---
title: "Messaging rules for Instagram"
description: "To prevent spam, Instagram puts some limits on who you can message and how often."
canonical_url: https://chatfuel.com/docs/instagram/messaging-rules-for-instagram
markdown_url: https://chatfuel.com/docs/instagram/messaging-rules-for-instagram.md
last_updated: 2026-06-18
lang: en
site: https://chatfuel.com/docs
llms_txt: https://chatfuel.com/llms.txt
---

# Messaging rules for Instagram

To prevent spam, Instagram puts some limits on who you can message and how often.

To prevent spam, Instagram puts some limits on who you can message and how often. **These rules apply to Instagram only.**

## Comments [#comments]

### New contacts [#new-contacts]

When a new contact leaves a comment on a post or reel:

* **You can send 1 message** to that contact in direct messages
* **No additional messages** can be sent until the contact replies to the first message
* This applies to **new contacts only** (those who never messaged you before)

### Existing contacts [#existing-contacts]

For contacts who have messaged you before, you can message them within time windows from their last message:

**Fuely AI**: *24 hours* — the same [24-hour messaging window](https://chatfuel.com/docs/whatsapp/24-hour-messaging-window) concept used on WhatsApp

**Chats tab (live chat)**: *7 days* — humans have longer to reply

The 24-hour window for Fuely AI is driven by the bot's own replies — it opens and resets only when an automation matches and the bot actually answers, not on every interaction. For the full rules on when the window opens, extends, and resets, see [how Fuely AI sessions work](https://chatfuel.com/docs/ai-features/how-fuely-ai-sessions-work).