Instagram DM Inbox

Mirrors Instagram direct messages into an Obsidian vault. Each message is written as a note and filed under a profile note for its sender.

Conversations are organised into user-defined funnel stages. A stage is the folder the conversation occupies. The file explorer, the canvas and the graph view all read from it.

Requirements

• Obsidian 1.13 or newer. Earlier versions resolve to plugin 0.2.1, which functions but receives no further updates.
• An Instagram professional account, Business or Creator.
• A companion server.

Server

Instagram delivers messages by webhook to a public HTTPS endpoint. A desktop application cannot expose one. The plugin therefore pairs with a server. That server holds the access token, receives the webhooks, and queues messages for collection.

A hosted instance runs at crm4obsidian-production.up.railway.app, free to use at present.

Installation

1. Settings → Community plugins → Browse, search "Instagram DM Inbox", install, enable.
2. Open the hosted instance and select Connect Instagram.
3. Copy the server URL and API key issued on the page that follows.
4. Enter both under Settings → Instagram DM Inbox.
5. Run the first sync from the ribbon icon or the Sync now command.

Subsequent messages sync automatically.

Features

• One note per message. One profile note per sender, holding editable notes and tags.
• Stage changes from Obsidian: context menu, folder drag, or the funnel frontmatter field.
• Stage changes from Instagram: a trigger code at the end of a reply, for example !done.
• Optional free-text status within a stage, such as waiting on quote.
• Graph view coloured by stage, applied by the Set up graph view command.
• Canvas board with one card per contact, arranged by hand.

Configuration

Server URL, API key, inbox folder, canvas filename, poll interval, debug logging, and the funnel stage list.

Three stages ship by default: new, pending and done. They can be renamed, removed or replaced, to a maximum of 20. Exactly one stage must have an empty trigger code; new conversations are filed there.

Privacy

Message text is queued on the server only until the vault acknowledges it, typically within seconds. The server then deletes it.

The server also reads the account's own most recent reply in each conversation, about twice a minute. This detects a trigger code. Instagram emits no webhook for messages the account owner sends. That text is matched against the configured codes and is not retained.

No third-party sharing, no advertising, no analytics on message content. Access tokens are encrypted at rest.

Privacy policy · Terms of service

License

MIT. See LICENSE.

Development

See DEVELOPMENT.md.