# Instagram Comment Picker – Giveaway Winner Generator (`jan.jiran/instagram-comment-picker`) Actor Pick a random winner from Instagram comments in seconds. Free & fair giveaway and contest picker for posts and reels: set the number of winners, require a tagged friend or hashtag, and export to Excel/CSV/JSON. No login needed. Works with ChatGPT & Claude via MCP. - **URL**: https://apify.com/jan.jiran/instagram-comment-picker.md - **Developed by:** [Jan Jiran](https://apify.com/jan.jiran) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, AI - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing $0.20 / actor start This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Instagram Comment Picker 🎉 - Free & Fair Giveaway Winner Generator **Pick a random winner from your Instagram comments in seconds.** This Instagram comment picker (a.k.a. Instagram giveaway picker / random comment winner generator) reads all the comments on any Instagram **post or reel**, applies the giveaway rules you choose, and randomly draws one or more winners for you - no manual scrolling, copy‑pasting, or screenshots required. Perfect for **Instagram giveaways, contests, raffles, and prize draws** run by creators, small businesses, shops, and marketing teams who want a fast, transparent, and fair way to choose a winner. > 💡 **Not a developer?** You don't need to be. Just paste your post link, choose how > many winners you want, and click **Start**. Results appear in a clean table you can > download as Excel, CSV, or JSON. --- ### What you can use it for - 🎁 **Instagram giveaway winner picker** - draw a fair winner from comments. - 🏆 **Contest & raffle draws** - pick multiple winners at once. - 🤝 **"Tag a friend" promotions** - only count comments that tag someone. - #️⃣ **Hashtag / keyword campaigns** - only count comments containing your keyword. - 📊 **Comment exports** - get a clean list of everyone who commented. ### How to pick a winner in 3 steps 1. **Paste your Instagram link.** Add one or more post/reel URLs (e.g. `https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/`). 2. **Choose your rules.** Set how many winners you want and, optionally, require tagging a friend or a specific keyword/hashtag. 3. **Click Start.** In under a minute you get your randomly drawn winner(s), ready to announce. Download them as Excel/CSV/JSON or copy them straight from the table. That's it - no login to your Instagram account needed. ### Settings explained (in plain English) | Setting | What it does | | --- | --- | | **Instagram post URLs** | The post(s) or reel(s) you're running the giveaway on. You can add several and the comments are combined into one pool. | | **Number of winners** | How many winners to randomly draw. | | **Max comments per post** | How many comments to read per post. Higher = more thorough (and slightly more credits). | | **Unique users only** | On by default - the same person can't win twice, even if they commented many times. | | **Must mention/tag someone** | Only count comments that tag a friend (e.g. `@bestie`). Great for "tag a friend" rules. | | **Required keyword / hashtag** | Only count comments that include your word or hashtag (e.g. `#giveaway`). | #### Example settings ```json { "postUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/DN8-GjPkgjS/"], "numberOfWinners": 3, "maxCommentsPerPost": 200, "uniqueUsers": true, "requireMention": true, "requiredKeyword": "#giveaway" } ```` ### What you get (results) - A **Winners** table with each winner's username, their comment, the post link, and when they commented - exportable to **Excel, CSV, JSON, or HTML**. - A summary record (`OUTPUT`) with the winners plus useful stats: total comments read, how many were eligible after your rules, and the settings used - handy proof that the draw was fair. ### 🤖 Use it with AI assistants (ChatGPT, Claude & others) This Actor is built to be **AI‑agent friendly**, so assistants like **ChatGPT, Claude, and other LLM tools** can run your giveaway for you when asked something like *"pick a random winner from the comments on this Instagram post."* Apify exposes every Actor as a tool through the **[Apify MCP server](https://mcp.apify.com)** ([docs](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp)). Once connected, an AI assistant can discover this Instagram comment picker and call it directly. **Connect it to a Claude Desktop / MCP‑compatible client** by adding: ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "url": "https://mcp.apify.com", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" } } } } ``` **Try a prompt like:** > "Use the Instagram Comment Picker Actor to draw 2 random winners from the comments on > https://www.instagram.com/reel/ABC123/ - only count comments that tag a friend." The assistant will run the Actor and hand back the winners. (Get your token from the [Apify Console → Settings → Integrations](https://console.apify.com/account/integrations).) ### Frequently asked questions **Is this a fair / random Instagram comment picker?** Yes. Eligible comments are shuffled with a uniform random draw, so every qualifying comment has an equal chance. The result includes the comment count and rules used, so you can show your audience the draw was unbiased. **Can I pick more than one winner?** Yes - set **Number of winners** to any amount. You can also keep it fair by leaving **Unique users only** on, so one person can't take multiple prizes. **Does it work on Reels as well as photo posts?** Yes - it works on Instagram **posts and reels**. **Do I need to log in to Instagram?** No. You only provide the public post link. **Can I require people to tag a friend or use a hashtag?** Yes - turn on **Must mention/tag someone** and/or set a **Required keyword/hashtag**. **Is it free?** The Actor itself is lightweight, but it reads comments via Apify's official Instagram comment scraper, which uses a small amount of Apify platform credits per run. New Apify accounts include free monthly usage to get started. **Why might the comment count differ from what I see on Instagram?** Comments are read as a logged‑out visitor would see them, so the total can differ slightly from your logged‑in view (some replies/filtered comments may not appear). *** ### For developers This is an [Apify Actor](https://apify.com/actors) written in **TypeScript**. It calls Apify's official [`apify/instagram-comment-scraper`](https://apify.com/apify/instagram-comment-scraper) to collect comments, then filters and randomly draws winners. #### Input schema | Field | Type | Required | Default | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `postUrls` | `string[]` | ✅ | - | Instagram post/reel URLs. Comments are pooled across all of them. | | `numberOfWinners` | `integer` | ✅ | `1` | How many winners to randomly pick. | | `maxCommentsPerPost` | `integer` | - | `100` | Max comments scraped per post (passed as `resultsLimit`). | | `uniqueUsers` | `boolean` | - | `true` | Each username can win at most once (first comment per user is kept). | | `requireMention` | `boolean` | - | `false` | Only comments tagging another account (`@someone`) are eligible. | | `requiredKeyword` | `string` | - | - | Only comments containing this keyword/hashtag (case‑insensitive) are eligible. | #### Output - **Default dataset** - one record per winner (`winnerRank`, `ownerUsername`, `text`, `postUrl`, `commentUrl`, `timestamp`, …). - **Key‑value store `OUTPUT`** - summary: `winners`, `totalComments`, `eligibleCount`, the applied `filters`, and the input `postUrls`. #### Run locally ```bash npm install ## A token is required because the Actor calls a paid Apify Actor: export APIFY_TOKEN=your_apify_api_token ## Put your input in storage/key_value_stores/default/INPUT.json, then: npm start ``` Build the production JavaScript with `npm run build`. Deploy with [`apify push`](https://docs.apify.com/cli). ### Limitations & disclaimer The underlying comment scraper only sees comments visible to **logged‑out** users, so results can differ from what you see while logged in to Instagram. This tool is not affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram or Meta. Always follow [Instagram's promotion guidelines](https://help.instagram.com/) when running giveaways. # Actor input Schema ## `postUrls` (type: `array`): One or more Instagram post or reel URLs to collect comments from. Comments are pooled across all posts before the draw. ## `numberOfWinners` (type: `integer`): How many winning comments to randomly pick from the eligible pool. ## `maxCommentsPerPost` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of comments to scrape per post URL (passed to the Instagram Comment Scraper as resultsLimit). Higher values cost more. ## `uniqueUsers` (type: `boolean`): If enabled, each Instagram user can win at most once even if they commented multiple times. The first comment per user is kept. ## `requireMention` (type: `boolean`): If enabled, only comments that tag at least one other account (e.g. @friend) are eligible. Common giveaway rule. ## `requiredKeyword` (type: `string`): If set, only comments containing this keyword or hashtag (case-insensitive) are eligible. ## Actor input object example ```json { "postUrls": [ "https://www.instagram.com/p/DN8-GjPkgjS/" ], "numberOfWinners": 1, "maxCommentsPerPost": 100, "uniqueUsers": true, "requireMention": false } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `winners` (type: `string`): The randomly selected winning comments, ready to announce. ## `summary` (type: `string`): Winners plus stats: total comments read, how many were eligible after your rules, and the filters applied — proof the draw was fair. # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "postUrls": [ "https://www.instagram.com/p/SHORTCODE/" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("jan.jiran/instagram-comment-picker").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "postUrls": ["https://www.instagram.com/p/SHORTCODE/"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("jan.jiran/instagram-comment-picker").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "postUrls": [ "https://www.instagram.com/p/SHORTCODE/" ] }' | apify call jan.jiran/instagram-comment-picker --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=jan.jiran/instagram-comment-picker", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Instagram Comment Picker – Giveaway Winner Generator", "description": "Pick a random winner from Instagram comments in seconds. Free & fair giveaway and contest picker for posts and reels: set the number of winners, require a tagged friend or hashtag, and export to Excel/CSV/JSON. No login needed. Works with ChatGPT & Claude via MCP.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "XJeLnTbGl3PJsUlYI" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/jan.jiran~instagram-comment-picker/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-jan.jiran-instagram-comment-picker", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/jan.jiran~instagram-comment-picker/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-jan.jiran-instagram-comment-picker", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/jan.jiran~instagram-comment-picker/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-jan.jiran-instagram-comment-picker", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "postUrls", "numberOfWinners" ], "properties": { "postUrls": { "title": "Instagram post URLs", "type": "array", "description": "One or more Instagram post or reel URLs to collect comments from. Comments are pooled across all posts before the draw.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "numberOfWinners": { "title": "Number of winners", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "How many winning comments to randomly pick from the eligible pool.", "default": 1 }, "maxCommentsPerPost": { "title": "Max comments per post", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of comments to scrape per post URL (passed to the Instagram Comment Scraper as resultsLimit). Higher values cost more.", "default": 100 }, "uniqueUsers": { "title": "Unique users only", "type": "boolean", "description": "If enabled, each Instagram user can win at most once even if they commented multiple times. The first comment per user is kept.", "default": true }, "requireMention": { "title": "Must mention/tag someone", "type": "boolean", "description": "If enabled, only comments that tag at least one other account (e.g. @friend) are eligible. Common giveaway rule.", "default": false }, "requiredKeyword": { "title": "Required keyword / hashtag", "type": "string", "description": "If set, only comments containing this keyword or hashtag (case-insensitive) are eligible." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```