jackwener/OpenCLI · error · Error

HTTP ' + res.status + ' - make sure you are logged in to Ins

Error message

HTTP ' + res.status + ' - make sure you are logged in to Instagram

What it means

The instagram explore command's in-page script calls Instagram's web explore_grid API with cookie credentials; if the response is not ok, it throws a plain Error 'HTTP <status> - make sure you are logged in to Instagram'. This surfaces the raw HTTP status of the explore API call and hints the most common cause: an unauthenticated session (401/403) or throttling (429).

Source

Thrown at clis/instagram/explore.js:23

    access: 'read',
    description: 'Instagram explore/discover trending posts',
    domain: 'www.instagram.com',
    args: [
        { name: 'limit', type: 'int', default: 20, help: 'Number of posts' },
    ],
    columns: ['rank', 'user', 'caption', 'likes', 'comments', 'type'],
    pipeline: [
        { navigate: 'https://www.instagram.com' },
        { evaluate: `(async () => {
  const limit = \${{ args.limit }};
  const res = await fetch(
    'https://www.instagram.com/api/v1/discover/web/explore_grid/',
    {
      credentials: 'include',
      headers: { 'X-IG-App-ID': '936619743392459' }
    }
  );
  if (!res.ok) throw new Error('HTTP ' + res.status + ' - make sure you are logged in to Instagram');
  const data = await res.json();

  // Instagram no longer populates the flat layout_content.medias[] path. Media
  // objects are now nested across mixed layout shapes (one_by_two_item.clips.
  // items[].media, fill_items[].media, etc.), so recursively walk each sectional
  // item collecting every distinct node.media and dedupe by pk/id/code. See #2091.
  const seen = new Set();
  const medias = [];
  const collect = (node, depth) => {
    if (!node || typeof node !== 'object' || depth > 8) return;
    if (Array.isArray(node)) {
      for (const item of node) collect(item, depth + 1);
      return;
    }
    const media = node.media;
    if (media && typeof media === 'object' && !Array.isArray(media)) {
      const key = media.pk ?? media.id ?? media.code;
      if (key != null && !seen.has(key)) {

View on GitHub (pinned to 49907e53dc)

Solutions

1. Log in to Instagram in the browser session, then re-run explore
2. Wait and retry if the status is 429 (rate limited)
3. Update the CLI if Instagram changed required API headers
4. Check the reported status code: 401/403 = auth, 429 = throttle, 5xx = Instagram-side

Example fix

// before: raw throw in evaluate
if (!res.ok) throw new Error('HTTP ' + res.status + ' - make sure you are logged in to Instagram');
// after: caller-side retry for transient statuses
try { await explore(); } catch (e) {
  if (String(e.message).startsWith('HTTP 429')) { await sleep(60000); return explore(); }
  throw e;
}

// before running explore, confirm the session is logged in
const loggedIn = await browserPage.evaluate(() => !!document.cookie.match(/sessionid=/));
if (!loggedIn) throw new Error('Log in to Instagram in the browser session first');

try {
  await run(['instagram', 'explore']);
} catch (e) {
  const m = String(e.message).match(/^HTTP (\d+)/);
  if (m) {
    const status = Number(m[1]);
    if (status === 429) await sleep(60_000);        // retry after backoff
    else if (status === 401 || status === 403) /* re-authenticate */;
  } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: The fetch to https://www.instagram.com/api/v1/discover/web/explore_grid/ inside the page returns a non-2xx status — 401/403 when not logged in or missing X-IG-App-ID acceptance, 429 when rate limited, 5xx from Instagram.

Common situations: Running explore without ever logging into Instagram in the automation browser; expired session cookies; hitting explore too frequently from one IP/account; Instagram changing required headers (X-IG-App-ID or CSRF) and rejecting old requests.

Related errors

• Failed to unsave: HTTP ' + r2.status
• HTTP ' + r2.status + ' - make sure you are logged in to Inst
• ${label} failed: HTTP ${response.status}
• HTTP ${result.httpStatus} from Instagram /users/info
• Failed to follow: HTTP ' + r2.status

AI-assisted analysis of jackwener/OpenCLI@49907e53dc (2026-08-29). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0af039527ed2b98d. Report an issue: GitHub.