Meta's permission screen and the permissions requested
What happens on Meta's side while you connect, what each item on the permission screen does, and what stops working if you withhold one.
Last updated: September 30, 2026
What happens on Meta's side while you connect, what each item on the permission screen does, and what stops working if you withhold one.
Last updated: September 30, 2026
When you press a connect button you leave {{brand.name}} and land on Meta's own screen. There you meet a list of permissions written in technical names, and most people approve it without knowing what they granted. This article explains what happens on that screen and which job in the panel each permission unlocks.
The order is always the same:
⚠️ Note: If one of these steps fails, no half-written record is left behind. The panel sends you back to the connect screen with the reason.
Meta grants permissions at connection time, and the token carries only what was requested at that moment. That has two consequences:
instagram_business_basic — Reads the account's identity: username, display name and profile picture. Without it the account shows up unnamed in lists.
instagram_business_manage_messages — Receives DMs and sends replies. Quick replies, button taps, read receipts and reactions also come through it. It is the foundation of the inbox and of every automation step that sends a message.
instagram_business_manage_comments — Reads post and reel comments, replies to them, sends private replies, and hides or deletes comments. The comment trigger and the comment actions rely on it. Mentions also arrive inside this notification.
instagram_business_manage_insights — Reads account and post insights. Without it the Insights section finds no data.
instagram_business_content_publish — Publishes and schedules posts from the panel. Without it, jobs in the Publishing section stay in the "waiting for permission" state.
This path asks for both Instagram and Page permissions, because every request runs through the Page.
instagram_basic — Reads the Instagram account's identity (the Page-path counterpart of the basic permission above).
instagram_manage_messages — Receives and answers Instagram DMs through the Page.
instagram_manage_comments — Reads, replies to, privately answers, hides and deletes Instagram comments.
instagram_manage_insights — Reads Instagram insights.
instagram_content_publish — Publishes posts to Instagram.
pages_show_list — Reads the list of Pages you manage. The candidates on the selection screen are found with it; without it no candidate appears on return.
pages_manage_metadata — Subscribes the Page to event notifications. This is the permission that makes messages arrive in the panel; without it the account connects but no message ever comes.
pages_read_engagement — Reads engagement on the Page.
pages_messaging — Sends messages through the Page.
business_management — Reads the Meta business portfolio the account belongs to.
whatsapp_business_messaging — Receives and sends WhatsApp messages, including template sends.
whatsapp_business_management — Manages the business account and the number: reading and writing the business profile, pulling the template list, reading the number's quality rating and tier, and setting up the event subscription all happen with it.
You don't see them on the permission screen, but they are part of the connection:
You own a boutique and connect your account through the Instagram path. On the permission screen you decide the "insights" item is unnecessary and switch it off. The connection works fine, DMs arrive, automations run. Three weeks later you open the Insights section and see no numbers at all. There's no error message either. The reason is simple: that permission isn't in your token. The fix: renew the permissions from the account's Connection page and approve the whole list this time.
If a section stays empty although you granted the permissions, see When a connection breaks or contact our Support team.
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