instagram_monitor

Powerful, real-time OSINT suite for tracking every activity on Instagram - from story updates and bio changes to follower shifts, providing stunning dashboards and instant alerts to keep you in the loop.

🚀 Quick Install & Run

Python from PyPI

pip install instagram_monitor
instagram_monitor --setup

Docker Compose

On a native Linux container engine, the container needs your numeric user ID and group ID so files it creates in the current directory belong to you instead of root. Run the two export commands in the same terminal before the Compose commands. Docker-compatible runtimes on macOS and Windows normally handle bind-mount ownership, so users on those systems can usually skip both export commands.

curl -fsSLO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/misiektoja/instagram_monitor/refs/heads/main/docker-compose.yml
export INSTAGRAM_MONITOR_UID="$(id -u)"
export INSTAGRAM_MONITOR_GID="$(id -g)"
docker compose run --rm instagram_monitor --setup
docker compose up --no-log-prefix

Docker run

On macOS shells or Windows PowerShell with a Docker-compatible runtime that provides the docker CLI:

docker pull misiektoja/instagram-monitor:latest
docker run --rm -it --init -v "${PWD}:/data:z" -v instagram_monitor_session:/home/instagram/.config/instaloader misiektoja/instagram-monitor:latest --setup
docker run --rm -it --init -v "${PWD}:/data:z" -v instagram_monitor_session:/home/instagram/.config/instaloader misiektoja/instagram-monitor:latest --config-file /data/instagram_monitor.conf --env-file /data/.env

The first command starts the setup wizard. The second starts monitoring with the files created by the wizard. Both commands keep configuration and downloaded files in the current directory. They keep the saved Instagram login in the Docker volume named instagram_monitor_session.

These commands use macOS shell or Windows PowerShell syntax. In Windows Command Prompt replace ${PWD} with %cd%.

On Linux, --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" runs the container with your numeric user and group IDs. This lets the container write files that your host account can edit:

docker pull misiektoja/instagram-monitor:latest
docker run --rm -it --init --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -v "$PWD:/data:z" -v instagram_monitor_session:/home/instagram/.config/instaloader misiektoja/instagram-monitor:latest --setup
docker run --rm -it --init --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -v "$PWD:/data:z" -v instagram_monitor_session:/home/instagram/.config/instaloader misiektoja/instagram-monitor:latest --config-file /data/instagram_monitor.conf --env-file /data/.env

For the manual single-file method, optional browser support and upgrade commands for every installation method, see Installation.

Features

🔍 Real-time Tracking

• Profile Activity: Monitor new posts, reels and stories in real-time.
• Private Posts: Detects collab posts leaking from private accounts via public collaborators.
• Audience Insights: Track changes in followings and followers.
• Visual Changes: Detect updates to profile pictures and visibility (public/private).
• Bio Updates: Stay informed about changes to user bio.

📥 Media Download

• Anonymous Stories: Download story images and videos without leaving traces.
• High-Quality Media: Save post images, reel videos and profile pictures.
• Batch Support: Monitor and download media for multiple users simultaneously.

📱 Interactive Dashboards

• Guided Setup: Interactive wizard writes a ready-to-run config for PyPI, script and Docker workflows.
• Terminal Dashboard: Beautiful, live-updating CLI interface with real-time stats.
• Web Dashboard: Modern, local web UI with activity feeds and remote controls.
• Image Support: View profile pictures and media directly in your terminal (via imgcat).

🔔 Smart Notifications

• Multi-Channel: Instant alerts via Email, Discord webhooks and native ntfy notifications.
• Rich Alerts: Attached media (profile pics, stories, posts) in Discord notifications.
• Error Reporting: Be notified if the monitoring process hits a snag.

🛡️ Privacy & Detection Avoidance

• Be Human Mode: Simulates random user actions to blend in.
• Jitter Mode: Adds human-like delays to HTTP requests.
• Hour-Range Checking: Limits activity to specific hours of the day.
• Account Flexibility: Works with or without a logged-in Instagram account.
• Browser Session Import: Reuse Firefox, Chrome, Brave or Chromium sessions with profile selection.
• Browser TLS Impersonation: Routes traffic through curl_cffi to mimic a real browser's TLS fingerprint and dodge fingerprint-based blocks.
• Proxy Support: Route Instagram and webhook traffic through your own proxy.
• Privacy Substitutions: Mask or rename identities across all output, logs and notifications.
• Block Awareness: Detects shadowbans and flagged sessions to avoid false alerts.

⚙️ Power Features

• CSV Logging: Log all activities and profile changes with timestamps.
• Flexible Config: Support for files, dotenv and environment variables.
• Follower Churn: Detailed tracking of exactly who followed or unfollowed.
• Batched Fetching: Throttle follower/following downloads into delayed batches.
• Remote Control: Manage tracking features via signals or the web UI.
• Docker Ready: Run via Docker Hub, Docker Compose or local image build with persisted config, dotenv and sessions.

Documentation

Full documentation is available at misiektoja.github.io/instagram_monitor:

• Installation - PyPI, manual script, Docker installation and upgrades
• Quick Start - setup wizard, login choices and first run
• Configuration - settings precedence, saved targets, session login, SMTP and secrets
• View Modes - text, terminal and web dashboards
• Usage - command formats, monitoring, container operation, notifications, proxy and output
• Anti-detection - avoid challenges and account suspension
• Troubleshooting - the --doctor self-check and logging levels

Quick Start

New here? Run the setup wizard

The fastest way to get started is --setup. It asks who to monitor, whether to log in, which interface to use and which alerts you want then saves a ready-to-run configuration. Private values stay in .env.

On a native Linux container engine, set INSTAGRAM_MONITOR_UID="$(id -u)" and INSTAGRAM_MONITOR_GID="$(id -g)" before using Docker Compose. These values make files created by the container belong to your host user. Docker-compatible runtimes on macOS and Windows normally do not need them.

Use the command that matches how you run the tool:

# PyPI install
instagram_monitor --setup

# Manual Python script on macOS or Linux
python3 instagram_monitor.py --setup

# Manual Python script on Windows
python instagram_monitor.py --setup

# Docker Compose (skip curl if you cloned the repository)
curl -fsSLO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/misiektoja/instagram_monitor/refs/heads/main/docker-compose.yml
docker compose run --rm instagram_monitor --setup

# Docker image on macOS or Windows PowerShell
docker run --rm -it --init -v "${PWD}:/data:z" -v instagram_monitor_session:/home/instagram/.config/instaloader misiektoja/instagram-monitor:latest --setup

# Docker image on Linux
docker run --rm -it --init --user "$(id -u):$(id -g)" -v "$PWD:/data:z" -v instagram_monitor_session:/home/instagram/.config/instaloader misiektoja/instagram-monitor:latest --setup

Running the tool with no arguments offers the wizard if you have not saved any targets or enabled the Web Dashboard. If targets are already saved, it starts monitoring them. The wizard detects the installation method and shows the commands that match it.

See the full Quick Start guide for browser choices, saved targets, configuration backups and setup recovery.

Not sure which command you need?

Manual commands

The examples below use a PyPI install. For a manual script install, replace instagram_monitor with python3 instagram_monitor.py on macOS or Linux and python instagram_monitor.py on Windows. Docker users can copy the complete command prefixes from the Usage guide.

Track a public account without logging in:

instagram_monitor <target_insta_user>

For stories, reels and follower changes, sign in through a supported browser then import the session:

instagram_monitor --import-browser-session --browser firefox
instagram_monitor -u <your_insta_user> <target_insta_user>

Launch the Web Dashboard with monitoring:

instagram_monitor <target_insta_user> --web-dashboard

View every command:

instagram_monitor --help

For container operation, browser profiles, email alerts, Discord, ntfy and advanced settings, see Configuration and Usage. Keep private webhook URLs in .env or enter them through the setup wizard. See Webhook Notifications for complete setup and testing instructions.

Change Log

See RELEASE_NOTES.md for details.

Maintainers

• 👤 misiektoja (@misiektoja)
• 👤 tomballgithub (@tomballgithub)

License

Licensed under GPLv3. See LICENSE.