This MCP server exposes tools to interact with Instagram's Graph API on behalf of a connected Instagram Business account. You can retrieve profile details, fetch recent media posts, obtain engagement insights, publish media, and manage conversations or direct messages (the latter requiring Advanced Access). There are also application-controlled resources such as profile data, media feed, and insights data, plus user-controlled prompts for analyzing engagement, content strategy, and hashtag performance. To use the server, ensure your environment is configured with Instagram Graph API credentials and a valid long-lived access token. Start the MCP server, then direct your AI agent to invoke the available tools (e.g., Get Profile Info, Get Media Posts, Publish Media) to fetch data, publish content, or analyze performance. For DMs and some advanced features, you may need App Review approval from Meta.

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.10+ installed on your machine
• A Facebook App configured with Instagram Graph API products and necessary permissions
• A long-lived Instagram access token with appropriate scopes
• Access to a running MCP environment or server where you can deploy the ig MCP module

Step-by-step:

1. Clone the MCP server repo (or navigate to the ig MCP module directory): git clone https://github.com/jlbadano-ig-mcp.git cd jlbadano-ig-mcp

2. Create a Python virtual environment and activate it: python -m venv venv

   On Windows

   venv\Scripts\activate

   On macOS/Linux

   source venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies (adjust requirements.txt path if needed): pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure environment variables (example .env): touch .env

   Facebook/App credentials

   echo 'FACEBOOK_APP_ID=your_app_id_here' >> .env echo 'FACEBOOK_APP_SECRET=your_app_secret_here' >> .env

   Instagram credentials

   echo 'INSTAGRAM_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_long_lived_access_token_here' >> .env echo 'INSTAGRAM_BUSINESS_ACCOUNT_ID=your_instagram_business_account_id_here' >> .env echo 'INSTAGRAM_API_VERSION=v19.0' >> .env

   Optional config

   echo 'RATE_LIMIT_REQUESTS_PER_HOUR=200' >> .env echo 'CACHE_ENABLED=true' >> .env echo 'LOG_LEVEL=INFO' >> .env

5. Run the MCP server (module-based entry point): python -m ig_mcp_server

6. Verify the server is running by checking logs or hitting a health endpoint if provided by the ig_mcp_server module.

Notes:

• If you store credentials in a .env file, ensure it is not committed to version control.
• For deployment, consider packaging the app with a process manager (e.g., systemd, pm2) and using a dedicated environment management strategy.

Tips and common issues:

• Ensure your Instagram Graph API permissions include the required scopes for the actions you intend to perform; some features (like DM) require Advanced Access and App Review from Meta.
• Long-lived access tokens last ~60 days; implement a token refresh workflow and securely store updated tokens.
• Use a secure method to load environment variables (e.g., dotenv, secret management) in production.
• If rate limits are hit, increase the throttle in the config and implement exponential backoff in your client calls.
• When publishing media, ensure the media format and endpoints comply with Instagram Graph API requirements and that your app is approved for content_publish permission.
• Monitor logs for errors related to permissions, token expiration, or API quota, and refresh tokens accordingly.