Connect Instagram to Slide-Easy (beta)
Automatic posting is in beta. It works through your own free Meta developer app and takes about 20 minutes, once. If anything goes wrong, saving each post and sharing it from the Instagram app always works, and needs no setup.
Before you start
- An Instagram account you can switch to Creator or Business (free).
- A Facebook login for developers.facebook.com (free).
- Slide-Easy open on your Mac, at Settings › Instagram.
The steps
Make your Instagram account professional
In the Instagram app: your profile › More › Account type and tools › Switch to professional account, then choose Creator or Business. A private account becomes public when you switch.
Official guide: Instagram: set up a professional account
Create your own Meta developer app
Go to developers.facebook.com, log in, then My Apps › Create app. Pick the use case “Manage messaging & content on Instagram” and create it. It's free, and it stays yours.
Official guide: Meta: create a Meta app for the Instagram API · Meta: create an app
Copy the app ID and secret into Slide-Easy
In your new app, open Instagram › API setup with Instagram login. Copy the Instagram app ID and the Instagram app secret (click Show). In Slide-Easy, open Settings › Instagram › One-time setup, paste both and tap Save keys.
Add Slide-Easy's return address
On the same Meta page, under “Set up Instagram business login”, open Business login settings and add
https://localhost/slide-easy/instagramto OAuth redirect URIs (Slide-Easy shows it with a Copy button). Save.Official guide: Meta: Business Login for Instagram
Add your account as a tester
In the Meta app: App roles › Roles › Add people › Instagram Tester, and enter your Instagram username. Then accept the invite on instagram.com in your browser: Settings › Website permissions › Apps and websites › Tester invites.
Connect and paste the address back
In Slide-Easy, tap Connect Instagram, log in to the right account and tap Allow. Your browser then shows a page that won't load: that's expected. Copy the whole address from the address bar and paste it into Slide-Easy. It says Connected with your username.
Approve a post and let it publish
Approve one post in This week. Slide-Easy publishes it through Instagram's official API at its time, while the app is open, with Instagram's AI label. Check it on your profile.
Official guide: Meta: content publishing
Why your own Meta app?
Your account and keys never pass through anyone else: the token stays in your Mac's Keychain. The app stays in Development mode with only your own accounts as testers, which is all posting to your own account needs. Meta's Platform Terms apply to it.
If something doesn't work
- Instagram shows an error instead of Allow: check the return address in step 4 matches exactly, and that you accepted the tester invite in step 5.
- “Connected” but a post fails: make sure the account is still professional and Slide-Easy was open at post time. It catches up when you reopen it.
- Still stuck: use Save and post yourself, and write to me with a screenshot. Automatic posting is beta, and your report helps fix it.
More: Is Slide-Easy safe for my Instagram account? · Meta: Instagram API with Instagram Login