What it checks

What this checker looks for

Instagram rarely explains a restriction. An account sending automated replies can go from normal to action-blocked with no warning and no itemised reason, which makes the rules something most people learn only after they have broken them. This tool grades a reply before it is sent, against the published Meta policies that govern business messaging, and tells you which specific phrase is the problem.

Checks run against twelve policy areas drawn from Meta's Spam, Fraud and Deception, Restricted Goods, Cybersecurity and Community Guidelines, plus the Messenger Platform policy that covers automated messaging. Each finding points at the exact span of text that triggered it and explains what to change.

Scoring

How the risk score works

Every check returns a score from 0 to 100 and one of three verdicts. Severity compounds: several moderate problems in one message can outrank a single serious one, because that is closer to how automated enforcement reads a message.

Pass

0 – 15

Nothing found that maps to a policy. Safe to send.

Warn

16 – 55

Something resembles a pattern Instagram penalises. Usually fixable by rewording one line.

Fail

56 – 100

A clear policy conflict. Sending this at volume is what action blocks are for.

The rubric

The twelve policies checked

Each card is a policy area the checker grades against, with the severity it carries.

Deceptive links High

The destination has to match what the link text promises. Cloaked redirects, shorteners concealing a different page, lookalike domains and links that mimic Instagram's own interface all fall here.

Risky: “Click here to view your Instagram security alert: bit.ly/x9f”Safer: “Here's the free PDF: mysite.com/free-guide”

Giveaways for engagement High

Offering cash or cash equivalents in exchange for likes, shares, follows or tags is prohibited outright, as is buying or trading engagement. Ordinary giveaways and discount codes are fine — it is the exchange for engagement that breaks the rule.

Risky: “$50 cash to the first 10 people who share this to their story.”Safer: “Comment if you'd like the discount code and I'll send it over.”

Financial claims High

False promises of financial gain, guaranteed returns, get-rich-quick offers and fabricated discounts are treated as fraud. Describing typical results with evidence is fine; guaranteeing an outcome is not.

Risky: “Guaranteed $10k/month passive income — DM me to start today.”Safer: “Our clients typically see results within 3 months — case studies here.”

Impersonation and phishing Critical

Messages designed to resemble a trustworthy source in order to extract sensitive information, anything harvesting login credentials, and false claims of affiliation with a brand. This is the fastest route to permanent account loss rather than a temporary block.

Risky: “Instagram Support here: send your password to restore your account.”Safer: “Drop your email and I'll send the guide over.”

Engagement gating High

Meta prohibits requiring engagement before promised content is delivered. Asking someone to comment is fine; making a follow, share or tag a condition of receiving the link is not. The wording gets copied between accounts, which is how one gating phrase ends up on every automation someone runs.

Risky: “You MUST follow me and share this post before I send the link.”Safer: “Thanks for commenting! Here's the guide you asked for: example.com/guide”

Restricted goods Critical

Buying, selling or trading non-medical drugs, pharmaceuticals, marijuana, firearms and parts, explosives or endangered species. Alcohol, tobacco, weight-loss products and gambling are restricted rather than banned, and carry age and targeting conditions.

Health misinformation High

Guaranteed medical outcomes, disease-cure claims, vaccine misinformation and promotion of treatments likely to cause serious harm. Wellbeing claims are fine when they stop short of promising a medical result.

Risky: “This tea cures cancer — no chemo needed, DM to order.”Safer: “Our supplement supports general wellbeing — not a medical treatment.”

Counterfeits and IP Medium

Copyright and trademark infringement, selling or promoting counterfeit goods, claiming a brand affiliation you do not have, and linking out to sites promoting suspected counterfeits.

Hateful conduct Critical

Direct attacks on people based on protected characteristics — race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religion, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity or serious disease — including dehumanising language, slurs and calls for exclusion.

Harassment High

Targeted attacks, threats, degrading content aimed at an individual and repeated unwanted contact. Worth checking on automations specifically: an auto-reply written to sound blunt to a critic is still harassment when it fires at scale.

Adult solicitation Critical

Sexual solicitation and explicit language, including implicit or coded offers of sexual content or services and offers referencing paid adult content in exchange for contact.

Messenger Platform rules Medium

The policy specific to automated business messaging. Promotional content is permitted only inside the 24-hour window opened by a user action; automated experiences must disclose that they are automated where law requires it, including California and Germany; and message tags may not be used to deliver promotions.

FAQ

Questions, answered

01Can one message get my Instagram account banned?
A single message almost never causes a ban on its own. Enforcement responds to patterns — the same risky template sent to hundreds of people is what triggers action blocks, reach restrictions and, in severe cases, account disablement. That is precisely why checking a template before it goes into an automation matters more than checking any one reply.
02What does an Instagram action block feel like?
Usually silent. Sends begin failing or messages stop being delivered, the account's reach falls, and no notification explains why. Blocks are typically temporary — hours to days — but repeat triggers extend them and escalate toward permanent restriction.
03Is asking people to comment on a post against the rules?
No. Comment-to-DM automation is a supported pattern and asking for a comment is fine. The line is conditionality: the moment delivery is made contingent on following, sharing or tagging, it becomes engagement gating.
04Does this tool talk to Instagram or Meta?
No. It evaluates your message against published policy and returns an advisory assessment. It has no access to your account, your sending history or any Meta enforcement system, and nothing here is an official Meta determination.
05Do I need an account to use it?
No. The checker is free and runs without signup. Checks are rate-limited per day to keep it available.
06What happens to the message I paste in?
It is analysed to produce the verdict you see. A report is stored only when you choose to share one, and a shared report shows the message as you wrote it — never the suggested rewrite.