What each Meta permission is for
You know exactly what you granted, and what would stop working without it.
On this page
Before you start
- Each permission maps to a feature you can see.
- Refusing one removes that feature, not the app.
- Facebook lets you review and revoke them.
Reading comments.
The permission that fills your inbox
You will see Comments arriving within seconds.
Acting on comments.
The permission behind hide, delete and reply
You will see The actions under a comment doing their job.
Reading and sending messages.
The permission behind the Messages tab
You will see Conversations, and private replies.
Reading which comments came from ads.
The Ad marker needs no ad account access
You will see The Ad mark, and the Type filter.
If something is off
- I refused one and something broke
- Reconnect and allow it; the tab says which.
- Where do I review what I granted
- Facebook › Settings › Business integrations.
- Can you read my personal profile
- No; only the Pages your login manages.
Common questions
What stops working if I refuse the messages permission?
The Messages tab reads Allow message access to finish setup, private replies to comments cannot be sent, and DM automations have nothing to answer. Messenger and Instagram messages are a separate permission, and refusing it removes only that feature.
Does CommentWatchDog need access to my ad account?
No. No ad account permission is requested. A comment is marked as an ad comment because the post it sits under is read with the permission that reads your Page content. That is enough to put the Ad mark on comments, let you filter by Type, and let rules run on ads only.
Does refusing one permission break the whole app?
No. Refusing one removes the feature that needs it, not the app. Reading your Pages, posts and comments fills the inbox; hiding, unhiding, deleting and replying as your page are the moderation actions; each permission is used for a feature you can see.
For agents: plain text of this guide · all guides
For agents
Guide: What each Meta permission is for
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/pages/what-each-meta-permission-is-for
Topic: Pages and connections
Time: about 3 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: You know exactly what you granted, and what would stop working without it.
Context: The Facebook dialog lists permissions and most people accept without reading. Here is what each one buys, so you can answer your own security question and know what breaks if one is refused.
Before you start
1. Every permission is used for a feature you can see in the app.
2. Refusing one does not break everything; it removes the feature that needs it.
3. You can review and revoke them in Facebook under Business integrations.
Steps
Step 1 of 4: Reading comments.
Where: Reading your Pages and their posts, and the comments on them, is what fills the inbox. Without it there is nothing to moderate.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/pages (Open Settings, Pages)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox.en.webp (Comments read into the inbox.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Comments arriving within seconds of being posted.
Step 2 of 4: Acting on comments.
Where: Hiding, unhiding, deleting and replying as your page are the moderation actions. Without them the app can show you comments but change nothing.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox.en.webp (Hide, delete and reply, on a comment.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The action row under each comment doing what it says.
Step 3 of 4: Reading and sending messages.
Where: Messenger and Instagram messages are a separate permission. Without it the Messages tab of a page reads Allow message access to finish setup, private replies cannot be sent, and DM automations have nothing to answer.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages.en.webp (The Messages tab of a page, with its chats.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-phone.en.webp (Messages on a phone.)
You should see: Conversations, and the ability to reply privately to a comment.
Step 4 of 4: Reading which comments came from ads.
Where: No ad account permission is asked for. A comment is marked Ad because the post it sits under is read with the same permission that reads your Page content, and that shows whether the post is an ad. This is what lets rules run on ads only and lets you filter by them.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-ad.en.webp (The gold coin on a comment from an ad, with the pointer on it: Came in through an ad.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-ad-phone.en.webp (The coin on a phone, where there is no tooltip.)
You should see: The Ad mark on comments, and the Type filter.
If something is off
Problem: I refused one and something broke
Fix: Reconnect and allow it. The tab that needs it says which.
Problem: Where do I review what I granted
Fix: In Facebook: Settings, Business integrations. CommentWatchDog is listed with its permissions.
Problem: Can you read my personal profile
Fix: No. The connection covers the Pages your login manages, not your personal timeline or your friends.
Common questions
Question: What stops working if I refuse the messages permission?
Answer: The Messages tab reads Allow message access to finish setup, private replies to comments cannot be sent, and DM automations have nothing to answer. Messenger and Instagram messages are a separate permission, and refusing it removes only that feature.
Question: Does CommentWatchDog need access to my ad account?
Answer: No. No ad account permission is requested. A comment is marked as an ad comment because the post it sits under is read with the permission that reads your Page content. That is enough to put the Ad mark on comments, let you filter by Type, and let rules run on ads only.
Question: Does refusing one permission break the whole app?
Answer: No. Refusing one removes the feature that needs it, not the app. Reading your Pages, posts and comments fills the inbox; hiding, unhiding, deleting and replying as your page are the moderation actions; each permission is used for a feature you can see.
Related guides
Permissions requested and why: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/security/permissions-requested-and-why
Allow message access on the connection: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/allow-message-access-on-the-connection
Reconnect Facebook: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/pages/reconnect-facebook
Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/pages/what-each-meta-permission-is-for.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt