Connect Instagram to Claude, ChatGPT, Codex & Cursor

SocialGrow’s hosted Instagram MCP server lets a compatible AI assistant read your connected account insights and automation results, then create automation drafts for you to review. Connect through OAuth with your existing SocialGrow account. You do not need to host a server or paste an Instagram access token into your assistant.

Included with paid Pro subscriptions. MCP is not included in the free trial. Rolling out to all paid accounts. If AI assistants is not visible in Settings yet, contact support for access.

See the Instagram MCP overview for the supported tools and Pro pricing for subscription details. Your assistant’s fees are separate.

Before connecting

1. Connect an Instagram Business or Creator account to SocialGrow. Follow the Instagram connection guide if needed.
2. Check that your SocialGrow subscription is paid, rather than trialing.
3. Open Settings → AI assistants. If the tab is missing during rollout, contact support for access.
4. Check that your assistant account supports custom remote MCP servers and OAuth. Workspace owners may need to enable or approve the connection.

Open AI assistant settings in SocialGrow →

Use this server URL in every client:

https://mcp.socialgrow.app/mcp

Assistant requirements

Use a client that supports a remote HTTP MCP server and OAuth sign-in. The table below summarizes provider documentation reviewed on October 27, 2026. It describes the connection requirements; authenticated SocialGrow connections have not yet been independently verified across all five clients. Follow Check the connection after setup.

Assistant	Where to configure it	Access requirements
Claude	Customize → Connectors	Anthropic lists remote custom connectors on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise; Free is limited to one. Team and Enterprise owners configure the organization connector first.
ChatGPT on the web	Plugins → plus button → Add custom MCP server	Your workspace must permit custom MCP servers. Configure OAuth, install the resulting plugin and select it in chat. Security restrictions can prevent access.
Claude Code	claude mcp add --transport http and /mcp	An installed, signed-in Claude Code client with permission to add remote servers.
Codex CLI	codex mcp add --url and codex mcp login	An installed, signed-in CLI with MCP enabled by your organization where applicable.
Cursor	Customize or mcp.json	Remote HTTP MCP and OAuth must be available in your installed version and allowed by workspace policy.

Your paid SocialGrow subscription is separate from any client subscription. Check the provider’s current documentation linked in each section if the controls above are missing.

Connect Claude

1. In Claude, go to Customize → Connectors. Use + Add → Add custom connector for an individual connection. Team and Enterprise users should first ask an owner to configure it under Organization settings → Connectors.
2. Enter SocialGrow and the server URL above, then continue to the authentication options.
3. Use OAuth sign-in. If Claude asks how to identify itself and automatic registration is available, choose Register automatically. This connects through SocialGrow’s client-registration flow.
4. Finish adding the connector, complete SocialGrow sign-in and review the consent page before choosing Allow.
5. In a conversation, use the composer’s + → Connectors menu to enable SocialGrow.

Start with: “List my connected Instagram accounts.” If you have multiple accounts, tell Claude which one to analyze before asking for results.

Claude account and organization controls can affect the available connector settings. See Claude’s remote connector instructions.

Connect Claude Code

Run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http socialgrow https://mcp.socialgrow.app/mcp

Open Claude Code, enter /mcp, choose SocialGrow and complete the browser sign-in. Review the SocialGrow authorization and choose Allow. See the Claude Code MCP documentation for configuration scopes and connection troubleshooting.

Connect ChatGPT

Use ChatGPT on the web with a workspace that permits custom MCP servers. The current OpenAI documentation describes adding the connection as a plugin. Workspace security settings can restrict creation and use.

1. Open Plugins, use the plus button and select Add custom MCP server.
2. Name the connection SocialGrow. Under Connection, paste the server URL above and configure OAuth authentication. Use dynamic client registration if the configuration asks for a registration method; SocialGrow publishes a registration endpoint.
3. Read the displayed permissions and risk notice, then create the plugin. Install the resulting plugin in your personal or permitted workspace plugins.
4. Complete the SocialGrow OAuth sign-in when requested. Review the account access before choosing Allow.
5. In a chat, type @, select SocialGrow and ask: “Use SocialGrow to list my connected Instagram accounts.”

If Add custom MCP server is unavailable, check workspace permissions with your administrator and consult OpenAI’s custom MCP instructions. Menu labels can differ by rollout. This creates your own connection; SocialGrow is not claiming a public directory listing.

Connect Codex

In the Codex CLI, add the remote server and sign in:

codex mcp add socialgrow --url https://mcp.socialgrow.app/mcp
codex mcp login socialgrow

Complete the browser authorization with your SocialGrow account. Then ask Codex to list the connected Instagram accounts using SocialGrow. See the Codex MCP documentation for client configuration and OAuth details.

Connect Cursor

In Cursor, open Customize to manage MCP servers, or configure a remote HTTP server in mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "socialgrow": {
      "url": "https://mcp.socialgrow.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Enable the server and complete the OAuth connection when Cursor requests it. Use the Cursor MCP documentation for the settings location in your installed version and workspace policies.

Check the connection

Ask these questions in order:

1. “List my connected Instagram accounts.” Confirm the intended account appears.
2. “Summarize that account’s last 30 days and compare them with the previous period.” Ask for the data dates and any missing metrics.
3. “List my automations and show which have captured the most leads.” Ask the assistant to distinguish lifetime automation counters from period-based account metrics.

Account insights sync approximately every six hours. Metrics may be unavailable if permissions, account eligibility or sync history do not support them. An unavailable metric should not be treated as zero.

Create a draft, then review it

Try: “Draft a comment-to-DM automation for my next post using the keyword GUIDE. Ask me to confirm the message and resource URL before saving.”

The assistant should confirm your post, keywords and message before creating the draft. New drafts support a comment trigger, DM, optional link button and public replies. Finish advanced settings in the SocialGrow dashboard.

Open the draft from the returned link. Check the post, trigger, message and destination URL, then activate it yourself. MCP does not activate automations, send messages, publish posts or edit live workflows. For a full walkthrough, see drafting an Instagram DM automation with AI.

What you authorize

The connection can read insights and automation configuration and create automation drafts for your connected Instagram accounts, including accounts you add later. Lead tools return counts and sources, not individual email addresses or phone numbers. The current tools do not read inbox conversations. The assistant can see post captions and your configured workflow messages and links.

To revoke access, open Settings → AI assistants → Connected apps and choose Disconnect beside the app.

Troubleshoot access and missing data

What you see	What to check
AI assistants tab missing	Access is rolling out to paid accounts. Contact SocialGrow support if the tab is not visible.
Paid subscription required	The free trial does not include MCP. Check your subscription in Settings → Billing.
Custom connection option missing	Check your assistant’s plan, installed version and workspace administrator settings.
Wrong or missing Instagram account	Confirm you signed into the correct SocialGrow account and connected Instagram under Accounts.
Missing or older insights	Check permissions and sync history. Account insights sync approximately every six hours.
Automation has not sent anything	A newly created draft is inactive. Review it in SocialGrow before activating it. Delivery after activation still depends on eligible events and Meta rules.
Assistant disconnected	Reconnect through OAuth. Check whether you revoked access under Connected apps.

For help, contact SocialGrow. Include the assistant name and the error message, without sharing access tokens or private lead data.