Instagram integration architect for a working AI outreach app

**Title:** Instagram integration architect for a working AI outreach app — advise on compliant vs. automation path & build it **About the project** We've built the full MVP of "Agent X," an AI growth operator for Instagram. It discovers B2B prospects, scores them 0–100 with an explainable breakdown, drafts personalized comments/DMs in the client's brand voice, and routes everything through a human-approval queue, CRM, and dashboard. It's a real, working Next.js app — **not** a concept. The entire product works today **except one thing: reliably connecting to Instagram to act on prospects.** That's what we're hiring for. **Already built and working (so you're not starting from zero)** - Next.js 16 + TypeScript app: onboarding, lead import (manual/CSV), AI scoring, engagement queue with human approval + editable drafts + daily limits, CRM pipeline, dashboard, audit log - AI layer (Anthropic Claude) with a mock mode - **Web-based prospect discovery that works** — finds real public Instagram profile URLs via web search, in English and the target region's local language - A FastAPI microservice (`instagrapi`) wired end-to-end to the app for follow/comment/DM **Where we're stuck — the exact problem** The unofficial `instagrapi` service is fully wired but **has never executed a single real action.** Instagram blocks login from our datacenter IP, there's no challenge/2FA handling, and the whole approach violates Instagram's ToS with real account-ban risk. Meanwhile the official Instagram Graph API is compliant but can't do cold DMs or competitor-audience discovery. **We have not committed to a path and want your expert judgment.** **What we need you to do** 1. **Advise first.** Given our compliance-first product and the goal of real prospect engagement at scale, recommend an architecture: official Graph API, hardened unofficial automation, a hybrid, or a third option. Be honest about reach vs. ToS/ban risk vs. maintenance cost. 2. **Then build the path we agree on** — e.g. official Instagram Login + Business Discovery + messaging within policy, OR a hardened automation layer (residential proxies, session persistence, challenge/2FA resolver, warm-up), integrated into our existing queue/approval flow. 3. Deliver it reliably enough to run in production with clear operational limits and risk documentation. **Required expertise (you should have most of these)** - Deep, current knowledge of the **Instagram/Meta Graph API** — Instagram Login, Business Discovery, messaging permissions, and **Meta App Review** in practice - Firsthand experience with the **limits of official vs. unofficial** Instagram access (what each can and cannot do in 2026) - If proposing automation: `instagrapi`/private-API hardening, residential proxies, session management, challenge/2FA handling, account warm-up and rate-limit realities - Comfort integrating a service into an existing Next.js/TypeScript + Python (FastAPI) stack **Your proposal should include (please, no generic pitches)** 1. Which path you'd recommend for us **and why**, in 3–5 sentences 2. One specific project where you shipped Instagram integration — official or unofficial — and what broke 3. Your honest take on ban risk and how you mitigate it 4. Whether you've passed Meta App Review, and for which permissions **Engagement:** Start with a paid 2–4 hour consultation to produce the recommendation and a build plan. If it's a fit, we continue into the build. [Adjust rate/budget/timezone here.] **What we need:** Our AI Instagram outreach app is fully built and working — except the one piece that actually connects to Instagram to follow/comment/DM prospects reliably. The unofficial automation route gets accounts blocked; the official API is compliant but limited. We need someone to recommend the right path and build it. **Who we need:** An Instagram/Meta Graph API expert (with real App Review experience) who also knows the unofficial-automation trade-offs, and can integrate the solution into our existing Next.js + FastAPI stack.