> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.theomnibot.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Comment Automation: Auto-Reply on Facebook and Instagram
> Automate public and private replies to Facebook and Instagram comments, protect customer data, filter keywords, and track campaign performance.
Comment Automation lets ChatbotX respond automatically when a customer comments on one of your social media posts. When triggered, the system can simultaneously post a public reply under the comment and send a private message to the customer's Inbox — turning passive engagement into active conversations at scale.
This tool helps you:
* **Optimize responses** — reach customers the moment they show interest in your products or services.
* **Increase conversion rates** — move customers from public comments into personalized consultations in Inbox.
* **Protect customer information** — automatically hide comments containing phone numbers or sensitive data before competitors can see them.
* **Save time** — automate repetitive replies such as pricing inquiries or requests for details.
## Facebook Comment Automation
### Set Up a Facebook Comment Automation
Log in to your admin portal, select **Tools** from the left navigation menu, then click the **Facebook Comment Automation** card.
In the Facebook Comment Automation management interface, click **Create Automation** to start a new campaign.
Fill in the campaign settings:
* **Name** — enter a descriptive identifier such as `Auto Comment`.
* **Track comments on** — choose **All posts** to apply the automation to every current and future post on your Fanpage, or choose **Specific posts** and click **Choose posts…** to select individual posts. The post selector offers four filter tabs: **Published posts**, **Ads posts**, **Reels**, and **Post ID**.
* **Private reply (inbox)** — choose **Text message**, **Flow**, **AI Agent**, or **No reply** for the message sent to the customer's Inbox.
* **Public reply to comment** — choose how to reply publicly under the comment using the same options above.
Set conditions so the bot responds only to your intended audience:
| Option | Description |
| ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Reply to (optional)** | Set to **All comments**, **Exact match**, or **Contains**. When using Exact match or Contains, enter keywords in the **Keywords to match** field and press Enter. |
| **Exclude comments with these keywords** | The bot skips any comment containing these words (e.g., spam or negative terms). |
| **Only reply to new contacts** | Limits replies to users who have never messaged or interacted with the Fanpage before. |
| **Reply only once to each user per post** | Each customer receives at most one automatic reply per post, even if they comment multiple times. |
| **Like the user comment** | Automatically likes the customer's comment when replying. |
| **Reply to users who commented on other posts** | The bot still responds to customers who have previously commented on other Fanpage posts. |
| **Don't reply to replies to comments** | The bot ignores sub-comments (replies nested within a main comment thread). |
| **Track if a user tags other users** | Detects whether customers tag friends in their comments — ideal for mini-games or giveaways requiring friend tags to receive rewards. |
Open the **Reply after** dropdown and select when the system should send replies:
| Option | Behavior |
| ------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Immediately** | Replies as soon as a customer comments. |
| **After X seconds / minutes / hours** | Delays the reply by the specified duration. Enter the number in the **Value** field. |
| **Random within X minutes** | Replies at a random time within a range of 3–60 minutes. This makes the bot feel more natural and helps avoid Facebook spam flags. |
Open the **Hide Comments** dropdown and select a duration to automatically hide customer comments on your posts:
| Option | Behavior |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------- |
| **Never** | Comments are never hidden. |
| **6h / 12h** | Hides the comment after 6 or 12 hours. |
| **1d – 10d** | Hides the comment after 1 to 10 days. |
Click **Create** in the bottom-right corner to save and activate the campaign.
### Manage Facebook Comment Automations
Once your automation is created, it appears in the main dashboard where you can monitor and manage it:
* **Quick Toggle Status** — use the switch in the **Status** column to activate (green) or pause (gray) the automation at any time.
* **Track Metrics** — the **Replies** column shows the total number of automatic messages and comments sent for that campaign.
* **Action Menu** — click the three-dot `...` icon in the **Actions** column to **Edit**, **Rename**, **Move** (to a folder), or **Delete** the automation.
Use folders to group automations by campaign or promotion, making it easier to manage multiple active setups at once.
## Instagram Comment Automation
**Instagram Comment Automation** works the same way as the Facebook version and covers the same four main sections: Targeting & Reply, Filters & Options, Reply Timing, and Hide Comments. The key difference is that Instagram's post selector offers **Published posts**, **Reels**, and **Post ID** tabs (there is no separate Ads posts tab).
Instagram's Hide Comments feature additionally lets you choose to hide **all** comments, comments **containing a phone number**, comments **containing a link**, or comments **containing specific keywords** — giving you more granular control over what appears publicly on your posts.
To create an Instagram Comment Automation, select **Tools** from the left menu and click the **Instagram Comment Automation** card.
Test any new automation on a specific post before enabling it across all posts. Check both the public reply and the Inbox message to confirm the content is correct before it reaches real customers.
## Instagram Story Reply Automation
**Instagram Story Reply Automation** automatically responds when customers reply to one of your Instagram Stories. ChatbotX can send a text message, start a prepared Flow, or route the reply to an AI Agent — all delivered directly to the customer's Inbox.
You can track replies on **All stories** or only on **Specific stories**, and filter which replies trigger a response using the same **All replies**, **Exact match**, and **Contains** keyword conditions available in Comment Automation.
To set up Story Reply Automation, select **Tools** from the left menu and click the **Instagram Story Reply Automation** card.