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How to Generate a Meta System User Access Token for Instagram

Use this guide to create the required Meta (Facebook) assets and generate a non-expiring System User Access Token needed for the Buildfire Instagram plugin.

Amr Alshareef avatar
Written by Amr Alshareef
Updated this week

Requirements

  1. An Instagram Professional Account (either a Business or Creator account).

  2. A Facebook Page that is linked to your Instagram Professional Account. (You can link this in the Instagram app via Edit Profile > Page).

  3. Access to Meta for Developers (developer.facebook.com).

  4. Access to Meta Business Settings (business.facebook.com) for your business.

Part 1: Create a Meta App

  1. Go to Meta for Developers and log in.

  2. Click My Apps > Create App.

  3. Follow the prompts to name your app (e.g., "My App's Feed").

  4. From the left sidebar, select “Others” -> “Other”. Click Next.

  5. Select an app type. When creating the app, select ‘Business’ as the app type. This is required for apps that access Instagram Business or Creator accounts through the Graph API.

  6. Review your app details (e.g, “Name and Contact info), and then select your Business portfolio.

Part 2: Create a System User and Generate the Token

Using a System User is Meta's recommended method, as its token does not expire like a normal user token.

  1. Go to Meta Business Settings (business.facebook.com) and select your Business Account.

  2. In the left menu, go to Users > System Users.

  3. Click Add. Give the user a name (e.g., "BuildFire_Plugin_Access") and set the System User Role to "Admin". Click Create System User.

  4. Now, you must assign assets to this new user. Select the System User you just created and click Add Assets.

  5. In the "Select asset type" column, choose Apps. Select the Meta App you created in Part 1. Turn on the toggle for Manage App (Full Control) and click Save Changes.

  6. Turn on the toggle for the View Page or Manage Page permission. Click Save Changes. A page reload is required.

  7. Click Add Assets again. This time, in the "Select asset type" column, choose Pages. Select the Facebook Page that is linked to your Instagram account.

  8. Finally, generate the token. Select the same System User. Click Generate New Token.

  9. In the pop-up, select your App from the dropdown.

  10. Under "Assign permissions," select the following:

    • instagram_basic

    • pages_show_list

    • pages_read_engagement

    • business_management

  11. Click Generate Token.

  12. Important: Copy this token immediately and save it somewhere secure. Meta will not show it to you again.

Part 3: Add the Token to Your BuildFire Plugin

Now you have your token. Go back to your BuildFire app's control panel.

  1. Open your Instagram Plugin.

  2. Go to the Settings tab.

  3. Paste the token into the Access Token field and configure the rest of your plugin settings.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

  • Q: My token stopped working.

    • A: Standard user tokens expire. System User tokens are long-lived (non-expiring under normal conditions), but they may be invalidated if permissions, assets, or app credentials change.

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