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Question

Instagram system variable : "Follow your account" is rturning non boolean "Invalid Variable" for some contacts

  • July 10, 2026
  • 1 comment
  • 50 views

PrinceR

Hi, I'm having an issue with my Instagram automation using a Condition step based on "Follows your account is true".

For some users, even though they do follow my account, the condition doesn't match the "Yes" branch — it falls into the "If not" branch instead. When I check the custom field I use to monitor this variable, it shows "Invalid Variable" for these contacts.

For other users, the same variable resolves correctly (returns 1/true) and the condition dispatches as expected.

Troubleshooting already done on my end:

  • Refreshed the Instagram connection
  • Followed the official IG automation troubleshooting guide
  • Checked status.manychat.com — all systems show operational
  • This is not one-time trigger behavior — it's recurring and affects new contacts on an ongoing basis

Could you help me understand why this variable sometimes fails to resolve for contacts triggered from a comment on a Post/Reel? Is this a known issue with the Instagram API sync, and is there a way to make this more reliable (e.g. retry logic)?

Happy to share screenshots showing both a working contact (variable resolves to 1) and a failing one ({Invalid Variable}) for comparison.

 

1 reply

rodrigo_silvano
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Hey, ​@PrinceR 

If the field returns “Invalid Variable”, Manychat wasn’t able to get a valid follower status for that contact.

I recommend adding a separate fallback path for these contacts instead of treating them as people who don’t follow your account.

Since you already refreshed the permissions and followed the troubleshooting steps, please open a ticket with Manychat support and include a few affected contact IDs. They should be able to check what value is being received from Instagram.