The Claude Social Autopilot: Plan, Design & Auto-Publish Instagram Carousels and Reels with Claude + n8n

Plan, design and publish Instagram carousels and Reels with Claude and n8n, with your approval before anything goes live.

Most "AI auto-posters" only push a post out at a set time. The Claude Social Autopilot is a step-by-step build guide for a system that covers the whole loop: Claude reads how your recent posts performed, suggests ideas based on what worked, and writes the hook, slides, Reel script and caption. Two small scripts turn that into finished carousel slides and Reels, and n8n publishes them through Instagram's official API.

The outcome: by the last page you have a working system that plans, designs and publishes your Instagram content. It runs in two ways: Chat mode (about 10 minutes a day in your Claude Project) or Queue mode (batch a week of posts in one sitting). You don't need to be a developer. The steps are copy, paste and click.

Who it's for

• Founders and creators who want to post consistently on Instagram without designing every post by hand
• Social media managers and freelancers who batch content for several brands or clients
• Marketers who want carousels and faceless text-card Reels from one workflow
• Anyone curious about connecting Claude to n8n (via MCP) for a real, practical use

What's inside: a 42-page PDF build guide in 11 chapters

1. The system: how Claude, your computer, n8n and you (the approver) fit together, plus Chat mode vs. Queue mode
2. Instagram API setup: Professional account, Meta app, access token, user ID and token refresh
3. n8n setup: five hosting options (free and paid), importing the workflows, three credentials and two Data tables
4. The six workflows: what each one does, step by step
5. Connecting Claude: n8n's built-in MCP access, the Claude connector and your Claude Project
6. Making carousels: slide structure, getting the brief from Claude, rendering 1080×1350 slides and hosting images
7. Making Reels: text-card Reels, carousel-to-Reel videos, voiceover and music, and approval-gated publishing
8. Your operating rhythm: daily (10 minutes), weekly (45 minutes) and monthly (30 minutes) routines
9. Testing, troubleshooting and safety: a first-test checklist, common errors and fixes, and platform rules
10. Reference: bonus pack file list, response codes, post_key rules and media specs
11. Tools, links and pricing: every tool, its free and paid options, and three ready-made budget setups

Bonus pack (included in the download)

6 ready-to-import n8n workflows

• 01 · Instagram Publisher (Single + Carousel): validates and publishes, with a post ledger so the same post can't go out twice
• 02 · Instagram Reels Publisher (approval-gated): preflight checks by default, and it publishes only with explicit approval fields
• 03 · Claude Bridge: the single entry point Claude uses. Claude never sees your Instagram token or webhook key
• 04 · Performance Insights: scores and ranks your last 20 posts by likes, comments, saves and shares
• 05 · Content Queue Scheduler: posts approved queue rows on a schedule, one per run
• 06 · Claude Content Engine: a web form that sends a brief to Claude and saves the draft to your Content Queue

4 Python scripts, plus a sample brief and README

• carousel_renderer.py: brief JSON → 1080×1350 PNG slides (dark or light theme, your accent colour, handle and font)
• reel_maker.py: script or images → 1080×1920 MP4 Reel, with optional voiceover and music
• upload_media.py: turns your files into public Cloudinary URLs
• publish.py: sends posts to n8n from the command line
• sample_brief.json, requirements.txt and a README with a 10-minute quick start

Prompt pack

• Claude Project instructions to paste in
• A brand brief template (audience, content pillars, voice, visual style, CTAs, posting rhythm)
• 8 copy-paste prompts: weekly content plan, carousel, Reel script, hook generator, caption rewrite, carousel-to-Reel repurpose, monthly performance review and comment-to-lead CTA

Built-in safety

• Nothing is published without your approval
• Every post has a unique key, so a retry can't double-post
• Media can only come from domains you allow
• The scheduler posts one item per run, so a wrong row can't flood your feed
• It uses Instagram's official API only, with no password-sharing tools or browser bots

What you'll need

• An Instagram Professional account (Business or Creator): free
• A Meta for Developers account and app for the Instagram API: free
• n8n, a recent version with Data tables and instance-level MCP access. Self-hosted Community Edition is free (you pay only for the server, or use a free server). n8n Cloud starts from €20/month with a 14-day free trial
• A server for self-hosted n8n: Oracle Cloud Always Free, or your own computer for testing. Paid options include DigitalOcean from $6/month and a Hostinger n8n VPS from ₹599/month (introductory)
• A Claude account for Chat mode. The free plan includes up to 5 Projects and connectors, with tight usage limits. Pro is $20/month ($17 billed yearly)
• An Anthropic API key, only for the Queue mode form (workflow 06). It's pay per use, about $0.02 per drafted post
• Image hosting: Cloudinary Free (25 credits/month, no card needed)
• Python 3 and ffmpeg: free

Tool prices are as stated in the guide (checked October 2026) and exclude tax. Tool pricing can change, and some prices are introductory offers, so confirm on each provider's site before you pay. You can test the whole system for ₹0 a month using the free options.

FAQ

Do I need to know how to code?
No. The guide is written for non-developers. You import the workflows, fill in a Config node and run the scripts with commands that are given to you.

Will it post without my permission?
No. Claude asks "Approve publishing?" before every post, Reels can't publish without approval fields, and the queue only posts rows you've marked approved.

Can I use it for client accounts?
Yes, for accounts you own or manage and add to your Meta app. Posting for accounts you don't manage needs Meta's App Review and Advanced Access, which the guide doesn't cover.

Can I use my own designs instead of the scripts?
Yes. Export PNGs at 1080×1350 from Canva or Figma and skip the renderer. The rest of the system works the same.

What format is it, and how do I get it?
Digital download: a 42-page PDF guide plus the Bonus Pack folder (n8n workflow JSON files, Python scripts and prompt files in Markdown).

Can I get a refund?
Because this is a digital product, all sales are final. If you have trouble accessing your files, contact us and we'll help.

License

The guide and Bonus Pack are licensed for use in your own business and your client work. You may not resell, share or redistribute the guide, workflows, scripts or prompts, either as a standalone product or as part of another product.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic, Meta, Instagram or n8n. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic. Instagram is a trademark of Meta Platforms. n8n is a trademark of n8n GmbH. You're responsible for following each platform's terms and for everything you publish.