Setting Up AI DM Auto-Reply: Complete Guide

So you've connected your Instagram account—now it's time to set up AI auto-replies. This is where the magic happens. Let me show you how to make your AI sound exactly like you.

Getting to AI Settings

From your Innsty dashboard, go to Accounts and click one of your connected Instagram accounts. Then click the "AI" button to open the AI Settings page. This is your command center for all AI-related configurations.

Step 1: Enable AI Auto-Reply

At the top, you'll see the "AI Auto-Reply" toggle. Flip it on to enable AI responses for DMs. Without this, no automation will happen. You can also enable Voice Transcription if you want AI to understand and respond to voice messages.

Step 2: Choose Your AI Provider & Model

In the Basic tab, you can select which AI provider and model to use:

All — See all available models
OpenAI — GPT models
Gemini — Google's AI models
Grok — xAI models
Z.ai — Z.ai models
Free — Free models (availability not guaranteed)

Pick a model that fits your needs and budget. You can see your available credits at the top of the page.

Step 3: Write Your System Prompt

This is the most important part. Your System Prompt tells the AI who it is and how to respond. Here's an example:

"You are a friendly assistant for [Your Business Name]. You help customers with questions about our products. Be conversational, helpful, and concise. If you don't know something, say you'll have a team member follow up."

Step 4: Add Your Knowledge Base

The Knowledge Base gives your AI information about your business. Include:

Products/Services — What you offer and pricing
Business hours — When you're available
FAQs — Common questions and answers
Policies — Shipping, returns, etc.

The more context you provide, the smarter and more accurate your AI becomes.

Step 5: Configure Behavior Settings

Switch to the Behavior tab for advanced options:

Max Response Length — Keep it under 250 tokens (Instagram has a 1,000 character limit for DMs)
Conversation Memory — How many previous messages to remember (5-10 is ideal)
Rate Limiting — Prevent spam by limiting AI replies per sender (e.g., 10 replies per hour)
Voice Settings — Max audio duration for voice transcription

Step 6: Save and Test

Click "Save Settings" when you're done. Then send yourself a test DM from another account to see how the AI responds. Tweak your prompts until you're happy with the results.

Pro Tips

Keep your System Prompt specific—vague prompts get vague answers
Update your Knowledge Base regularly as your business evolves
Check your Usage Logs to see conversations and improve your prompts
Use Auto-Reply rules for common questions (they take priority over AI)
Set up AI Comment Reply separately for post comments