git:20261007.7f28d14 to git:20261020.6feee6e

36 added, 68 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: instagram-research

description: Research public Instagram accounts, posts, Reels, comments, hashtags, and creators for audits, benchmarks, audience voice, or collaboration shortlists.

metadata:

postplus:

familyId: instagram

familyName: Instagram

---

# Instagram Research

- Use this as the single Instagram research entrypoint when the user has not

- already chosen a narrower Instagram skill. It routes the request, applies the

- public-surface contract, and runs the smallest supported first pass.

+ Research public Instagram evidence for the user's marketing decision. A product,

+ category, problem, competitor, account, or content URL is enough to start.

+ Use the task reference below and [shared contract](references/shared-contract.md)

+ for research completion, reporting, and downstream handoffs.

## Reference Index

- Read only the one route reference matching the request. The local contract is

- optional detail when platform scope remains unclear.

| User asks for | Apply |

| --- | --- |

| Known account, handle, profile URL, competitor account | `references/account-audit.md` |

| Organic examples, hooks, formats, "what works", competitor content | `references/organic-benchmark.md` |

| Comments, audience voice, objections, FAQ, consumer language | `references/audience-voice.md` |

| Creators, influencers, KOL/KOC, UGC makers, affiliates, contacts | `references/creator-discovery.md` |

| Campaign, hashtag, branded UGC sample, watchlist, competitor campaign | `references/campaign-scout.md` |

| Paid ads, Stories, Shop, LIVE, private data, backend analytics, broad social listening | Stop or ask for a supported public Instagram scope |

| Cross-platform request | Run only the Instagram lane here; hand off other platforms |

- ## First Question

- Ask one question only when the answer changes platform, route,

- public/private boundary, or first-pass scope.

- | Missing | Ask |

- | --- | --- |

- | Platform | `Which platform should I use first?` |

- | Instagram seed | `Please give one Instagram seed: handle, profile URL, post/Reel URL, hashtag, brand/search query, campaign term, or creator criteria.` |

- | Brand audit without handle | `Do you have the official handle, or should I first run search recall for candidate accounts?` |

- | Audience voice without post source | `Send 1-5 public post/Reel URLs, or give an account, hashtag, or query so I can build a shortlist first.` |

- | Creator discovery without seed | `Give one niche, category, hashtag, competitor account, audience keyword, region/language, or collaboration goal.` |

- | Contact enrichment without shortlist | `Send the narrowed creator usernames/profile URLs, or let me first shortlist candidates.` |

- Do not ask for credentials, private exports, or retry strategy.

- ## Run Discipline

+ ## Understand the request

- 1. Route the request with the table above.

- 2. Read only the selected workflow reference.

- 3. Run the narrowest collection chain that can answer the first pass.

- 4. If execution succeeds but evidence is empty, sparse, noisy, or off-topic,

- apply the quality rules below; do not repeat the

- same request or silently expand the approved PostPlus credit scope.

- 5. Stop after the bounded first pass and report scope, evidence, limits, and

- next action.

+ Infer the intended decision and useful deliverable from the request. Read an

+ unfamiliar product's official page before deriving brands, use cases, problem

+ phrases, and hashtags. Verify brand/account identity instead of guessing from a

+ name. Do not ask the user to supply competitor lists or choose search batches.

+ Ask one focused question only when missing product identity, subject, market,

+ or a public/private boundary would materially change the work. If the user has

+ provided a usable product/category/account/URL, start; do not ask for another

+ seed or an output-format choice. Preserve all platforms the user requested.

- Do not present a sample as full-platform truth. Do not add hidden implementation

- fields, analysis notes, unsupported filters, or compatibility fallbacks.

+ Keep explicit requirements, inferred search directions, and unknown conditions

+ separate. Inferred directions are not hidden exclusion rules. Unsupported

+ private metrics remain unknown; use the available public evidence only when it

+ can still answer the requested decision.

## Public Command Boundary

- - Choose the smallest matching command or workflow from the user input and run

- it directly.

- - Readiness diagnostics: `postplus doctor --skill instagram-research`.

- - Inspect a route with `postplus research run <route> --help` only when its

- semantic flags are not already clear.

- - Run `postplus research run <route> --<semantic flags> --wait --output

- <result.json>`.

- - Pass only public handles, URLs, hashtags, search terms, locations, and limits

- through flags shown by the selected route.

- - Keep the first pass bounded; expand only after inspecting the first result.

- - If the CLI returns a quote-confirmation challenge, reuse existing explicit user approval only when it covers the challenge scope and maximum cost; otherwise obtain approval before running `postplus quote confirm --json --challenge-file <challenge.json>` and retry with the returned token.

- ## Command Selection

- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

- Only if platform scope or evidence interpretation remains unclear, consult

- [platform contract](references/shared-contract.md); it is not a preflight.

+ Run the selected route with its declared semantic flags:

- ## Evidence Quality

+ ```bash

+ postplus research run <route> --<semantic flags> --limit <n> --wait --output result.json

+ ```

- 1. Check that profile facts, post evidence, and actual comments match the requested decision; captions are not audience voice.

- 2. Prefer verified handles or post URLs; if discovery misses, change the query or hashtag and verify the shortlisted profiles.

- 3. Allow at most two changed follow-up passes after successful but insufficient results, within approved scope and budget; do not repeat an identical request or hide a failed/pending operation.

- 4. Stop when sufficient, at the bound, or when another pass would not help. Report useful evidence and uncertainty; preserve raw results and source links.

+ | Evidence need | Route | Inputs |

+ | --- | --- | --- |

+ | Profile facts | `instagram-profiles` | repeat `--handle` |

+ | Account posts or known posts | `instagram-posts` | repeat `--handle` or repeat `--url`, never both |

+ | Actual comments | `instagram-comments` | repeat `--url`; `--include-replies` when needed |

+ | Public contact signals | `instagram-email-search` | repeat `--handle`, only shortlisted creators |

- Public follower counts are snapshots, not growth; contact signals are unverified, and absent metrics are not zero.

- Full machine fields belong to `postplus research schema --route <route> --json`;

- consult it only when required for processing, not before every request.

+ Use `postplus research run <route> --help` when flags, enums, or bounds are

+ unclear; inspect `postplus research schema --route <route> --json` only when

+ processing needs exact result fields. `postplus doctor --skill instagram-research`

+ is a diagnostic, not a compulsory preflight. Never use private supplier inputs.

+ Save independent batches separately; run them concurrently only after their

+ inputs are known. Follow the returned structured action for pending/failed

+ operations; resume the same operation, not a replacement submission.

```bash

postplus research run instagram-comments \

--url "https://example.com/source" \

--wait \

--output ./result.json

```

Follow the CLI's structured result and reported next action; do not infer recovery from free-text messages.

Reuse explicit user approval that already covers the requested scope and maximum cost; otherwise obtain approval before confirming a quote. Never infer spending authorization from a task alone.

Resume the same operation through its returned checkpoint or action; never resubmit uncertain work, repeat exhausted recovery, or switch providers to bypass failure.