README.md•2.58 kB
# Instagram DM MCP Server
An MCP (Model-Consumer Protocol) server for Instagram direct messaging functionality, built with `fastmcp` and `instagrapi`. This server enables AI assistants to read and send Instagram direct messages.
**Current Version: 1.3.5**
## Features
- Read recent direct messages from your Instagram inbox with comprehensive thread information
- Send direct messages to Instagram users
- Simple greeting resource (example functionality)
- Health check endpoint with status information
- Proper logging to stderr to avoid JSON parsing issues
- Support for various authentication methods, including environment variables
## Installation
### As an npm package (recommended)
1. Install the package globally:
```bash
npm install -g instagram-dm-mcp
```
2. Run the setup script to install Python dependencies:
```bash
instagram-dm-mcp-setup
```
3. Register the server with Claude Desktop and configure credentials:
```bash
instagram-dm-mcp install
```
You will be prompted to paste in your Instagram cookies information. If you arne't sure how to get this, log into Instagram on Chrome, right-click on the page, and select "Inspect". Go to the "Application" tab, then click on "Cookies" in the left sidebar. You should see a list of cookies. Copy the values for `sessionid`, `csrftoken`, and `ds_user_id`.
The `install` command will automatically register the Instagram DM MCP server with Claude Desktop and add it to your Claude Desktop configuration file. The command will configure the server to use the `npx` approach, which makes it easier to maintain. You can also copy-paste the same setup to Claude or any other MCP client.
You can provide Instagram credentials in several ways:
- Using command-line arguments:
```bash
instagram-dm-mcp install --session-id YOUR_SESSION_ID --csrf-token YOUR_CSRF_TOKEN --ds-user-id YOUR_DS_USER_ID
```
- Using a credentials file:
```bash
instagram-dm-mcp install --from-file /path/to/instagram_cookies.json
```
- Using environment variables (INSTAGRAM_SESSION_ID, INSTAGRAM_CSRF_TOKEN, and INSTAGRAM_DS_USER_ID)
The installer will add these credentials as environment variables in the Claude Desktop configuration file, creating a configuration like this:
```json
"mcpServers": {
// other servers...
"InstagramDM": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"instagram-dm-mcp",
"start"
],
"env": {
"INSTAGRAM_SESSION_ID": "your-session-id",
"INSTAGRAM_CSRF_TOKEN": "your-csrf-token",
"INSTAGRAM_DS_USER_ID": "your-ds-user-id"
}
}
}
```