Great question—let’s break this down clearly:

1. Is using Python Requests for Instagram DM possible? #

Yes, technically you can pull this off, but it’s not straightforward or recommended. Instagram doesn’t expose a public API for direct messages for regular personal accounts. To make this work with Requests, you’d have to reverse-engineer Instagram’s private, undocumented API—the same one the official mobile app uses under the hood.

Here’s what that process involves:

• First, simulate a login request to grab valid session cookies, CSRF tokens, and authentication headers (like the ig-set-authorization header that Instagram uses for private API calls).
• Every DM-related action (send a message, fetch conversation threads, mark messages as read) requires matching the exact request structure, headers, and parameters that the official app sends. That means you’ll need to inspect network traffic from the app or browser to copy these details.
• You’ll also have to handle request signing—Instagram adds cryptographic signatures to many private API calls to block non-official clients, which adds a layer of complexity you can’t skip.

The major downsides here:

• The private API changes frequently, so your code could break overnight without warning.
• Instagram actively scans for non-official client activity. If your requests don’t mimic human behavior perfectly (e.g., too many messages sent too quickly), you risk getting your account restricted or permanently banned.

2. Do you need to use the official Instagram API? #

No, but it’s the only stable, legal, and low-risk option—with a key caveat:

• The only official API that supports DMs is the Instagram Graph API, which is limited to business accounts and creator accounts (not regular personal accounts). It’s well-documented, maintained by Meta, and won’t get your account flagged for suspicious activity.
• The old public API for personal accounts was deprecated years ago, so there’s no official way for regular users to access DMs via an API.

Practical Recommendations #

• If you’re working with a business/creator account: Use the Instagram Graph API. It’s the right tool for the job, with none of the risks of reverse-engineering.
• If you’re dealing with a personal account and need to automate DMs: Consider using a third-party library like instagrapi (which wraps the private API) instead of writing raw Requests code. It handles most of the authentication and signing logic for you, though you still need to be cautious with request frequency to avoid account restrictions.
• If you insist on using Requests directly: Be prepared to spend time inspecting network traffic, updating your code frequently as Instagram changes its API, and being extremely deliberate about mimicking human-like behavior.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者ahmet ilboga