Guide: Allow message access on the connection
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/allow-message-access-on-the-connection
Topic: Messages
Time: about 2 minutes
Who can do it: Owner or Administrator
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/pages
Result when done: Messages appear, because the connection has the permission that reads them.
Context: Comments and messages are separate permissions at Meta. A connection made without the message permission shows comments perfectly and no messages at all. Reconnecting with the permission fixes it in a minute.

Before you start:
1. Only an owner or an administrator can reconnect.
2. Reconnecting keeps your pages, rules, agents and history.
3. The Messages tab says plainly when the permission is missing.

Steps:
Step 1 of 2: Recognise the notice.
Where: The Messages tab shows a card asking you to allow message access to finish setup, with a button to reconnect.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
You should see: A statement of what is missing, not an empty list.

Step 2 of 2: Reconnect and allow it.
Where: Reconnect and allow, on the card, or Reconnect Facebook on the Pages tab. In the Facebook dialog, leave every permission ticked.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/pages (Open Settings, Pages)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/pages.en.webp (Reconnect Facebook, on the Pages tab.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/pages-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Connected as, with the message permission granted, and the Messages tab filling with conversations.

If something is off:
Problem: I reconnected and messages still do not appear
Fix: A permission was left unticked in the dialog. Reconnect again and allow everything.
Problem: I am not allowed to reconnect
Fix: Only owners and administrators can. Ask one of them.
Problem: Will reconnecting lose my rules
Fix: No. Pages, rules, agents, automations and history are untouched.

Common questions:
Question: Do messages need a different permission than comments?
Answer: Yes. Comments and messages are separate permissions at Meta. A connection made without the message permission shows comments perfectly and no messages at all.
Question: How do I know my connection is missing the message permission?
Answer: The Messages tab says so. It shows a card asking you to allow message access to finish setup, with a button to reconnect, instead of an empty list.
Question: Which permissions should I tick in the Facebook dialog when I reconnect?
Answer: Leave every permission ticked. Reconnecting with the message permission fixes it in a minute, and Connected as then shows the permission granted.
Question: Can I remove CommentWatchDog's access to my messages later?
Answer: Yes. CommentWatchDog connects through Meta's official Graph API: you approve access on Facebook and can remove it anytime.

Related guides:
- Reconnect Facebook: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/pages/reconnect-facebook
- Where messages come from: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/where-messages-come-from
- What each Meta permission is for: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/pages/what-each-meta-permission-is-for

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/allow-message-access-on-the-connection.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt