Instagram errors and account states, explained

Hourly limit or too soon after the last message RATE_LIMITED

You see: “at most one message every 15 seconds per account; nothing was sent”, or an hourly limit of 6 new chats.

Why: Spaces sends Instagram messages at least 15 seconds apart so the account never sends in bursts.

Fix: Nothing. Your agent waits the time Spaces gives it and tries again with the same message.

Daily limit reached DAILY_CAP

You see: “daily limit of 80 API messages for this account”, or of 20 new chats.

Why: Each Instagram account sends at most 80 messages and 20 new chats a day.

Fix: Sending starts again the next day. If it happens often, ask your agent to put replies first.

New account still warming up RATE_LIMITED

You see: “hourly limit of 2 new chats for this account (new Instagram accounts start slowly in their first week)”.

Why: A newly connected Instagram account starts at 8 new chats a day (week 1) and builds up over four weeks. Replies to people who write to you are not held back.

Fix: Nothing. New chats open up week by week, and the warm-up table below shows each step.

Outside the working hours you set OUTSIDE_WORKING_HOURS

You see: “outside working hours; nothing was sent”.

Fix:

1. It waits until those hours start again.
2. To change the hours, edit the scheduled message or routine.

A person took over the chat HANDED_OVER

You see: “This chat was handed to a person, so the agent stays out of it until it is handed back.”

Why: Someone on your team took over this Instagram chat, so two voices never answer at once.

Fix: Nothing, unless you are done. Hand the chat back to the agent when the person has finished.

Sending is paused AGENT_PAUSED

You see: “All sending is paused for this workspace. Nothing was sent. Reads still work.”

Why: Someone paused the agent, a conversation or all sending. The message says which.

Fix:

1. Open Approvals in your dashboard and choose Resume sending, or turn the agent back on where you paused it.
2. Scheduled messages and routines carry on by themselves.

Channel switched off CHANNEL_DISABLED

You see: “instagram is turned off; nothing was sent”.

Fix: Email us and we will switch it on.

The platform did not answer PROVIDER_UNAVAILABLE

You see: “the platform is unavailable; nothing was sent, retry in a few minutes”.

Fix: Nothing. Your agent tries again shortly with the same message, so it is never sent twice.

Account not connected ACCOUNT_NOT_CONNECTED

You see: The Instagram account shows “needs to be reconnected” in your dashboard.

Why: The platform signed the account out, or asked for a security check. It covers each of the states below.

Fix: Open your dashboard and reconnect the account. Sending stays paused until you do.

Signed out, needs sign-in again

You see: The Instagram account needs to sign in again.

Why: Instagram decides when to end a sign-in. Sending from that account stays paused until you reconnect.

Fix:

1. Open Accounts in your Spaces dashboard and choose Reconnect on the Instagram account, or ask your AI agent for a new connect link.
2. Sign in to Instagram through the secure link and approve the connection.
3. When the account shows as connected again, sending carries on by itself.

Security check

You see: Instagram asked for a security check, such as a code.

Why: Instagram wants to confirm it is really you. Nothing is sent until the check is done.

Fix: Reconnect the account and complete the check. If Instagram sent you a code, you can also give it to your AI agent, which can enter it for you.

Restricted by the platform

You see: The Instagram account shows as restricted.

Why: The guidance for Instagram is at most about 100 actions a day and 10 an hour, spread out at random times. Bursts of outreach, follows and comments are what raise the risk. Spaces lowers the risk but cannot promise a platform will never restrict an account.

Fix:

1. Open the Instagram app to see what Instagram asks.
2. Do what it asks, then reconnect the account in Spaces.
3. Start again gently: replies first, and few new chats for a while.

Connection stopped or disconnected

You see: The account shows an error, a stopped connection, or as disconnected.

Fix:

1. Reconnect it from Accounts in your dashboard.
2. If it keeps happening, email us.

Trial ended without a card BILLING_REQUIRED

You see: “The trial has ended. Add a card to keep going. Your accounts stay connected and reads still work.”

Why: The trial needs no card. When it ends without one, nothing is charged and the account is frozen until you add a card.

Fix:

1. Choose Add a card to keep going in your dashboard.
2. Sending resumes right away.

Plan allowance used up PLAN_LIMIT_REACHED

You see: The agent says your plan’s actions for this period are used up.

Fix: Wait for the next period or move to a plan that keeps working past its allowance.