> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.contouron.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.contouron.com/platforms/instagram/limitations.md). # Limitations > For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.contouron.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.contouron.com/platforms/instagram/limitations.md). ## Limitations ### Instagram posts need an image or video Instagram requires every post to include at least one image or video. A text-only caption has nothing for Instagram to publish, so the post fails. This is not a credits issue. If your Instagram post failed to publish and it has no media, add a photo or video and publish again. **Using the Contouron web app:** Open the post and click the **Photo/Video** button to add an image or video before you publish. **Using the Contouron API or n8n/Make.com:** Include at least one URL in `mediaUrls` for Instagram posts. *** ### Instagram post fails: "The media could not be fetched from this URI" This error comes from Instagram/Meta, not Contouron. Meta tried to download one of your images and rejected it. The Facebook link inside the error is Meta's generic media-spec page. This is **not** a credits issue. For media hosted by Contouron (a `database.contouron.io` URL), it is also **not** a public-access problem, so reuploading the file or changing the URL does not help. Fix it in this order: 1. **Retry the post first.** These errors clear on a second attempt more often than not. 2. **Check the aspect ratio.** Every Instagram image must be between **4:5** (portrait) and **1.91:1** (landscape). Square (**1:1**) is safest. 3. **For carousels, the first slide sets the crop.** Instagram crops every slide to match the first image. If one slide is too tall or too wide, the whole carousel fails. Make the first slide the aspect ratio you want for all slides. 4. **Use JPEG instead of PNG.** Instagram accepts both, but JPEG publishes more reliably for carousels. 5. **Make sure each image is at least 320 pixels wide.** For the full image specs, see Social Platform Requirements. *** ### "AI Generated" label Meta does not expose the "AI Generated" content label through their API. You cannot add this label to Instagram posts published through Contouron or any third-party tool. *** ### Music on posts, reels, and carousels **Reels:** If your video already has audio, it will play when posted. To add a music track before posting, use the Contouron video editor — click "Audio" in the left sidebar to upload a music file, then export the video with the audio included. **Single image posts and carousels:** Music cannot be added through Contouron. Publish your post first, then open it in the Instagram app and add music there. *** ### Story link stickers Instagram's API does **not** yet support adding link stickers (clickable URLs) to Stories published via third-party tools. This is an Instagram-side limitation — it applies to all Instagram-API-based publishers, not just Contouron. If you need a link sticker on a Story: 1. Publish the Story through Contouron as normal. 2. Open the Instagram app and add the link sticker manually to the published Story. Once Instagram opens this up in their API, Contouron will integrate it. *** ### Collaborators on carousels Instagram applies a collaborator tag to a carousel as a single unit, not to each photo or video inside it. Because of this, adding **collaborators to a carousel (multi-image or multi-video) post is not supported through Contouron** - the post fails with an error like `The param collaborators is not allowed for carousel child`. Collaborator tagging **does** work on **single image posts and reels**. If you need a collaborator on a carousel: 1. Publish the carousel through Contouron as normal (without collaborators). 2. Open the Instagram app and add the collaborator to the published post. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. 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