Connect Claude to ManyChat for Your Instagram DMs, Quentin IA Marketing

Before you start

If you've already seen how to connect ChatGPT to ManyChat, this is the exact same process. The only difference: you connect Claude instead.

This guide walks you through every step, from creating your API key to sending the first AI reply in your DMs.

Claude AI Lab

The Claude AI Lab is my Skool community where I share my Claude systems and the more advanced modules. Entry is free.

Join the Lab →

✅What you need

A ManyChat Pro account. The AI integration (Claude or ChatGPT) isn't available on the free plans.

An Anthropic account. That's the company behind Claude. You'll create an API key from their developer console.

A payment method on Anthropic. The API is pay-as-you-go. The cost is very low: under $1/day even with hundreds of replies.

A ManyChat flow (existing or new). You'll add the Claude action inside a flow, wherever you want AI replies.

Pricing info

Pricing details: anthropic.com/pricing. For most ManyChat use cases, you'll be well under $1/day, even with hundreds of AI replies.

Get your Claude API key

🔗 console.anthropic.com

⚙️3 steps to get your API key ready

Create an Anthropic account. Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up (or log in if you already have an account). This is the developer console where you manage your access to the Claude API.

Generate an API key. Once logged in, go to the API Keys tab in the left-hand menu. Click "Create Key" to generate a new secret key. Copy it immediately.

Add a payment method. Go to Plans & Billing and add a card. The Claude API runs on pay-as-you-go: you only pay for what you use, and costs are very low for chat-style replies.

Important

Save your API key somewhere safe. You won't be able to see it again after you close the window. If you lose it, you'll have to generate a new one.

Connect Claude to ManyChat

📍 ManyChat → Settings → Integrations

⚙️2 steps to link your Anthropic account to ManyChat

Open the ManyChat integrations. In your ManyChat dashboard, go to Settings → Integrations. You'll see Claude listed among the available AI integrations (right next to ChatGPT).

Paste your API key. Click the Claude integration card. Paste the API key you copied from Anthropic into the Secret API Key field. Then click "Connect Claude Account".

Check

Once connected, you'll see a green "Connected" status. You're now ready to use Claude in your flows.

Build the automation

📍 ManyChat → Settings → Fields + your flow

⚙️5 steps to build your first AI flow

Create a Custom Field for the response. Go to Settings → Fields in ManyChat. Create a new Custom User Field of type Text. Name it something like "claude_response". This is where ManyChat will store Claude's reply to show it to the user.

Add the Claude action to your flow. Open an automation flow (or create a new one). Add an Action step and select "Claude" from the AI options. It's the same place you'd select ChatGPT.

Write your prompt. In the Claude step, write the prompt that tells Claude how to behave. This is where you define the AI's personality, its instructions and its context. Set the "Last Text Input" field so Claude receives the user's latest message.

Map the response to your Custom Field. In the Claude action settings, set the response destination to the custom field you created (e.g. "claude_response"). This tells ManyChat where to store Claude's reply.

Send the reply to the user. After the Claude step, add a SendMessage block. In the text field, insert your custom field using curly-brace syntax: {{claude_response}}. This sends Claude's generated reply straight into the DM thread.

💡Prompt tip

Keep your prompts clear and specific. Example: "You're a friendly assistant for [YOUR BRAND]. Answer the customer's question based on the information below. Keep your reply to 2-3 sentences. If you don't know the answer, say 'Great question! Let me connect you with our team.' and nothing else."

Flow recap

Trigger (user message) → Claude Action (generates the reply) → Custom Field (stores the reply) → SendMessage (sends {{claude_response}} to the user)

Advanced settings

Two optional parameters in the Claude step to fine-tune the replies.

Parameter	What it does	Recommendation
Max Tokens	Controls the maximum length of the AI reply. The higher it is, the longer the reply can be.	200-500 for DMs. Keep it short to stay within Instagram/Messenger character limits.
Temperature	Controls creativity. 0.0 = very predictable. 1.0 = very creative.	0.3-0.5 for customer support. 0.7-0.9 for creative content or high-personality bots.

Character limits per channel

1,000

Instagram DMs (max characters)

2,000

Facebook Messenger (max characters)

2,000

WhatsApp (max characters)

Important

Instagram has a 1,000-character limit per message. Set your max tokens accordingly so Claude's reply doesn't get cut off. For Messenger and WhatsApp, you have more room with 2,000 characters.

Prompt examples

The prompt is the most important part of the setup. It tells Claude exactly how to behave. Here are 3 ready-to-use templates.

Customer support bot

# Copy-paste this prompt into your Claude step

You are a friendly customer support assistant for [YOUR BRAND].
Answer the customer's question based on the information
below. Keep your reply to 3 sentences maximum. If you don't
know the answer, say "Great question! Let me connect you
with our team." and nothing else.

Brand info: [INSERT THE KEY DETAILS OF YOUR PRODUCTS/SERVICES]

Customer message: {{last_input_text}}

Lead qualification bot

# Ideal for qualifying your prospects automatically

You are an assistant for [YOUR BRAND]. Your job is
to qualify leads. Ask the customer one question at a
time to understand their needs. Focus on what
they're looking for, their budget range and their timeline.
Be conversational and friendly. Keep each reply
to 2 sentences maximum.

Customer message: {{last_input_text}}

Content recommendation bot

# Perfect for sending the right lead magnet at the right time

You are a content assistant for [YOUR BRAND]. Based
on what the user says, recommend the most
relevant content from the list below. Give a
one-sentence reason, then say "Comment [KEYWORD]
to get it!"

Available content:
1) keyword: GUIDE1 - [Content 1]
2) keyword: GUIDE2 - [Content 2]
3) keyword: GUIDE3 - [Content 3]

Customer message: {{last_input_text}}

Why use Claude over ChatGPT?

Both work great in ManyChat. The setup is almost identical. But here are a few reasons to prefer Claude for your automations.

🎯

Follows instructions more precisely

Claude is known for sticking closely to the prompt you give it. If you say "reply in under 2 sentences," it actually does, consistently.

🛡️

Lower hallucination risk

Claude tends to stay within the limits you define. When it doesn't know something, it's more likely to say so rather than make up an answer.

🗣️

Great for brand voice

Claude picks up tone and style cues in your prompt really well. If you want your bot to sound like your brand, Claude delivers.

💰

Competitive pricing

Anthropic's API prices are comparable to OpenAI's. For most ManyChat use cases, the cost difference is negligible.

Pro tip

You can use Claude AND ChatGPT in the same ManyChat account. Use Claude for support and qualification flows. Use ChatGPT for creative flows. Test both and keep whichever performs best for each case.

Get your Claude API key

Connect Claude to ManyChat

Build the automation

Want to go further?