv__* provider flags. If prefetch returns empty results despite a correct doc_id, compare these field names against a real captured request.

If the user reports issues beyond "chat-mode reels don't load", ask them to share the full response body and investigate these structural changes.

Symptom → likely cause

Symptom	Likely cause
Chat-mode shared reels fail to load	clipsDocID or clipsFriendlyName changed (prefetchReel() replay fails)
No reels load in the feed at all	Response key xdt_api__v1__clips__home__connection_v2 renamed
Reels load but video/username/music missing	reelMedia field names changed
Prefetch returns empty despite correct doc_id	prefetchReel() variables field names changed
Everything fails (all queries)	expectedAppID changed