Automate ManyChat with Claude

What you're building

An automated comment-to-DM system for Instagram. Someone comments your keyword on a post, ManyChat replies to the comment, sends them a DM, and hands over your resource link. It runs while you sleep.

The twist is who does the setup. Instead of you building the flow by hand inside ManyChat, Claude Code controls your browser and builds it for you. You describe the video and the link once, and Claude opens Chrome, navigates ManyChat, and assembles the entire automation. Your only job is to review the draft and flip it live after you post.

What you'll need

• A Claude Code account (claude.ai/code)
• Google Chrome browser
• A ManyChat account (free tier works)
• An Instagram Business or Creator account connected to ManyChat

Step 1: Install Claude Code for Chrome

Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for the Claude Code for Chrome extension. Install it and follow the setup instructions to connect it to your Claude Code account.

Once installed, you should see the Claude Code icon in your Chrome toolbar. Click it to verify it's connected and ready.

Step 2: Set up your ManyChat account

If you don't have ManyChat yet, sign up at manychat.com. The free tier is enough to get started.

Connect your Instagram Business or Creator account through ManyChat's Settings > Channels > Instagram. ManyChat needs this connection to send DMs on your behalf.

Spend a few minutes clicking around the Automations tab so you know where things live. You won't need to build anything manually, since Claude Code handles that, but it helps to know what you're looking at when you review the automation later.

Step 3: Create a ManyChat skill in Claude Code

This is the part that makes it repeatable. A skill is a small instruction file that teaches Claude Code exactly how to build ManyChat automations, so every future automation is one command. In your project directory, create a file at .claude/skills/manychat/SKILL.md and paste in the following:

---
name: manychat
description: Create a ManyChat Instagram comment-to-DM automation from a video transcript and link.
---

# /manychat — Instagram Comment-to-DM Automation

## Usage

/manychat <paste transcript or file path> link: <URL>

Example:
/manychat [transcript text] link: www.yoursite.com/freebie

## What This Skill Does

Takes a video transcript + a link and creates a complete ManyChat Quick Automation for Instagram:

1. Parses the transcript to extract:
   - Keyword: The word viewers are told to comment
   - CTA description: What the viewer gets
   - Product/resource name: The thing being offered

2. Opens Chrome, navigates to ManyChat, and builds the automation:
   - Creates a new Quick Automation ("Auto-DM links from comments" template)
   - Sets the trigger keyword (ALL CAPS)
   - Adds 3 comment reply rotations:
     1. "Thanks for commenting! Check your DMs"
     2. "Appreciate your reply. Sent you a DM."
     3. Third reply references the CTA item (e.g., "Guide sent to your DMs!")
   - Sets the opening DM: "Thanks for replying! Would you like to <CTA description>?"
   - Adds a button: "Yes, send me the link"
   - Sets the follow-up DM: "Here you go!"
   - Adds the follow-up button with your link
   - Sets trigger to "a specific post or reel" (leave post unselected until you post the video)

3. Leaves the automation in draft mode for you to review and activate after posting.

## How to Run It

In Claude Code, type:

/manychat The number one hack to building connection is to smile as you speak. Comment the word GUIDE below and I'll send you the free resource. link: https://yoursite.com/guide

Claude Code will open Chrome, navigate to ManyChat, and build the entire automation. Review it, then activate after you post the video.

## Keyword Extraction

The skill looks for phrases like "comment the word ___", "comment ___ below", "type ___", or "drop ___ in the comments" in your transcript. The keyword is always what viewers are told to comment.

That's the entire skill file. Once it exists, Claude Code knows exactly how to build ManyChat automations every time you invoke /manychat.

Step 4: Run your first automation

With the skill in place, you invoke it from Claude Code and pass in two things: the video transcript (or a description of the content) and the link you want to share.

/manychat The number one hack to building connection is to smile as you speak. Comment the word GUIDE below and I'll send you the free resource. link: https://yoursite.com/guide

Claude Code opens Chrome, navigates to ManyChat, and starts building:

1. Creates a new automation and names it
2. Sets the trigger keyword (what viewers need to comment)
3. Adds 3 comment reply variations so responses feel natural
4. Builds the opening DM with a friendly message and a button
5. Adds the follow-up DM containing your resource link

The whole process takes about a minute. When it's done, the automation sits in ManyChat in draft mode. Nothing goes live until you say so.

Review everything in ManyChat. Check that the keyword makes sense, the DM copy sounds like you, and the link is correct.

Step 5: Activate after posting

Post your video to Instagram first. The automation needs a specific post or reel to attach to.

Once the video is live:

1. Go back to ManyChat
2. Open the automation Claude Code created
3. Select the specific post/reel for the trigger
4. Click "Go Live"

Test it by commenting the keyword on your post from another account (or ask a friend to). You should receive the DM within a few seconds.

Pro tips

• Always leave automations in draft until your video is posted. ManyChat needs a live post to attach the trigger to.
• Use a clear, memorable keyword. A single word or number works best. "guide" or "101" — something easy to type in a comment.
• Keep your DM message short and friendly. One sentence of context, then the link. Nobody wants to read a paragraph in their DMs.
• Test the full flow before promoting the keyword in your content. Comment the keyword, check that the reply and DM both fire correctly.
• If you're running multiple automations, keep a simple list of which keyword maps to which video. Avoids conflicts.

What's next

Once you've built one automation, the second one takes half the time because the skill already exists. You're just passing in new content and a new link.

A few directions to explore from here:

• Set up automations for different lead magnets across your content
• Track which keywords drive the most DM engagement
• Try using Claude Code's Chrome extension for other repetitive browser tasks — form filling, data entry, testing workflows

The bigger idea: any browser task you do repeatedly is a candidate for a Claude Code skill.