InstaPilot — Installation & Use

AI Instagram Growth Operating System (self-hosted). English documentation for CodeCanyon buyers.

Important: This product uses the official Meta Instagram Graph API for Professional accounts. Default publish mode is simulation. Live posting requires your own Meta app review. Do not market the product as guaranteed follower growth or unattended spam posting.

1. Requirements

Node.js 20+
PostgreSQL 14+
Redis 7+ (recommended for queues/workers)
Optional: Meta Instagram app, OpenAI key, Cloudflare R2 bucket

2. Quick start (Docker infra + local apps)

Linux / macOS: bash scripts/setup-linux.sh

docker compose up -d postgres redis
cp apps/api/.env.example apps/api/.env
cp apps/web/.env.example apps/web/.env
# Edit JWT_SECRET to a long random value before any public deploy
npm install
cd apps/api && npx prisma migrate deploy && cd ../..
# Local demo accounts (optional):
# In apps/api/.env set SEED_DEMO=1 then:
npm run db:seed
npm run dev

Web: http://localhost:3000 · API: http://localhost:4000/health

3. Environment variables

API (`apps/api/.env`)

DATABASE_URL — PostgreSQL connection string
REDIS_URL — Redis URL
JWT_SECRET — required; strong unique secret in production
SEED_DEMO — 1 local demo only; 0 for production
WEB_ORIGIN — frontend origin for CORS
META_APP_ID / META_APP_SECRET / META_REDIRECT_URI
PUBLISH_MODE — simulation (default) or live
APP_NAME — display name (white-label)

Web (`apps/web/.env`)

API_INTERNAL_URL — server-side API URL (default http://127.0.0.1:4000)
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME — brand label in UI
NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOW_DEMO_ACCOUNTS — set 0 on public sites
NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_WATERMARK — set 1 on Envato live preview

4. Test accounts after install (SEED_DEMO=1 once)

After you point DATABASE_URL at your empty Postgres, set SEED_DEMO=1 and run npm run db:seed. These users exist only on your database — the CodeCanyon ZIP never contains the seller's live data.

Super Admin (full): admin@instapilot.local / Admin123!
Creator: founder@instapilot.local / Founder123!
Agency: agency@instapilot.local / Agency123!

admin@ is a real Super Admin on your install (Software settings, SMTP, Support inbox). Change passwords before going public, then set SEED_DEMO=0 and NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOW_DEMO_ACCOUNTS=0.

Seller Envato preview keeps SEED_DEMO=0 and may create a sandboxed Demo Super Admin from Software settings (sample data only).

4b. CodeCanyon packaging & data safety

No live Postgres dump ships in the ZIP
No seller API keys / Meta / SMTP secrets
No real customer accounts from the seller SaaS
Buyers configure their own DATABASE_URL and run migrations on a fresh DB

5. Meta Instagram setup

Create an app at developers.facebook.com
Add Instagram product (Professional / Business Login)
Set OAuth redirect to your META_REDIRECT_URI
Put App ID/Secret in env or Super Admin → Software settings
Connect from Workspace → Connect Instagram
Keep PUBLISH_MODE=simulation until App Review allows live publish

6. OpenAI & Cloudflare R2

Configure in Super Admin → Software settings (preferred) or env vars listed in apps/api/.env.example. R2 public HTTPS URLs are required for Instagram media publishing.

7. Production checklist

Set NODE_ENV=production
Set strong JWT_SECRET and TOKEN_ENCRYPTION_KEY
Set SEED_DEMO=0 and NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOW_DEMO_ACCOUNTS=0
Use HTTPS reverse proxy (Nginx/Caddy) for web + API
Run API, workers, and web as separate processes (see npm run scripts)
Apply schema with npx prisma migrate deploy (preferred over db push)
Backup PostgreSQL regularly

7b. Envato live preview watermark

On your public demo host, copy apps/web/.env.demo.example values into apps/web/.env:

NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_WATERMARK=1
NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOW_DEMO_ACCOUNTS=0
NEXT_PUBLIC_DEMO_WATERMARK_TEXT=DEMO PREVIEW — Envato item

A fixed bottom watermark appears site-wide so visitors know it is a preview.

Cover and preview assets: see envato/previews/README.md. Start from envato/previews/cover-2340x1560.svg (3:2).

Buyer ZIP: run powershell -File scripts/package-codecanyon.ps1 (Windows) or bash scripts/package-codecanyon.sh (Linux/macOS).

7c. Public documentation URL

On a running install, open /documentation (also linked as Docs in the marketing header). Envato requires documentation that is publicly reachable (not behind a purchase gate). The same content ships in the download under documentation/.

8. Customization / white-label

Change APP_NAME / NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_NAME
Replace logos/images under apps/web/public
Membership plans: Super Admin → Membership plans

9. Support scope

Item support covers installation of the shipped code, configuration of documented env vars, and bug fixes in the item. Meta App Review decisions, OpenAI billing, and Cloudflare account issues are outside item support.

10. Credits

See Credits for third-party libraries and fonts.