The Meta connections (Facebook / Instagram / Threads / WhatsApp)

What each of the seven Meta connections does and how to set it up. They all start in the Meta developer dashboard, and most permissions need review — if you're not in a hurry, connect them last.

One thing to remember: the social Meta card (posting) and the ads Meta card (spending) are two different cards with different permissions — don't merge the two keys into one.

Meta Ads (Facebook / Instagram)

You create your own app in the Meta developer dashboard. Review takes longer than the Google ones, so if it's not urgent, connect it last.

How

1. Open Meta for Developers and create a "Business" type app.
2. Add the "Marketing API" product to it.
3. Get the app ID and secret from the app settings.
4. Put those two values into OpenConnector.
5. Come back, click "Authorize", and pick the ad account you want.

Links

• Meta for Developers

Once connected

The ads tile on the role panel lights up. Spend and ROAS data arrive in the next version.

Instagram Graph API

Instagram has no "search people by keyword": officially you can only look up a business account you name explicitly. So finding people on IG always relies on imports and the public library; this connection adds "how many followers do they have now, and how's their engagement".

How

1. Switch your Instagram account to a Business account and link it to a Facebook Page.
2. Create an app in the Meta developer dashboard and add the Instagram Graph API.
3. Request instagram_basic and instagram_manage_insights (these need review).
4. Use the Graph API Explorer to get a long-lived token, and note your own IG business account ID.
5. Enter the token and ID in the form. They stay on this computer only.

Links

• Meta developer dashboard
• business_discovery docs

Before approval

Until the permissions are approved, the job still works — only the "look up by name" part stays empty; finding people relies on imports and the public library.

Facebook Graph API

Searches Pages and reads a Page's follower count and category.

Searching Pages needs the Page Public Content Access permission, which is review-based. Until it's approved we say plainly "needs review" — we won't show an empty list and pretend nothing matched. Outreach goes through Page messages, not email: plenty of Pages list no email at all.

How

1. Create an app in the Meta developer dashboard, type "Business".
2. Request Page Public Content Access. Explain the use clearly — it's review-based.
3. Use the Graph API Explorer to get a long-lived access token.
4. Enter the token in the form. It stays on this computer only.

Links

• Meta developer dashboard
• Page search docs

Without it

The job still works: finding people relies on imports and the public library, and outreach is done by hand through Page messages.

Meta Graph API (FB Page + IG)

One token covers your FB Page and IG business account: read posts and performance, publish and schedule, reply to comments.

In Social Media, "Facebook Page" and "Instagram" are two separate duties that share this one card — connect once, approve once, and both light up.

On the Instagram side we check the platform's hard limits while drafting: captions up to 2,200 characters, 30 hashtags and 20 @mentions; carousels up to 10 images, JPEG only; Reels must be 3 minutes or shorter to be recommended. Instagram's API has no scheduling, so we publish at the scheduled time ourselves.

Reading works as soon as you connect; publishing needs App Review — two separate things, so don't read "not approved yet" as "connection failed". We handle scheduling the way Meta requires: if you only set a time without turning off "publish now", the post goes out immediately.

How

1. Switch IG to a Business account and link it to your FB Page (skip this if you only post to FB).
2. Create an app in the Meta developer dashboard and add Facebook Login and the Instagram Graph API.
3. Request pages_manage_posts / pages_read_engagement / instagram_content_publish (these need review).
4. Use the Graph API Explorer to get a long-lived Page token, and note the Page ID and IG account ID.
5. Enter the token and IDs in the form. They stay on this computer only.

Links

• Meta developer dashboard
• Pages publishing docs

Without it

You can still plan content, write drafts and queue approvals — only the actual publishing step needs it. While publishing permission is under review, we remind you when it's time to post by hand in the dashboard; we never pretend it went out.

Threads API

Threads is authorised separately from the FB Page and Instagram: in the same Meta app you add a separate "Threads use case" and get a separate token. That's why it has its own card — you're not connecting the same thing twice; Meta made it a separate authorisation. Long-lived tokens last 60 days and need renewing.

A post is at most 500 characters, 5 links and one topic tag; we flag anything over the limit while drafting. Replies matter as much as posts on Threads, so this duty gets a larger daily reply allowance than the other channels.

How

1. In your Meta developer app, add the "Threads use case" (it can be the same app as FB / IG).
2. Request threads_basic / threads_content_publish / threads_manage_replies (needs review).
3. Go through the Threads authorisation to get a long-lived token, and note your Threads user ID.
4. Paste the token and ID into the form. They stay on this computer only.

Links

• Threads API docs

If it isn't connected

You can still plan, draft and queue approvals — only the final publish needs it. When the token expires we say "re-authorise", not "connection failed".

Meta Marketing API (ads)

Reads ad account and campaign performance, changes budgets and bids, pauses, swaps creatives.

It's a different card from the social Meta card (Meta Graph API (FB Page + IG) above): this one needs the "manage ads" permission (can move budget), that one needs the "publish Page posts" permission (can post). The exact permission names are listed on the card under "What you need". You can grant both in one authorization, but don't turn the two keys into one.

How

1. Create an app in the Meta developer dashboard and add the Marketing API.
2. Request ads_management and ads_read (these need review).
3. Use the Graph API Explorer to get a long-lived token, and note your Business Manager ID (optional).
4. Enter the token in the form. It stays on this computer only.

Links

• Meta developer dashboard
• Marketing API docs

Without it

You can still read proposals, queue approvals and plan — only the step that actually touches the account needs it. While permissions are under review we say "not approved yet"; we never pretend a change was made.

WhatsApp Business API

These three rules are Meta's, not ours:

• You must pass business verification.
• Messages you start must use an approved template (template.name is required), and the recipient must have opted in first.
• Only after the customer messages you do you get a 24-hour window for free-form replies.

Break them and it's the brand's number that gets banned. So if the template name is missing or opt-in hasn't been checked, we block it on the spot rather than letting one click send it; free text outside the window won't send either — you'll be asked to pick a template instead.

How

1. Pass business verification in Meta Business Manager and connect your number to the WhatsApp Business Platform.
2. Create an app in the developer dashboard, add the WhatsApp product, and get the phone number ID.
3. Create a system user and generate a long-lived access token (it must include whatsapp_business_messaging).
4. Create the message templates you'll use and wait for approval. The template name and language are the two fields that have to match here.
5. Enter the token and phone number ID in the form. They stay on this computer only.

Links

• WhatsApp Cloud API docs

How bulk sends work

Bulk messages go out one at a time (the Cloud API has no batch endpoint), so "send to N people" on the card means N separate calls. If we get rate-limited or disconnected partway, we stop — no carrying on, no retries. Retrying a template message that may already have been delivered means the customer gets it twice.

FAQ

• Permissions are still under review — did the connection fail? No. Meta Graph API can read as soon as it's connected; publishing waits for App Review. The ads card says "not approved yet" during review.
• Can one Meta app authorize all these cards? You can grant them in one authorization, but social (posting) and ads (spending) are two cards with two keys — keep them separate.
• Why does Threads need a separate connection? Meta made Threads a separate authorisation (its own use case and token), so the FB / IG Page token can't reach it. FB and IG are still connected once.
• Can I search Instagram creators by keyword? No — Instagram simply doesn't offer that. Finding people relies on imports and the public library; this connection only adds followers and engagement.
• A WhatsApp bulk send stopped halfway: when rate-limited or disconnected we stop and don't retry, so nobody receives the same message twice.