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Multiple Instagram automation issues — Universal DM, duplicate contact collection, and New Follower permissions

  • March 26, 2026
  • 2 comments
  • 28 views

pranjalkhatod

Hi ManyChat community,

We are a D2C brand (Bloc — blocinsects.com) running Instagram 
automations and have hit several issues we need help resolving. 
Listing them clearly below:

ISSUE 1 — New Follower permissions not working

We are trying to set up the "Say hi to new followers" Basic 
Automation. When we click Update Permissions, it fails to 
authenticate through Instagram. We have been told by other 
tools that Meta has recently restricted DMs to new followers 
unless there has been prior interaction. We are unsure if this 
is a ManyChat configuration issue or a Meta-level restriction. 
Can ManyChat support help us resolve this or clarify the 
current status of this feature?

ISSUE 2 — Universal DM flow only fires once per contact

We have set up a Default Reply as our universal DM flow 
(qualification message with buttons). The problem: it only 
fires the first time a user messages us. If the same user 
messages again later — for example after going through a 
keyword flow — the Default Reply does not trigger again.

Is there a way to make the Default Reply fire every time a 
user sends a message that doesn't match a keyword, regardless 
of whether they have messaged before?

ISSUE 3 — Second comment on same post does not trigger flow

When a user comments a keyword (e.g. "price") on a post, the 
flow triggers correctly. But if the same user comments a 
second keyword on the same post (e.g. "link"), no flow is 
triggered. Is there a cooldown period per user per post? 
How do we allow multiple keyword triggers from the same user 
on the same post?

ISSUE 4 — Keyword flow and Universal DM conflict

After a user completes a keyword flow (e.g. price flow) and 
later sends a generic DM like "hi", the Universal DM Default 
Reply does not fire. It appears that once a contact has been 
through any automation, the Default Reply stops working for 
them entirely. How do we ensure the Default Reply fires for 
any unmatched DM regardless of prior automation history?

ISSUE 5 — Prevent duplicate contact data collection

We collect phone number and city via a Data Collection step. 
If the same user triggers the lead capture flow more than once 
(e.g. comes back a second time), they get asked for their 
details again even though we already have them stored.

What is the best way to check whether PHONE_NUMBER custom 
field is already populated and skip the Data Collection step 
if it is? We want to use a Condition node for this but are 
unsure of the exact setup.

We are on ManyChat Pro Trial. All automations are on 
Instagram channel. Happy to share screenshots or screen 
record any of the above.

Would also welcome a call with the support team if that 
is possible.

Thank you
Pranjal Khatod
Product & Growth — Bloc (blocinsects.com)

Best answer by Gustavo Boregio

Hey ​@pranjalkhatod welcome to the community!

 

Let’s go over your issues:

ISSUE 1 — New Follower permissions not working

This feature is still in Beta and there have been several issues with it.

It’s possible that your account is not yet enabled for this feature.

My suggestion is that you focus on other strategies and trigger for the moment.

 

ISSUE 2 — Universal DM flow only fires once per contact

Most likely you’ve set it to trigger once every 24 hours. Make sure it’s set to trigger every time.

Here’s the documentation: https://help.manychat.com/hc/en-us/articles/14281159586588-Default-Reply-in-Manychat

 

ISSUE 3 — Second comment on same post does not trigger flow

This is a feature, not a bug. Meta triggers once per user per post.

This is just how it works, you’ll need to adapt your content and strategy to this.

 

ISSUE 4 — Keyword flow and Universal DM conflict

This is most likely related to issue #2. Fix that, and this one should be fixed also.

 

ISSUE 5 — Prevent duplicate contact data collection

You need to use conditions for this. Here’s the documentation: https://help.manychat.com/hc/en-us/articles/14281142518556-Condition-Block

 

As for the call with support, Manychat does not offer this at the moment.

But several experts do offer (paid) consulting calls that will definitely help you (myself included!)

 

Hope this helps!

2 replies

Gustavo Boregio
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  • Community Moderator & Expert
  • Answer
  • March 26, 2026

Hey ​@pranjalkhatod welcome to the community!

 

Let’s go over your issues:

ISSUE 1 — New Follower permissions not working

This feature is still in Beta and there have been several issues with it.

It’s possible that your account is not yet enabled for this feature.

My suggestion is that you focus on other strategies and trigger for the moment.

 

ISSUE 2 — Universal DM flow only fires once per contact

Most likely you’ve set it to trigger once every 24 hours. Make sure it’s set to trigger every time.

Here’s the documentation: https://help.manychat.com/hc/en-us/articles/14281159586588-Default-Reply-in-Manychat

 

ISSUE 3 — Second comment on same post does not trigger flow

This is a feature, not a bug. Meta triggers once per user per post.

This is just how it works, you’ll need to adapt your content and strategy to this.

 

ISSUE 4 — Keyword flow and Universal DM conflict

This is most likely related to issue #2. Fix that, and this one should be fixed also.

 

ISSUE 5 — Prevent duplicate contact data collection

You need to use conditions for this. Here’s the documentation: https://help.manychat.com/hc/en-us/articles/14281142518556-Condition-Block

 

As for the call with support, Manychat does not offer this at the moment.

But several experts do offer (paid) consulting calls that will definitely help you (myself included!)

 

Hope this helps!


pranjalkhatod
  • Author
  • Up-and-Comer
  • March 27, 2026

Thanks a ton, this helped!