Stop bot comments on Instagram reels

For agents

Guide: Stop bot comments on Instagram reels

This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/stop-bot-comments-on-instagram-reels

Topic: Moderation rules

Time: about 3 minutes

Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager

Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)

Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox

Result when done: Emoji strings, tag bait, follower sellers and fake support accounts under your reels are hidden or deleted the moment they land.

Context: Instagram's own filters match the words you type, and bot comments under a reel rarely repeat a word: a string of emojis, a comment that only tags people, a hashtag pile, a follower seller with a new account each day, a profile posing as your support. CommentWatchDog's rules judge every new comment under your reels, posts and ads the moment it lands: Emojis, Mentions, Hashtags, URLs and Keywords catch the shapes bots use, and Impersonators reads the profile and the comment together. It works through Meta's official API: you sign in with Facebook, no Instagram password is shared, and nothing is installed in your browser.

Before you start

1. The Instagram account must be professional and linked to a Facebook Page your Facebook login manages.

2. Rules judge comments that arrive after you switch them on. For a reel already covered in bot comments, Post cleanup clears it in bulk.

3. On Instagram a hidden comment is seen only by you and its author, and they are not told. Delete is permanent.

Steps

Step 1 of 4: Switch on the rules that match what bots write.

Where: Left sidebar, under Pages, click the Instagram account, then Moderation. Emojis catches comments that are only emojis, Mentions the ones that only tag people, Hashtags every hashtag pile, URLs every link. Keywords takes the words you add, with an option for single-word comments, so follow back and dm me are caught too.

Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-whitelist-ig.en.webp (The Keywords rule on an Instagram account.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-neg-ig-phone.en.webp (The rule switches, on a phone.)

You should see: These rules are exact: they do not guess, so they never surprise you.

Step 2 of 4: Switch on Impersonators, and set it to Delete.

Where: Impersonators looks for profiles posing as your account or its support and needs no words from you. It catches the pattern, not the account, so a scammer with a new account tomorrow is caught again. Delete is the right action: nobody wants a fake support comment back.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-imp-ig.en.webp (Impersonators, on an Instagram account.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-imp-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: Fake support accounts are removed from under your reels and kept in the Bin as a record.

Step 3 of 4: Add the AI rules for what a bot means, not only what it types.

Where: Negativity and Custom topics read the comment in any language. Custom topics takes a plain sentence such as offers to sell followers or likes, or asks people to message a different account. The note under Negativity tells the rule what your account is about.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-neg-ig.en.webp (Negativity, with its note.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-neg-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: Bot pitches written as sentences are caught by meaning, whatever words they use.

Step 4 of 4: Check the inbox under the reel.

Where: Filter Visibility to Hidden. Each comment a rule caught is greyed with the rule named on the row. Unhide brings a real fan's comment back; add the words that must survive to the Whitelist.

Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the inbox)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-hidden-ig.en.webp (A hidden Instagram comment, with the rule that hid it.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-hidden-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: The bots are out of sight under the reel, and the real comments stay.

If something is off

Problem: A real fan was caught

Fix: Their comment was only emojis, or only a tag. Unhide it, and if that is how your fans write, leave Emojis or Mentions off and rely on the other rules.

Problem: The bots keep coming back with new accounts

Fix: That is what the rules are for: they catch the pattern, not the account. Blocking one account does not stop the next; the rules do.

Problem: The reel was already full of bot comments

Fix: Rules run on new comments. Paste the reel link into Post cleanup, check it against your rules, Select all, and hide or delete in one job.

Problem: A comment is hidden but I did not hide it

Fix: Instagram's own Hidden Words filter can hide a comment before CommentWatchDog sees it; the row says hidden outside the app.

Common questions

Question: Is this automatic, or do I still delete bot comments in Instagram?

Answer: Automatic. Every new comment under your reels, posts and ads arrives by Meta webhook, is judged by the rules you switched on, and is hidden or deleted the moment it lands.

Question: Does it need my Instagram password or a browser extension?

Answer: No. CommentWatchDog works through Meta's official API and passed Meta's App Review. You sign in with Facebook, the Instagram account comes through the Facebook Page it is linked to, no password passes through us, and nothing is installed in your browser.

Question: Does it work on ads and posts too, or only reels?

Answer: Rules run under reels, posts and ads alike. Apply moderation to, one setting for the account, narrows them to Ads only or Posts only if you want that.

Question: Should bot comments be hidden or deleted?

Answer: Delete for follower sellers, link drops and fake support accounts, where nobody will ever want the comment back. Hide for emoji-only and tag-only comments, which a real fan sometimes writes: hidden means only you and the author see it, and Unhide brings it back.

Question: Which plans include these rules?

Answer: Emojis, Mentions, Hashtags, URLs and Keywords are on every plan, from the free trial on. Impersonators, Custom topics and Negativity guidance start on Starter. One credit per incoming comment, however many rules are on.

Related guides

The twelve rules, one by one: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/the-twelve-rules-one-by-one

Hide comments on Instagram ads automatically: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/hide-comments-on-instagram-ads-automatically

Catch impersonators: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/catch-impersonators

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/stop-bot-comments-on-instagram-reels.md

All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt