Instagram Comment Autoreply

Fuely AI replies to comments on your posts, reels, and ads — publicly under the comment, in a private DM, or both. Comment replies are handled by two automation sources: post & reel comments and ad comments. They work the same way; the only difference is which content they watch. For the full picture of Instagram sources, see Instagram automations.

How comment automations are organized

Each of the two sources has a base automation — the permanent catch-all. It starts off; turn it on and Fuely AI answers every comment on that source, using your instructions and Knowledge Base.

On top of the base, each source takes up to 30 custom automations — named rules for specific cases. A rule can target:

• Keywords — react to comments matching a word exactly, containing it, or to any comment at all (up to 50 keywords per rule)
• A list of posts or ads — only comments on the content you pick, up to 50 per rule (choose which posts get autoreply)

Every comment rule — base or custom — controls two replies you can enable independently:

• Public reply — the visible answer under the comment
• Private reply — the DM sent to the commenter

Which rule answers a comment

When several rules could match, Chatfuel picks exactly one, in priority order: rules targeted at the specific post or ad first, then general custom rules, then the base automation. Within those, an exact keyword match beats a contains match, which beats an any-comment rule. Rules that are turned off never compete.

Comment sources also offer a "don't reply" choice in Incoming messages, so a rule can deliberately leave the comments it matches unanswered — for example, keeping the AI quiet on one post while the base automation keeps answering everywhere else.

Set it up in Automations

1. Go to Fuely AI → Automations.
2. Under Instagram, open post & reel comments or ad comments.
3. Turn on the base automation to answer every comment on that source, or add a custom automation and set its keywords or list of posts or ads.
4. Set the Public reply and Private reply, and adjust Additional instructions if you want a specific tone or goal.
5. Try it in the Test chat sidebar before going live.

Or ask the AI Co-Worker

Tell it what you want in chat:

"When someone comments PROMO under my ads, reply publicly and DM them the discount code SAVE20."

It applies the change and confirms what it set.

Tips for writing instructions

• Be specific about your tone and style.
• State your goal — drive DMs, answer questions, share a link.
• Include examples of what you want Fuely AI to say. It can include links in both public replies and DMs:

If user's first message says EBOOK, send this link: chatfuel.com/ebook

When someone asks about pricing, share our pricing page: yoursite.com/pricing

Important notes

Messaging limits

Instagram limits how often you can message people:

• New contacts — 1 DM after they comment, then wait for them to reply first.
• Existing contacts — 24-hour window to message after their last message.

Where DMs end up

• Followers — DM goes to their main inbox.
• Non-followers — DM goes to their message requests folder, no notification.

To help new commenters find your DM, add a public reply that points them to their inbox:

Thanks for your comment! Just sent you a DM.

Appreciate your interest! Check your inbox.