Instagram automation, in plain English

A business can message someone freely for 24 hours after that person last messaged it. Each new message from them resets the clock; after it closes, nothing can be sent until they write again. MuChat’s automations, inbox, sequences and API all follow it; a comment instead allows one private reply.

A Flow Builder step that sends people down one of 2 to 5 paths at random, weighted however you like, so you can compare two versions of a message.

A JSON file holding an account’s automations, sequences, folders, tags, fields and segments — never its contacts, conversations or Instagram connection — that can be imported into another MuChat account.

A contact who messaged you, commented or replied to a story in the last 30 days — what MuChat plans count. Quiet contacts stop counting on their own and count again when they write in.

A secret token (starting mu_live_) that lets your own code use the MuChat API. Each key has read and/or write scope and can be revoked at any time.

How MuChat decides which automation gets credit for a conversion: the last automation run or sequence that touched the person in the 7 days before it. One owner or none — never split.

A set of replies MuChat sends by itself when something happens on your Instagram — a comment, a story reply or a DM. It’s either a Quick Automation or a Flow Builder automation.

A field with one value for your whole account, such as this week’s discount code. It uses the same {{key}} token as a contact field; if a contact has its own value for the key, theirs wins.

How often an automation’s links get clicked compared with how many times it ran. Instagram doesn’t report opens or reads, so clicks on tracked links are the clearest signal of interest.

Replying to an Instagram comment with a direct message — usually a link or freebie the commenter asked for with a keyword. The most common Instagram automation.

A Flow Builder step that checks something — whether they follow you, have a tag, are subscribed, or wrote certain words — and continues down a “yes” or “no” path.

A person who has commented, replied to a story or DMed your connected Instagram account, or whom you imported. MuChat keeps their tags, fields and history.

A goal you track — a purchase, a booked call, a sign-up — with an optional default value. Record one from a flow step, a contact’s profile or the API.

Your own piece of information stored on each contact — text, a number, a date or yes/no — that can be used in messages, segments and conditions.

An automation that answers any DM no other live automation matches — at most once a day per person — so nobody is left without a reply.

A Flow Builder step that waits — from 1 second to 30 days — before the next step. Messages after it still have to fit inside the 24-hour window.

A word or phrase that starts an automation when someone sends it in a DM. It can match when the message contains the keyword, or only when the whole message is exactly the keyword.

Flow Builder edits are saved as a draft while live conversations keep running the published version. Publishing makes the draft live; earlier versions can be restored from History.

The text used when a personalisation token has no value — {{first_name|there}} becomes “there” for someone whose first name you don’t know.

MuChat’s canvas for multi-step conversations, with messages, conditions, delays, actions, A/B paths and hand-offs between automations.

Asking someone to follow your account before sending what they asked for. MuChat checks whether they follow you and, if not, asks them to follow and tap a button to continue.

A word that decides which comments, story replies and DMs an automation responds to. Matching ignores capitals and accents and works on whole words, so LINK doesn’t match “linkedin”.

One of a short, shared, colour-coded list your team uses to mark conversations and contacts — unlike tags, which are free-form.

The first DM a comment automation sends, with a button. A comment only allows one private reply, so tapping the button opens the conversation and lets the rest of the flow be delivered.

A placeholder such as {{first_name}} or {{username}} that’s replaced with the contact’s own details when the message is sent.

A DM sent in answer to a comment. Instagram allows one private reply per comment, within seven days of it being posted.

A reply posted under the comment itself, such as “Check your DMs 👀”. Comment automations can pick one of up to five at random, so replies don’t all look the same.

An automation set up on a single page: one trigger, an optional opening message and follow gate, and up to three messages with link buttons.

Tappable answer chips under a message — up to 11 — that let people reply with one tap and send the flow down a different path for each answer.

An ordered rule in the shared inbox that sends matching conversations to a group of teammates — for example, contacts tagged “wholesale” go to Sales.

A saved list of contacts defined by rules — tags, labels, source, last interaction, fields and more — that updates by itself as contacts change.

A series of DMs with a wait before each one, started and stopped from a flow. Steps only send inside Instagram’s 24-hour window.

One place where your whole team reads and answers Instagram DMs, with assignment, notes, reminders and the contact’s details beside the thread.

A DM someone sends by replying to one of your Instagram stories. Automations can respond to any story reply or only to ones containing a keyword.

A yes/no flag on every contact that you control. Use it in conditions and segments — for example, to skip people who asked you to stop.

A free-form label on a contact, added by hand, in bulk, by an automation or through the API. Renaming or merging a tag updates every contact, segment and automation that uses it.

A short MuChat link sent in place of your URL. When someone taps it, the click is counted and they’re sent straight on to your page.

What starts an automation: a comment on a post or reel, a story reply, a DM keyword, or any DM no other automation answers. Flow Builder automations can have several.

One Instagram account with its own team, plan, automations and contacts. A single login can belong to several — handy for agencies — and switches between them from the sidebar.