instagram-automation

name	instagram-automation
description	Instagram automation via Patchright MCP — DM, like, comment, search, profile, get images. Browser-based (not API). Part of social-media-browser umbrella.
triggers	["instagram","dm instagram","like post ig","komentar instagram","cari user instagram","baca pesan ig","kirim pesan ig","profil instagram","get images instagram"]
tools	["mcp_patchright_browser_navigate","mcp_patchright_browser_click","mcp_patchright_browser_type","mcp_patchright_browser_snapshot","mcp_patchright_browser_run_code","mcp_patchright_browser_file_upload","mcp_patchright_browser_take_screenshot"]

Instagram Automation via Patchright MCP

Prerequisites

• Patchright profile must be already logged in to Instagram (headed mode recommended)
• Use profile="rickicode" (default) or whichever profile has IG session
• All interactions use mcp_patchright_* tools

Key Patterns

Language Notes

Instagram UI is in Bahasa Indonesia. Button/label names:

• Like = "Suka" / Unlike = "Batal Suka"
• Comment = "Komentari" → input: "Tambahkan komentar…"
• Send DM = textbox "Kirim pesan..." → press Enter
• Search = "Cari" (explore page has textbox)
• Follow = "Ikuti" / Unfollow = "Berhenti Mengikuti"
• Share = "Bagikan"
• Save = "Simpan"

---

1. DM — Read Messages

Navigate: https://www.instagram.com/direct/inbox/

Inbox structure:

• Left sidebar: list of conversations as buttons
• Each button shows: profile pic, name, last message preview, timestamp
• Unread badge: "Unread" text element
• Search DM contacts: textbox "Cari" at top of sidebar

Open a conversation:

• Click the conversation button (e.g., button containing "Retno")
• URL changes to /direct/t/<thread_id>/

Read messages in thread:

• Messages are in group elements with timestamps
• Each message has: sender profile pic link, content text/image
• Own messages show "Anda:" prefix in inbox preview
• Message types: text, "Klip" (shared reel), image attachment ("mengirim lampiran")

Get message history via run_code:

async (page) => {
  const msgs = await page.evaluate(() => {
    const groups = document.querySelectorAll('[role="group"]');
    return [...groups].map(g => ({
      text: g.innerText?.substring(0, 200),
      time: g.closest('[data-testid]')?.querySelector('time')?.textContent
    }));
  });
  return msgs;
}

---

2. DM — Send Text Message

Navigate: https://www.instagram.com/direct/t/<thread_id>/

Method 1 — snapshot + type:

1. snapshot → find textbox ref (usually labeled "Kirim pesan..." or empty textbox)
2. type(ref=..., text="pesan", submit=true) — Enter sends the message

Method 2 — run_code (more reliable):

async (page) => {
  const box = page.getByPlaceholder('Kirim pesan');
  await box.click();
  await box.fill('pesan kamu');
  await box.press('Enter');
  return 'sent';
}

Verify sent: After send, the message appears in the chat with "Anda:" prefix in sidebar.

---

3. DM — Send Image/Photo

Steps:

1. Navigate to DM thread
2. Click "Tambahkan Foto atau Video" button
3. File chooser opens → use file_upload with local file path
4. Image preview appears with "Hapus lampiran: " and "Kirim" button
5. Click "Kirim" to send

Important: File must be in allowed workspace directory (e.g., /workspaces/). If image is from internet, download it to workspace first via terminal (curl/wget).

run_code approach (reliable):

async (page) => {
  const [fileChooser] = await Promise.all([
    page.waitForEvent('filechooser'),
    page.getByRole('button', { name: /Tambahkan Foto atau Video/ }).click()
  ]);
  await fileChooser.setFiles('/path/to/image.jpg');
  await page.waitForTimeout(2000);
  // Now click Kirim
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Kirim' }).click();
  await page.waitForTimeout(1000);
  return 'image sent';
}

---

4. Like / Unlike Post

From feed or post page:

1. Find "Suka" button (heart icon) → click to like
2. Button changes to "Batal Suka" (filled heart) when liked
3. Click "Batal Suka" to unlike

Identify by ref: In snapshot, look for button "Suka" or button "Batal Suka".

From post modal (after clicking comment):

• Same pattern, button labeled "Batal Suka" if already liked

---

5. Comment on Post

Open post detail first:

• Navigate to post URL: https://www.instagram.com/p/<shortcode>/
• Or click "Komentari" button from feed → opens post modal

Add comment:

1. Find textbox "Tambahkan komentar…"
2. Type comment + Enter

run_code approach (most reliable):

async (page) => {
  const box = page.getByPlaceholder('Tambahkan komentar');
  await box.click();
  await box.fill('komentar kamu');
  await box.press('Enter');
  await page.waitForTimeout(1000);
  return 'commented';
}

Delete own comment:

1. Navigate to the post
2. Find your comment in the list
3. Click the "…" (more options) button next to your comment
4. Click "Hapus" (Delete)
5. Confirm deletion

---

6. Search Users / Posts

Navigate to explore: https://www.instagram.com/explore/

Search flow:

1. snapshot → find textbox "Cari Input" (ref)
2. type(ref, text="search term") — results appear as dropdown
3. snapshot → results show as links with format:
   • link "Foto profil <username> <username> <display name> • <bio/followers>"
   • URL: /<username>/

Direct profile URL: https://www.instagram.com/<username>/

---

7. View Profile + List Posts

Navigate: https://www.instagram.com/<username>/

Extract profile data via run_code:

async (page) => {
  await page.waitForTimeout(3000);
  return await page.evaluate(() => {
    const result = {};
    result.name = document.querySelector('header h2')?.textContent;
    
    // Stats: posts, followers, following
    const spans = document.querySelectorAll('header span, header li span');
    result.stats = [...spans].map(s => s.textContent?.trim()).filter(t => t && t.length < 30).slice(0, 10);
    
    // Posts grid
    const postLinks = document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/p/"]');
    result.posts = [...postLinks].slice(0, 12).map(a => ({
      url: a.href,
      alt: a.querySelector('img')?.alt?.substring(0, 100) || '',
      thumbnail: a.querySelector('img')?.src?.substring(0, 150) || ''
    }));
    
    return result;
  });
}

Post URL pattern: https://www.instagram.com/p/<shortcode>/ Reel URL pattern: https://www.instagram.com/<username>/reel/<shortcode>/

Profile tabs:

• Postingan (default grid)
• Reels → /<username>/reels/
• Postingan ulang → /<username>/reposts/
• Ditandai (tagged) → /<username>/tagged/

---

8. Get Images from Post

From profile grid (thumbnails):

async (page) => {
  return await page.evaluate(() => {
    const imgs = document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/p/"] img');
    return [...imgs].map(img => ({
      src: img.src,
      alt: img.alt?.substring(0, 100)
    }));
  });
}

From post detail page:

async (page) => {
  await page.goto('https://www.instagram.com/p/<shortcode>/');
  await page.waitForTimeout(2000);
  return await page.evaluate(() => {
    const imgs = document.querySelectorAll('article img[src*="cdninstagram"]');
    return [...imgs].map(i => i.src);
  });
}

Note: CDN URLs are session-bound and expire. To save images:

1. Get the src URL from the page
2. Use page.request.get(url) in run_code (has session cookies)
3. Or take a screenshot with take_screenshot

---

9. Share Post via DM

1. Open post (navigate to URL or click from feed)
2. Click "Bagikan" button
3. Search/select recipient in the share dialog
4. Click "Kirim" to share

---

10. Follow / Unfollow

From profile page:

• "Ikuti" = Follow
• "Mengikuti" = Following (hover shows "Berhenti Mengikuti" to unfollow)

---

11. View Story Highlights

Navigate to profile: https://www.instagram.com/<username>/

List all highlights:

async (page) => {
  return await page.evaluate(() => {
    return [...document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/stories/highlights/"]')].map(a => ({
      name: a.innerText.trim(),
      href: a.getAttribute('href'),
      id: a.getAttribute('href').match(/highlights\/(\d+)/)?.[1]
    }));
  });
}

Open a specific highlight:

navigate: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/<ID>/

Handle "Lihat Cerita" confirmation popup: Instagram shows a confirmation: "Lihat sebagai ?" → must click "Lihat Cerita" button.

async (page) => {
  const btn = page.get_by_role("button", name="Lihat Cerita");
  if (await btn.count() > 0) {
    await btn.click();
    await page.waitForTimeout(5000);
  }
}

Navigate through story slides: Stories auto-advance, but you can also click the right side of the screen:

async (page) => {
  for (let i = 0; i < 30; i++) {
    await page.waitForTimeout(3000);
    // Capture current state
    const info = await page.evaluate(() => ({
      hasVideo: !!document.querySelector('video'),
      text: document.body.innerText.substring(0, 200)
    }));
    // Advance
    await page.mouse.click(750, 350);
    await page.waitForTimeout(1500);
    if (!page.url.includes('stories')) break; // story ended
  }
}

Story metadata (music, timestamp): The story viewer shows: highlight name, posting time ("151 ming"), and music info ("Gita Gutawa · Harmony Cinta") in the body text.

Download story videos: See references/instagram-story-video-extraction.md for the full workflow (GraphQL interception → cookies → curl download).

---

Pitfalls

1. Ref staleness: After any navigation or page change, refs expire. Always snapshot fresh before clicking.
2. Comment input: type(ref, submit=true) may timeout on comment fields. Use run_code with getByPlaceholder('Tambahkan komentar') instead.
3. File upload path: Files must be in workspace directory (/workspaces/). Download external files there first.
4. CDN image URLs: Instagram CDN URLs expire and are session-bound. Use page.request.get() in run_code to download with cookies.
5. Rate limiting: Rapid actions may trigger "Try Again Later". Add waitForTimeout(2000) between actions.
6. Language: UI is Bahasa Indonesia. Use Indonesian labels ("Suka", "Komentari", "Kirim pesan", "Cari").
7. Modal vs page: Comment and share actions open modals/overlays. Close with "Tutup" button when done.
8. CRUD completeness: When testing any action (like, comment, follow), ALWAYS test the reverse (unlike, delete comment, unfollow). User requires full CRUD coverage.
9. Story viewer "Lihat Cerita" button: When viewing highlights/stories while logged in, Instagram shows a confirmation popup: "Lihat sebagai ?" with a "Lihat Cerita" button. Must click this button before the story actually plays. Use page.get_by_role("button", name="Lihat Cerita").
10. Story videos use blob URLs + MSE: Instagram stories stream video via Media Source Extensions (blob: URLs). The actual video data comes from CDN URLs fetched via GraphQL. To download story videos: (a) intercept GraphQL responses for video_url fields, (b) save browser cookies early, (c) download CDN URLs via curl with cookies. See references/instagram-story-video-extraction.md for full workflow.
11. Story context auto-closes: After all story slides play, the browser context may auto-close. Wrap await browser.close() in try/except. Save data (cookies, URLs) incrementally during playback, not after.
12. Highlight links: Instagram highlights are <a> elements with href="/stories/highlights/<ID>/". The text content is the highlight name (may include emoji). List all: document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="/stories/highlights/"]').